The January Uprising (Polish: powstanie styczniowe, Lithuanian: 1863 m. sukilimas, Belarusian: Паўстанне 1863-1864 гадоў) was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (present-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, parts of Ukraine, western Russia) against the Russian Empire. It began on 22 January 1863 and lasted until the last insurgents were captured in 1865.
The uprising began as a spontaneous protest by young Poles against conscription into the Imperial Russian Army, and was soon joined by high-ranking Polish-Lithuanian officers and various politicians. The insurrectionists, severely outnumbered and lacking serious outside support, were forced to resort to guerrilla warfare tactics. They failed to win any major military victories or capture any major cities or fortresses, but they did blunt the effect of the Tsar's abolition of serfdom in the Russian partition, which had been designed to draw the support of peasants away from the nation. Severe reprisals against insurgents, such as public executions and deportations to Siberia, led many people to abandon armed struggle and turn instead to the idea of "organic work": economic and cultural self-improvement.
Read more about January Uprising: Eve of The Uprising, Uprising in The Former Polish Kingdom, Uprising in The Former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Evolution of Events, Famous Insurgents, January Uprising in Literature
Famous quotes containing the words january and/or uprising:
“I have never been disappointed when I asked in a humble and sincere way for Gods help. I pray often. I think I pray more often since January 12th.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
“Ours is the old, old story of every uprising race or class or order. The work of elevation must be wrought by ourselves or not at all.”
—Frances Power Cobbe (18221904)