der polnische aufstand von 1863 und die europäische politik, im spiegel der deutschen diplomatie...

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Der Polnische Aufstand von 1863 Und Die Europäische Politik, im Spiegel der Deutschen Diplomatie und der Öffentlichen Meinung. by Hans-Werner Rautenberg Review by: Richard Blanke Slavic Review, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Spring, 1982), p. 161 Published by: Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2496676 . Accessed: 12/06/2014 18:34 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Slavic Review. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 91.229.248.187 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:34:56 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: Der Polnische Aufstand von 1863 Und Die Europäische Politik, im Spiegel der Deutschen Diplomatie und der Öffentlichen Meinung.by Hans-Werner Rautenberg

Der Polnische Aufstand von 1863 Und Die Europäische Politik, im Spiegel der DeutschenDiplomatie und der Öffentlichen Meinung. by Hans-Werner RautenbergReview by: Richard BlankeSlavic Review, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Spring, 1982), p. 161Published by:Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2496676 .

Accessed: 12/06/2014 18:34

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserveand extend access to Slavic Review.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.187 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:34:56 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Der Polnische Aufstand von 1863 Und Die Europäische Politik, im Spiegel der Deutschen Diplomatie und der Öffentlichen Meinung.by Hans-Werner Rautenberg

Reviews 161

DER POLNISCHE AUFSTAND VON 1863 UND DIE EUROPAISCHE POLITIK, IM SPIEGEL DER DEUTSCHEN DIPLOMATIE UND DER OFFENTLI- CHEN MEINUNG. By Hans-Werner Rautenberg. Quellen und Studien zur Ge- schichte des ostlichen Europa, vol. 10. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag GmbH, 1979. x, 484 pp. DM 75, paper.

This is a reasonably competent, albeit very traditional work of European diplomatic history. The title notwithstanding, the book tells us almost nothing about the Polish revolt of 1863; the entire focus is on europaische Politik, that is, the reaction of the other powers to this event. It takes the form of an almost day-by-day account of diplomatic activity and press reaction occasioned by events in Russian Poland from January to July 1863.

The essentials of this story have been familiar to generations of historians. At first it was not the revolt itself as much as Bismarck's hasty effort to aid Russia in its hour of possible need (the Alvensleben Convention) that agitated the other three powers. When Russia and Prussia soon agreed not to "activate" this agreement, Prussia was let off the hook, and the other powers, especially France, looked for ways to pressure Russia to go easy on the Poles. This was to no avail: the Russians resisted interference, suppressed the revolt by themselves, and determined that Prussia rather than France was their real friend (which soon paid off for Bismarck).

The subtitle of this work reflects the fact that its unpublished source foundation consists exclusively of German diplomatic records and some German newspapers. By viewing the subject through German eyes, the author suggests that we might learn something new about Germany, but we do not. The only unconventional feature of the work is its use of diplomatic records of the smaller German states. Even these are of dubious value, for Baden, Wurttemberg, Saxony, and others were in no position to pursue foreign policy on a European scale, and their diplomatic correspondence consists mostly of hearsay. The author tends to let his sources (rather than any clear analytical framework or original Problemstellung) determine the work's contents and often "speak for themselves." About half the text consists of direct quotations from the sources in one of three languages. In keeping with a now fortunately dated tradition in German scholarship, half of each page is given over to often superfluous footnote material.

The author, a recent Ph.D., has covered the huge literature quite well and uses works in four languages. Though not especially imaginative, he is thorough, judicious, and objective, and this scarcely reworked dissertation indicates that he has mastered the basic tools of the historian's trade. But the episode covered belongs to one of the most heavily studied areas of European history, and Rautenberg is unable to offer anything of significance that is new, either in content or interpretation. Thus one must question the decision to submit such a lengthy and frankly pedestrian work for publication (even allowing for the fact that it was directed by the editor of the series in which it now appears). But now that it is here, perhaps a few specialists in diplomatic history (although not many historians of Eastern Europe) will find it worth consulting.

RICHARD BLANKE University of Maine, Orono

SELECTED WRITINGS OF AUGUST CIESZKOWSKI. Edited and translated by Andre Liebich. London: Cambridge University Press, 1979. viii, 174 pp. $23.50.

The interest in Cieszkowski in scholarly literature outside of Poland has been largely confined to the examination of his role in the genesis of the thought of Marx. In spite of the well-known malicious jab of Marx, most scholars (with the notable exception of Georg Lukacs) see Cieszkowski as Marx's most important precursor in the transforma-

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.187 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:34:56 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions