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Zusatztext The brief interlude that was the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw now has a worthy historical survey, thanks to Czubaty (Univ. of Warsaw, Poland). His work is as thoughtfully written and as exhaustive an effort on the duchy’s history as one is likely to find. Czubaty thoroughly examines the political issues and expectations that the duchy’s creation raised for the Polish nobility (szlachta), whose loyalties were divided among the ideals of the defunct commonwealth, the new centralized ideas of Napoleonic administration and citizenship, and ties to the partitioning powers. Czubaty deftly analyzes these various loyalties and how they impacted duchy politics. He also studies the impact that the centralized constitution of the duchy had on social and economic conditions and remarks on the deep, long-lasting impact the duchy had on the development of a burgeoning middle and professional class. The author also looks at the ties that many Polish Jews had to the duchy and the impact that the spread of primary education had on the peasants. Significantly, Czubaty notes the impact of the duchy on ideas of Polish identity. This noteworthy work is aided by an eloquent and mellifluous translation by Ursula Phillips. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. Informationen zum Autor Jaroslaw Czubaty is Professor at the Institute of History at the University of Warsaw, Poland. Ursula Phillips is a translator of Polish literary and academic works and Honorary Research Associate of the University College London School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UK. Vorwort Incorporating political, social and cultural history, this is the first authoritative account of the Duchy of Warsaw, the Polish state established by Napoleon in 1807. Zusammenfassung The Duchy of Warsaw, 1807-1815 is the first academic history of the state established by Napoleon in pre-partitioned Poland at the turn of the 19th century. The book examines the political, social and cultural dynamics of the Duchy and considers its role in Napoleon's wider empire and the politics he engaged in across the European continent during the period. Czubaty explores the history of the Duchy to reveal how political and social ideas, systems and mechanisms from France, Italy and Germany began permeating Central Eastern Europe at this time and goes on to consider how this impacted on the changing political mentalities of the Polish people. Inhaltsverzeichnis IntroductionPrologue1. ‘Deliverer’ or ‘Conqueror’: Napoleon and the Poles during the ‘First Polish War’ 1806-18072. ‘A wise and liberal constitution has replaced anarchy...’3. Between Disappointment and Hope 1807-18094. 1809: War on the Periphery 5. ‘Sobieski’s Heirs’: The Polish Army of the Duchy of Warsaw6. ‘Money!’ or the Foundations of ‘National Prosperity’7. Tradition and Change in the Social Life of the Duchy of Warsaw8. New Forms and Old Mentality in Political Life9. 1812-1815: ‘We will have no choice here...’ EpilogueBibliography Index...
