Z rozważań nad społeczną i gospodarczą kondycją ziemiaństwa w Królestwie Polskim w okresie postyczniowego dziesięciolecia (1864–1874)

The subject of the article is the issue of widely understood social and economic aspects related to the history of the landed gentry in the Kingdom of Poland in the post-January decade. The adopted border turning points were marked by the failure of the uprising and the introduction of the enfranchisement reform (1864) and the death of governor Fiodor Berg as well as the agricultural exhibition in Warsaw (1874). That decade was a clearly outlined period – important above all in the economic history of the country and in the context of the experiences that the village and the manor households had. Those years were crucial for the gentry as well. The consequences of enfranchisement, in a reality of the brutally suppressed independence uprising and in the atmosphere of post-January terror, brought the end to the era of manor and serf economy. The door was opened for the development of capitalist relations, which combined with a comprehensive reconstruction of the agricultural system, led many estates into ruin and forced many heirs to be declassed. For others, it was a challenge to thoroughly transform and modernize farming methods, which not always resulted in later economic successes. The new deal brought social and mental transformations as well as the rejection of traditional habits and state prejudices, to the agenda. All these interdependent phenomena created a picture that shimmered with different colours, which I think is worth re-drawing in the anniversary year.