Polish Exiles, Britain and the Politics of Empire, 1830-1864

Abstract

From the 1830s onward, Britain was home to a sizeable population of Polish exiles. While these individuals had diverse social and political backgrounds, they were united in their opposition to the imperial or quasi-imperial systems of government that administered Polish territories. The refuge they found in Britain, however, placed them at the heart of another large cosmopolitan imperium. This article addresses the consequences of such a situation by exploring the contribution of Polish exiles and their supporters to debates concerning the British empire. Analyses were underpinned by two contrasting visions. On the one hand, writers associated British imperial activity with the global spread of enlightened, liberal values. On the other, however, Britain was viewed as a uniquely avaricious state, driven purely by economic self-interest. Examining how these arguments were deployed uncovers some of the ways in which campaigners for an independent Polish state both resisted and endorsed British imperialism.