he parts which she
had owned for so many years that they had become parts of the empire.
The czar dared not grant such a request, because it would have
produced a revolution in Russia, besides a war with Austria and
Prussia, since those powers owned part of Poland. He was, however,
willing to grant important concessions and did so. In February 1863,
an insurrection broke out, and Russian troops were dispatched to
subdue it. The Russians acted with great cruelty, so that England,
France, and Austria protested on the 17th of June. Russia, knowing
that Prussia would come to her assistance paid no attention, and in
1866, Russian Poland became a part of Russia. The Russian language (p. 228)
displaced the Polish, and Poland is no longer even a name; it is a
memory and a warning,--nothing more.

Quite different was Alexander's treatment of Finland. In 1863, he
convoked the Diet of that grand dukedom, where nobility and people
appreciated the degree of liberty which they enjoyed. The government
did not interfere with the national language or religion, but took
measures that neither should spread in Russia.

Alexander's concessions raised the expectation of a constitution among
those who knew what the word implies, including the students at the
universities. These institutions were closed. The provincial zemstvos
exceeded their authority. That of Tver demanded the convocation of the
three Estates; that at Toula discussed a national assembly. Was it
Alexander or his court and ministers who bore the responsibility for
the suppressive means that were employed? It may be that the attempts
upon his life, by Karakozof in 1866, and by the Pole Berezofski at
Paris in 1867, embittered him. But his kindly feeling and love for his
people, taken in conjunction with a later event, warrant the belief
that he was ignorant.

XXV--GREAT EVENTS DURING ALEXANDER'S REIGN. (p. 229)

NIHILISM.

Prussia's behavior during the Polish insurrection brought her into a
close friendship with Russia. The result was seen when Austria and
Prussia, in 1864, invaded the German provinces of Denmark, when Russia
prevented intervention, and Denmark lost the two provinces by the
Treaty of Vienna, October 30, 1864. Soon after Prussia and Austria
quarreled about the spoils. The countries of South Germany supported
Austria. War began on June 18, 1866, and little over two months later,
on August 23, 1866, it ended by the Peace of Prag