Why did he fight? Marian

I late watched a movie entitled “Kos” in which they moved - most likely made-up but likely - an event from Kościuszko's life. At the beginning of the movie Kościuszko tells his black aide about a plan to unite all states under the motto of saving the homeland. Then there are the events followed by a short, chaotic fight between the Russian troops and the Polish gathering, resulting in the death of any of the film's characters and the old manor burned to the ground. Standing by the smokers, the Negro asks Kościuszko, “And this is your plan?”
So let us ask the question: Did Kościuszko have any good plan to carry out the uprising?
There is no uncertainty that Kościuszko had a solid military preparation acquired at the Warsaw Knight School and supplemented at the Military Academy in Versailles, where he learned the latest methods of fortifications and military engineering. So Kościuszko was not only able to ride horses and wave swords, as most of the Polish officers at the time. In France, which was on the eve of the revolution, he besides learned about the slogans of freedom, equality and brotherhood - whatever they meant.
Militaryly educated and with a head full of revolutionary ideas Kościuszko returned to Poland, but in anarchy after the first partition the homeland did not want him. The matrimony plans didn't work either. The brother ruled a tiny household property, so Kościuszko decided to look for a occupation in a “his profession” abroad. He tried his luck in Dresden and then in Paris. There he met playwright Pierra Beaumarchais, who, apart from writing - or possibly first of all - was a man for the peculiar deeds of the King of France. On his orders, he founded a fictional trading company that secretly supplied arms and supplies to the freedom fighters. For him, an educated, unemployed and penniless officer, he was perfect for “exporting” for the ocean. The Kościuszko did not hesitate, for there was a conflict for freedom.
In America, his military education yet came in handy. He fortified Philadelphia, built fortifications for the conflict of Saratoga and for respective others, designed and started building the West Point fortress. During his eight-year stay in America Kościuszko served the rank of general, and in designation of merit he was given land and a considerable amount of money. So he could have lived well in America, but in time he liked it there. It turned out that the nation that he helped to gain freedom built its strength on the labour of slaves and the slaughter of indigenous people. This disappointed Kościuszko went to Poland, and all the property was devoted to the acquisition and education of black slaves.
You could say he did a noble thing, but are you sure? At that time news from partition Poland to the war-torn America reached slow or at all. So Kościuszko could not know precisely the situation in the country or in the household estate. So he acted recklessly, leaving almost penniless. The American property and the execution of his will entrusted Thomas Jefferson, who saw nothing incorrect in slavery and himself had slaves. So it was naive to entrust specified a man with a mission to buy them out and to train them. As it turns out, Jefferson didn't even lift a finger in this case. Fortunately, he did not embezzle assets and the American court did not grant him to a distant comparative of the general after many years.
In Poland Kościuszko found an even bigger swamp than erstwhile he returned from his studies in France: a king eating from the Russian hand, a defiled and corrupt nobility and impoverished people. Poland was under the protection of Russia and actually existed only on paper.
Fortunately, his assets inactive existed, but he made small income, so American money would be very useful. Even though he barely made ends meet, Kościuszko reduced the state to his peasants, which he fell under the local nobility.
Shortly thereafter, the Constitution was enacted on May 3, which predicted the creation of a 100 thousandth army. It ended with seventeen thousand, any of which was given to Kościuszko under command. He enjoyed it briefly, due to the fact that shortly the trade union was bound up and Russia hit Poland. Kościuszko participated in this war and, as far as possible, the tiny Polish army was successful. Nevertheless, Poles continued to retreat, and after the betrayal of King Poniatowski, the war was stopped. Kościuszko resigned in consequence to this.
Shortly after that, he left for Saxony, where there was an emigration centre for people who wanted to save the remains of Poland. This could have been done - although it was most likely besides late - only by fighting Russia, and for that a chief was needed. The choice fell on Kościuszko, who was about to get to work. He began by going to France, where he sought aid for the planned uprising. He gained nothing, and in addition, he presented his plans to Charles Dumouriez, who, as it later appeared, betrayed his invaders. For the second time - after welding with Jefferson - it turned out that Kościuszko was naive and did not know about people.
At that time, there was a second demolition, after which Poland became a small, practically ruled by the Russian ambassador country, ruined economically and morally.
Upon his return to Dresden Kościuszko began to make a plan for the uprising. He first planned to carry out a nationwide mobilization in order to make at least a 100 1000 armies, reinforced by civic militias formed like the American one, and a common movement organized like the French one. This was to be financed by issuing the first paper money in Poland, imposing extraordinary taxes, confiscating the property of traitors, as well as voluntary victims of society. All of this was to be done in strict secrecy and with the cooperation of nobles, townsmen and peasants.
Meanwhile, the members of the national assembly centre wanted to strike the Russians immediately, execution them at all turn, terrorize them and drive them out of the country. To cool down these urges, Kościuszko wrote to them: “The glorious goal of lifting the Nation out of captivity's yoke among the most hard difficulties should be well weighed, not at the velocity of civic affection, but in cold reason, wondering at everything, in order not to plunge the country into a greater bondage even erstwhile to lose hope of regaining it.” This did not work, and then Kościuszko, taking the name Milewski - he was already wanted by the Russians - went to Podgórze (now the territory of Krakow) for talks with national activists. No deal was made, the uprising was postponed for an indefinite period, and Kościuszko returned to Dresden.
Meanwhile, things got worse in the country. The Traitorial Council has decided to reduce - and so already tiny - Polish troops and recruit reduced soldiers to troops of the invaders, and Russian business authorities have begun to catch members of the conspiracy organization. In this situation Kościuszko decided to start a fight despite failing his instructions and returned from Dresden to Krakow.
The uprising began without Kościuszko's participation, erstwhile on 12 March 1794, General Madaliński did not agree to a simplification in the First Wielkopolska National Cavalry Brigade and headed it from Ostrołęka towards Krakow. However, the authoritative date of its commencement is considered to be March 24, when, after Kościuszko swore an oath on the Kraków market, he officially assumed command over it.
He did not fight for long, due to the fact that in October under Maciejowice he was injured and got into Russian captivity. Eventually, the uprising fell on November 16. It was the shortest of all Polish national liberation uprisings, and the immediate consequence was the 3rd demolition of Poland. inactive during its course, Tsarica Catherine II wrote to the rulers of Austria and Prussia that: “It is time for the 3 courts to take steps not only to quench the last spark of fire which broke out in the neighboring country, but besides to prevent a fresh flame from always rising from the ashes.” This besides happened and Poland disappeared from the planet map a year later. This fact was rapidly accepted by Pope Pius VI, ordering in writing the primate Ignacy Krasicki to inculcate into the Polish nation the work of “faith, obedience and love towards fresh masters and kings”.
During the uprising about twenty-five 1000 Poles were killed, of which more than half during the alleged "Knife of Prague". About 20,000 people were sent to Siberia.
A circumstantial epilogue of the uprising was the agreement of November 1796 between Kościuszko and Tsar Paul I. The erstwhile chief of the uprising took a faithful oath to the Tsar and swore that he would not return to Poland, in exchange for this the Tsar freed about 20 1000 Poles.
Kościuszko left for London, from there to the United States, until he yet settled in Switzerland, where he died at seventy-one.
Let us return to the question about the Kościuszko plan of uprising.
The plan was and was militaryly good. However, it was impractical in Poland, due to the fact that Kościuszko prepared the uprising like the American 1 in which he participated. He assumed that nobles, peasants, and townspeople would stand together and sacrifice their lives and wealth for their homeland, and in Poland at the time it was impossible.
After the gathering in Kościuszko Podgórze, he already knew that his plan would not work. He knew that he would come to conflict the more powerful Russian army many times and as an experienced military army he had to know that the chances of winning were slim. He besides knew that in the case of the loser Catherine II would take revenge on Poles.
So why did he fight?