Jew-Hatred and Anti-Jewish Violence in the Former Lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Long Nineteenth Century

In this essay, I analyze three regions of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that in the “long nineteenth century” exhibited quite strong anti-Semitism but which experienced only a very small number of pogroms. I will examine the Kingdom of Poland, East Galicia, and Lithuania, where anti-Semitic ideology gained strength in late imperial period; however, at the same time the number of anti-Jewish pogroms was very small compared to other regions with a significant Jewish minority (e.g., West Galicia and other parts of the Jewish Pale of Settlement). I first present a short outline about anti-Semitism in each case, and then discuss the number of pogroms and their dynamics in these territories. In the final section, I confront current historical literature and offer an explanation.