The Irony of Alexander’s Relaxation
The main reason why Alexander relaxed restrictions in his reign was to bring stability and loyalty. Ironically, his relaxations brought precisely the opposite. People and other groupings got an opportunity to express their views from an opposition perspective, which angered Alexander. The author writes, “Unfortunately, Alexander’s relaxations, designed to secure greater stability and loyalty to the throne in the Kingdom, the opposite effect. Legally recognized organizations with moderate yet undisguisedly political aims, such as the Agricultural Society and the Warsaw City Delegation, emerged, emboldening radicals to form conspiratorial circles and organize patriotic demonstrations.”
The irony of religion
Ironically, there is religious division because they do not talk in one voice against Poland's Russian rule's oppression. The Catholic Church is against this oppressive rule, but the Orthodox Church is used to stamp the Russian rule's authority. Catholic leaders are jailed and excommunicated, and other believers are forcefully converted to the Orthodox religion, which supports the authority. The author writes, "Especially targeted for retribution were the gentry and the Catholic clergy, perceived by the Russian authorities as to the leading social forces behind the rebellion. Hundreds of thousands were reconverted to Orthodoxy by coercive means."
The irony of learning institution
The genuine intention of learning institutions is to educate the children for a better future. Ironically, the Russian authority is using learning institutions to achieve their selfish gains. For instance, the Russian language must be used to brainwash learners and make them loyal subjects to the Kingdom. The author says, “Apukhtin also sought to fill in the few cracks of Polishness that remained in the system of public secondary education. He also planted political informers in the schools to maintain student discipline. To increase police supervision of the students' extra curriculum activities, he introduced both mandatory uniforms and on-campus residency to combat any demonstrations." The militarization of learning institutions is a competitive satire.
The Comeback of the Catholic Church (Irony)
The reader expects the Catholic Church to stand its ground and continue fighting the Russian rule's oppression. Ironically, at last, the church decides to play by the tune of the Russian rule because they are forced to accept to use Russian instructional language in all their training. The author writes, "Apukhtin's final achievement was to bring the education of Catholic clergy into the orbit of the Russified state system. By the 1880s, the clergy's training in the seminaries came to include the compulsory study of Russian and use of Russian for the instruction of history."
The irony of Russian bureaucracy
Instead of serving the people, the lower levels of the Russian bureaucracy are engaged in corruption to favor those who have money. It is ironic for leaders to steal and take bribes instead of ensuring justice and equal representation. Blobaum writes, “Particularly to lower levels of the Russian bureaucracy, corruption was rife, and officials could easily be bribed to bend the rules."
