The Warsaw Governorship General as a Transit Destination for Emigration from the Russian Empire in the Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries

The Warsaw Governorship General played a significant role in the illegal emigration from the Russian Empire, which became a significant state problem at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries. Based on pre-revolutionary legislation and a wide range clerical work documents from the archives of Russia and Poland, the peculiarities of crossing the state border within the Warsaw Governorship General up to the outbreak of the First World War are considered. The proximity to German ports on the Baltic Sea, the existence of extensive networks of emigration offices, the difficulty of legal emigration, the absence of natural barriers and the unsatisfactory state of border protection led most emigrants to choose an illegal crossing of the border. The authorities of the Russian Empire have developed an extensive system of norms regulating the border regime in the Warsaw Governorship General. The rules established to simplify cross-border contacts served to those who, pretended to be residents of the border strip, illegally crossed abroad. The connivance of officials contributed to this. The local population was also involved in the organization of illegal emigration and helped to supply emigrants with legal documents for the right to leave the empire.