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In the second half of the 19th century, in order to defend Polish possessions and culture and to maintain the status of the elite leading Polish society, the land-owners initiated and financed the establishment of various cultural, scientific, economic and social institutions and held leading positions in the Polish national movement. As part of the fight for the spirits of the Polish peasants, some land-owners conducted educational activity among the rural people, promoted the use of modern methods of management and, from the end of 1860s, supported the establishment of agricultural circles where they often held the functions of presidents. By cooperating with the peasants, not only did the land-owners contribute to the economic modernisation of the rural areas and development of national awareness, but also, in practice, they implemented the ideas of social solidarity, which became a social phenomenon unique for Greater Poland.

As a result, the land-owners enjoyed great social authority and together with a certain part of the intelligentsia, clergy and enlightened peasantry, they worked for the defence of Polish possessions and the development of Polish culture in the Prussian partition.

Bourgeoisie

Because of the agricultural nature of the province and poor progress in industrialisation and urbanisation, the bourgeoisie which included both the group of capital owners and independent entrepreneurs who ran capitalist factories, was small in Greater Poland and characterised by strong internal diversification. As the major source of capital in the Poznań province was land, land-owners often went beyond the traditional approach to management, and by investing in industrial and banking sectors they took over the role of the bourgeoisie. However, even when the profits from non-agricultural activity exceeded the profits from agriculture, in social terms, they still identified themselves with the landed gentry.

As well as land-owners, the small group of larger entrepreneurs was dominated by Germans and Jews, who often came from outside Greater Poland. However, at the turn of the century, the more dynamic craftsmen and merchants of Polish nationality who succeeded economically and managed to expand their companies were promoted more and more frequently.

In that period, as a result of the improving business environment, demographic development and urbanisation, the number of owners and managers of plants which employed more than 5 people, increased from 1346 in 1882 to 3944 in 1907. The owners of plants employing a maximum of 200 people were the largest majority of the members of this group and the owners of the largest plants less than 1% of the entire group. Despite the overall weakness of this social group in Greater Poland, a part of the Polish bourgeoisie deserves some credit as, owing to its spirit of entrepreneurship and support from the land-owners and cooperatives’ capital, they were able to win the competition and increase their assets, taking over, among other things, the factories left by the Germans and the Jews. However, they still remained a minority as, e.g. in 1911, among the 423 largest industrial enterprises in Poznań, as many as 270 (63.8%) belonged to Germans, and only 133 (31.4%) to Poles.

Petite bourgeoisie

Another group in the social hierarchy of Greater Poland was the petite bourgeoisie, which mainly consisted of craftsmen and merchants whose attention was focused on the local agriculture, and a relatively small municipal population. In the first half of the 19th century, Germans and Jews definitely prevailed in the above-mentioned group in terms of their number and property, and Poles were its poorer and much smaller part. Therefore, one of the objectives of the organic work initiated by Karol Marcinkowski was to create a Polish bourgeoisie.

Because of the processes of industrialisation and the methods of mass-manufacturing and the distribution of goods characteristic of it, the economic position of the crafts weakened and the number of professionally active craftsmen decreased in Greater Poland from 42000 in 1882 to 38000 in 1907. On top of this, many of them had to change their qualifications or concentrate on service activities. On the other hand, the general economic development, the gradual increase in the purchasing power of society and the deepening social division of work had a positive effect on the development of trade and the catering and hotel sectors as well as financial institutions and transportation services. In these areas, the number of professionally active small entrepreneurs increased from 16500 in 1882 to 18000 in 1907.

As a result of this, in the years 1895-1907, the overall number of petite bourgeoisie in Greater Poland changed very insignificantly and amounted to about 56000. However, compared to the groups of physical workers and clerical workers whose numbers were growing rapidly, the percentage of merchants and craftsmen among all the employed people clearly declined.

At the same time, at the turn of the century, changes regarding the ethnic structure which were favourable to Poles occurred in this social group. The development of cities, the growth of social wealth and the activities initiated by the creators of organic work to support the Polish crafts, trade and cooperatives all brought positive effects and led to an increase in the number of Polish craft workshops and commercial establishments, which competed effectively with the German and Jewish petite bourgeoisie at the beginning of the 20th century. In comparison with other partitions, its condition may be evaluated positively, however, it did not equal the cooperatives in terms of economic strength and degree of organisation, yet still achieving an exceptional position in Greater Poland. In 1910, 248 cooperatives which consisted of 116000 members in total, were part of the Union of Earning and Economic Associations in the Grand Duchy of Poznań and West Prussia

Peasants

Rich peasants as owners of workshops, where permanent and temporary workers were employed, and at the same time as persons who were engaged in gainful employment, fulfilled the role similar to that of the petite bourgeoisie in the cities. In 1907, the number of owners of farms with an area ranging between 10 and 100ha was 37200 people, which gave 40% of their overall number. In the years 1895-1907, as a result of land purchases and family lots, the number of owners of farms with an area of 10-20 ha increased by 26.2%, and the number of owners of farms with an area of 20-50ha by only 2.2%. At the same time the number of owners of the largest farms with an area of 50-100ha decreased by 143 people. The rich peasants were dominant in rural communities both in economic and social terms.

In addition to the rich peasants, there were also small-holder peasants and yeomen in the rural structure, with farms whose areas ranged between less than 1ha to 10ha. In 1907 there were about 164000 farms of this type in Greater Poland. The owners of the above-mentioned farms did not employ any hired labour force, but on many occasions they themselves looked for additional sources of income, often working as agricultural workers on land estates. At the turn of the century, as a result of spending money coming from non-farming activity (often from work as a result of emigration) on the purchase of land, the number of small farms increased quickly, especially in the group of farms with an area between 3 and 5ha, whose number in the years 1895-1907 went up from 8800 to 15000, and in the group with an area between 5-10ha where the number of farms in the same period increased by 4600. As a consequence of this, the number of small-holder peasants and yeomen who owned farms increased. In order to maintain their family they were often forced to look for an additional income. 

Intelligentsia

A particular role in the social structure was occupied by the relatively small group of intelligentsia in Greater Poland. Their influence resulted not so much from the owned property but rather the economic, social, cultural and political functions which they fulfilled. For formal-legal reasons, the members of the above-mentioned group were referred to as clerical employees in statistical statements. This was an exceptionally broad category which covered, on the one hand, ordinary clerks and secretaries, and on the other hand, managers, journalists, artists and clergymen. In consideration of the above, the respective categories of people regarded as intelligentsia, were separated from each other by great economic distance and practically impassable social barriers. In terms of its number, at the turn of the century, the intelligentsia in Greater Poland experienced a dynamic development from 34000 in 1895 to 45000 in 1907. In terms of its number the group of intelligentsia was dominated by lower-ranking officials, and the representatives of the intelligentsia who had a minimum secondary education as well as creative intelligence belonged to a small group. A specific role was played by a relatively large number of teachers, who, however, remained in the service of the Prussian state and were involved in the accomplishment of its Germanisation objectives, which were, in principle, contradictory to the interests of Poles.

However, in some historic studies, the formal-legal criterion is questioned and only persons earning their living on intellectual activity which requires at least secondary education are considered representatives of intelligentsia. After the application of the above-mentioned definition, the number of persons who belonged to this social group in Greater Poland would fall to a few thousand people, of whom the Polish intelligentsia before the outbreak of the war included only about 1400 people, i.e. 750 priests, 200 physicians, 70 lawyers, 50 pharmacists, 40 journalists, 30 artists and 50 architects and engineers. 

By applying the formal-legal criterion, it can be concluded that in parallel to an increase in the number of clerical workers, also the percentage of women belonging to the intelligentsia increased, and in the year 1907, it reached a level of about 14%. An increase in the employment of women in clerical work was a product of the emancipation processes which covered this group, as still even around the year 1870, women had access only to physical work while any posts requiring intellectual work were reserved for men. However, they did not have secondary education and furthermore university education, therefore, they did not belong to the intelligentsia according to the definition which emphasises the education criterion.

As a result of this, the intelligentsia in Greater Poland was small, but together with the landed gentry, it was a major force that initiated civilisational and social changes and created cultural values.