zaltzvasser – We’ve established that the Czar forced Jewish women to stop covering their hair and had the Russian police beat women caught in the street with their hair covered. Poland and Lithuania were under Russian jurisdiction. So this regression to uncovered hair was due to the Christian authorities violently forcing them to go uncovered. Or at best a wig that looked similar to hair but without the Maftachos that Jewish women had the minhag of wearing.
So you can’t really fault them being they were beaten into submission by the police. Nor can that unfortunate period be used as an example of anything, especially the righteous way.
Gaon – I’d be interested in hearing your feedback on the points I made in my previous five or so comments above.