December 14, 1825 was remembered by Russian society as the day of the first open confrontation of a group of armed Decembrists against the Tsar's autocracy and became a symbol of freedom and the development of revolutionary thought in Russia.
Speech of the Decembrists in 1825
For almost 200 years, the Decembrists' performance has attracted close attention among scientists. This is because the Decembrist society greatly influenced the further course of Russian history. According to scientists, in many respects similar processes that were taking place at that time in the Russian world are still happening now, in our time.
The Decembrists have been the object of study for many years - the information collected and analyzed by many scientists has more than 10,000 different materials. The first to study the movement were the Decembrists themselves, who were personally present during the speech on Senate Square and could conduct a more accurate analysis of what happened.
The essence and causes of the Decembrist uprising
At the beginning of the 19th century, most of the progressive nobility expected from Tsar Alexander I the continuation of democratic changes in society. The first revolutionary movements were formed under the influence of the progressive nobility's close acquaintance with Western countries and the way of life in Europe. The bottom line is that the Decembrists wanted the speedy progress of Russia, they wanted to end with its backwardness, in particular with serfdom, because of which, in their opinion, the economic development of the Russian Empire was delayed. After the end of the war of 1812, patriotic sentiments began to rise in society, reforms and fundamental changes within the authorities themselves were expected from the tsarist government. So, the views of the Decembrists were influenced by the fact of the participation of the tsarist government in the suppression of revolutionary movements in Europe,but these attacks on the spirit of freedom became an incentive for the Decembrists in their own struggle.
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The history of the emergence of the Decembrist movement
The first secret political society "Union of Salvation" consisted of 28 people. It was organized in 1816 by the then famous representatives of the Russian society A. N. Muravyov, S. P. Trubetskoy, P. I. Pestel and others, having set themselves the goal of abolishing serfdom in Russia, achieve the adoption of a constitution. But after a while, the Decembrists realized that, due to the small size of the group, it would be very difficult to realize their ideas. This prompted the creation of a more powerful and wider organization.
From left to right: A. N. Muravyov, S. P. Trubetskoy, P. I. Pestel.
Already by 1818 a new "Union of Welfare" was organized. Geographically, it was located in Moscow, it consisted of more than 200 people, it also had a separate specific program of action, which was reflected in the Decembrist document "Green Book". The union was under the control of the Root Council, which also had its cells in other cities. After the formation of a new union, the goals remained the same. To achieve them, the Decembrists planned to conduct propaganda work over the next 20 years to prepare the people of Russia for a non-violent revolutionary coup with the direct help of the military. However, by 1821 it was decided to dissolve the Union of Welfare due to the aggravation of relations within the group due to disagreements between radical and neutral members of society. In addition, for 3 years of existence,"Union of prosperity" was overgrown with many random people, from whom it was also necessary to get rid.
Meeting of the Decembrists.
In 1821 P. I. Pestel headed the "Southern Society" in Ukraine, and N. M. Muravyov, on his own initiative, organized the Northern Society in St. Petersburg. Both organizations considered themselves to be parts of a single whole and interacted with each other on an ongoing basis. Each organization had its own program of action, enshrined in documents called "Constitution" in the North and "Russian Truth" in the South Society.
Political programs and the essence of the Decembrist society
The document Russkaya Pravda was more revolutionary in its essence. He assumed the destruction of the autocracy system, the elimination of serfdom and all kinds of estates. Russkaya Pravda called for the founding of a republic with a clear division of power into legislative and vigilant. The peasants, after liberation from serfdom, were given land for use, and the state itself was to become a single body, with centralized management.
The "constitution" of the Northern society was more liberal, it proclaimed civil liberties, abolished serfdom, divided the functions of power, while the constitutional monarchy had to remain as a model of government. Although the peasants were freed from serfdom, they did not receive land for use - it remained the property of the landowners. According to the plan of the Northern Society, the Russian state was to be transformed into a federation of 14 different states and 2 regions. As a plan for the implementation of such a task, all members of the society adhered to a common opinion and assumed the overthrow of the current government, relying on the uprising of the army.
Decembrists' speech on Senate Square
The uprising was planned for the summer of 1826, but the Decembrists began preparations as early as 1823. In the late autumn of 1825, Emperor Alexander I died suddenly and after his death, the rightful heir to the throne, Constantine, renounced the title. But the abdication of Constantine was concealed, and therefore the military and the entire state apparatus were nevertheless sworn in to the Tsarevich. After some time, his portraits were displayed in shop windows, on the walls of government offices, and minting of coins began with the appearance of the new emperor on the obverse. But in fact, Constantine did not accept the throne - he knew that soon the text of the will of Alexander I was to be made public, in which he transfers the title of emperor to the Tsarevich's younger brother, Nicholas.
Coin with a portrait of Constantine on the obverse. There are only 5 coins left in the world with a denomination of 1 ruble, its price reaches 100 105 US dollars.
The "oath" to Nicholas I, as they joked among the military, was to take place on December 14. It was these events that forced the leaders of the "Northern" and "Southern" society to accelerate the process of preparing the uprising and the Decembrists decided to take advantage of the moment of confusion in their favor.
Key events of the Decembrist uprising took place on Senate Square in St. Petersburg. Some of the military, who did not want to swear allegiance to the new emperor Nicholas I, lined up at the monument to Peter I. The leaders of the Decembrist speech hoped not to allow the senators to take the oath of oath to Nicholas I and intended, with their help, to declare the deposition of the tsarist government, after which they turned to the entire Russian with a revolutionary manifesto. to the people. After a short time, it became known that the senators had already taken the oath to Emperor Nicholas I and soon left the square. This caused confusion in the ranks of the Decembrists - the course of the performance had to be urgently revised. At the most crucial moment, the main "conductor" of the uprising - Trubetskoy - did not come to the square. At first, the Decembrists were waiting on the Senate Square for their leader,after which they chose a new one all day, and it was this pause that became fatal for them. The new emperor of Russia ordered his loyal troops to surround the crowd of people, and when the army cordoned off the square, the demonstrators were shot with grapeshot.
Decembrists' speech at Senate Square.
Almost 2 weeks later, under the leadership of S. Muravyov-Apostol, the Chernigov regiment began an uprising, but by January 3, the riot was also suppressed by government troops.
The uprising seriously agitated the newly made emperor. The entire trial of the participants in the Decembrist movement took place behind closed doors. During the proceedings, more than 600 people were brought to responsibility for the participation and organization of the performance. Key leaders of the movement were sentenced to quartering, but later it was decided to mitigate the form of execution and refused medieval torture, replacing it with death by hanging. The death sentence was carried out on a summer night on July 13, 1826, and all the conspirators were hanged on the crownwork of the Peter and Paul fortress.
Decembrists in exile. Drawing by the Decembrist Repin.
More than 120 participants in the performance were sent to hard labor and to settle in Siberia. There, many Decembrists collected and studied the history of Siberia, were fond of the folk life of the locals. In addition, the Decembrists were in active contact with the inhabitants of the local territories. So, in the city of Chita, at the expense of the wives of the exiles, a hospital was built, which was attended by local residents in addition to the Decembrists. Medicines prescribed from St. Petersburg were given out to locals free of charge. Many of the Decembrists exiled to Siberia were engaged in teaching Siberian children to read and write.
Decembrists' wives
Before the uprising on Senate Square, 23 Decembrists were married. After the death sentence, the wives of the Decembrists I. Polivanov and K. Ryleev, who died in 1826, remained widows.
11 wives followed the Decembrists to Siberia, and 7 other women also followed them to the north - sisters and mothers of members of the Decembrist movement sent into exile.
The Ar government decreed that if the wives of the convicts follow their husbands and continue their married life with them, they will automatically become accomplices in the events and share their fate, while losing all titles and titles.
The wives of the Decembrists, who continued their journey for the spouses, remained faithful to the oath before the altar - they were with them in sorrow and in joy. But not everyone survived hard labor and exile, only 8 women survived. On August 28, 1856, when it was decided to amnesty the Decembrists, only five women returned alive with their husbands. The wives of the key leaders of the Decembrist movement - A. Muravyov, K. Ivasheva, E. Trubetskaya - died and were buried in Siberia.
The outcome of the Decembrist uprising and its historical significance
The uprising of the Decembrists of 1825 served as a moral lesson for the entire Russian society, elevated the concept of personal freedom and honor to a new level. Thanks to the Decembrist movement, many representatives of different classes of Russian society took a new look at the right of every person to live in a state where everyone will feel happy and free, and not feel constant oppression and oppression.
According to some historians, the performance of the Decembrists could not end successfully due to the fact that they relied only on the strength of the intelligentsia, they did not call on the common people to help carry out a coup. By removing the people from participation in the revolution, they doomed themselves to defeat.
But, be that as it may, after the speech of the Decembrists in Russia, many progressive people rethought their attitude to autocracy and responses against tsarism began to receive more and more support. Sympathy for the Decembrists became an essential reason for the further development of liberation thought and revolutionary sentiments in relation to the autocracy in Russia.
The famous scientist - the historian Klyuchevsky - believes that one of the most significant results of the 1825 uprising is the loss of its political role by the Russian nobility. Later, according to the scientist, the nobility ceased to be the ruling class of Russian society and became another addition to the bureaucratic organizations. This is one of the key deformations in Russian society, which was of serious historical significance for Russia in the future.
After the speech of the Decembrists on the Senate Square, the states of Western Europe were actively interested in what happened. At first, all events were interpreted by the Europeans as another attempt to make a coup in order to take the throne from Alexander I, they considered the uprising to be palace intrigues.
At the reception of foreign ambassadors in St. Petersburg, Nicholas I hastened to convey to the visiting guests his vision of events. He called the Decembrist movement a group of insane rebels who were not supported inside the country. After his speech, the Western press picked up the words of the emperor and began to depict Nicholas I in heroic tones, while describing the situation in Russia in appropriate tones.
But after a while more radical newspapers in Western Europe began to publish frank and real articles on the topic of the uprising. The press called the events "a serious revolutionary upheaval." The articles have repeatedly discussed the weakness and instability of the tsarist autocracy, which from that moment on ceased to seem impregnable to Western people.
Many modern historians consider the Decembrist uprising only as part of the revolutionary liberation movement, which at that time covered the whole of Europe and united people of different nationalities in order to fight against monarchist regimes.