Decembrists. Secret societies. The first Decembrists What organizations arose in 1816 1818

Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation

Department of Customs Affairs and Risk Management

Report

in the discipline: "National History"

on the topic: “Secret societies 1816-1825.”

Completed:

1st year student, gr. 1407

Gorbachev Roman Dmitrievich

Teacher:

Lushin A.I.

St. Petersburg, 2015

In 1816, the first Decembrist society arose in St. Petersburg, called the “Union of Salvation.” Its founders were Alexander Nikolaevich Muravyov, Sergey Petrovich Trubetskoy, Nikita Mikhailovich Muravyov, Matvey Ivanovich and Sergey Ivanovich Muravyov-Apostles, Ivan Dmitrievich Yakushkin, and a little later they were joined by Pavel Ivanovich Pestel. The "Union of Salvation", or "Society of True and Faithful Sons of the Fatherland", numbered up to 30 members, among whom were only officers of the Guards regiments and the General Staff. According to the “Statute” (charter), members of the society were divided into “boyars”, “husbands” and “brothers” (the influence of Freemasonry), who swore an oath on the cross and the Gospel upon entry.

The “Union of Salvation” from the very beginning identified the main goals of the movement - the abolition of serfdom and the introduction of a constitution, but for a long time doubted the methods of achieving these goals. At first, the Decembrists pinned their hopes on the liberal policies of Alexander I, preparing to become faithful assistants to the reformer monarch. As a last resort, they decided not to swear allegiance to the new monarch during the interregnum until he satisfied their demands. However, in 1817 they heard rumors that Alexander I was preparing to give independence to Poland by annexing some territories of Ukraine and Belarus. It was then that the Decembrists first thought about regicide (projects for its implementation were proposed by I.D. Yakushkin and M.S. Lunin). Technically, the murder of the monarch did not present much difficulty for the guards officers, but they understood that for the coup to succeed they needed broad public support, which the Decembrists did not have. The need for action and the limited methods of achieving goals forced the noble revolutionaries to seek advice from French educators. One of the fundamental ideas of Enlightenment philosophy was the idea that the world is ruled by opinion. In other words, the way of government and the structure of life in a particular state depend on the public opinion that prevails in it. Thus, the task for the Decembrists changed radically: instead of preparing a revolutionary coup, they had to engage in the education of appropriate public opinion. Since the “Union of Salvation” was completely unsuitable for solving this problem, in January 1818 the “Union of Welfare” was created in Moscow instead. To expand the number of members of the organization, the explicit and secret goals of the new society were written down in its charter (the “Green Book”). Explicit purpose called the spread of education and the occupation of civil positions by members of the "Union". The secret goal remained the same - “the introduction of a constitution” and “the abolition of slavery.” Not everyone who joined the society was introduced to the second part of the charter. The Decembrists believed that it would take about 20 years to form a civilized public opinion. To achieve this, they provided for the creation of “Union” councils in most provincial cities of Russia, as well as legal and semi-legal societies: educational, literary, and charitable. In 1818-19 A mass retirement of officers began - members of the Union of Welfare, who were in a hurry to occupy various civilian positions for a wider coverage of society with humane ideas. The Decembrists created Lancastrian mutual education schools, saved the population of the starving Smolensk province, bought out talented serfs, and campaigned in salons against “slavery and despotism.” However, after 2 years of existence new organization The Decembrists managed to open only 5-6 of its administrations. The results of nurturing a humane public opinion, if there were any, remained little noticeable. Reactionary, feudal overtones were becoming more and more apparent in Russia's internal politics. Moreover, in 1820, a timely hint from history came to the aid of the noble revolutionaries in the form of military revolutions in Spain and Italy, as well as indignation in the Semenovsky Guards Regiment. These events showed them that with a certain organization of affairs, a successful revolution was possible using only the army (which was especially close to them, as officers). In other words, life again demanded organizational restructuring from the Decembrists. In January 1820, a meeting of the Root Council, the governing body of the Union of Welfare, took place in St. Petersburg. It was decided to fight for the introduction of a republican system in Russia. In addition, Pestel and Nikita Muravyov were instructed to develop program documents for the secret society. A year later, a congress of representatives of the administrations (branches) of the “Union” was held in Moscow, at which it was decided to dissolve it. The moderate wing thereby hoped to cut off Pestel and his radical like-minded people from the movement. However, convinced revolutionaries had their own views on the future of the secret society. In the spring and summer of 1821, the construction of the Southern and Northern Decembrist societies began in Ukraine and St. Petersburg - more conspiratorial than the Union of Welfare, and developing more radical tactics of action. Thinking over plans for a military revolution, the conspirators hoped that it would be bloodless and quick. In addition, this tactic made it possible to do without the help of the masses, whom the Decembrists considered, on the one hand, a counter-revolutionary force due to the traditional naive monarchism of the peasants, and on the other, an uncontrollable force capable of rebellion, anarchy, blind destruction, but not creation. Thus, the well-known thesis that the revolutionaries were “terribly far from the people” is explained both by their social caution and by the political underdevelopment of the Russian peasantry. In 1821-23 The final organizational formation of the Northern and Southern societies takes place. Southern society was governed by the Root Duma (Directory), which, in addition to P.I. Pestel and Andrei Petrovich Yushnevsky, N.M. was also elected. Muravyov. The “southerners” understood that the fate of the revolution would be decided in the capital, so they elected “northerner” Muravyov to the Directory. In fact, Pestel dominated the Southern society, advocating a strictly disciplined organization, the members of which unconditionally obey the leadership. Northern society was governed by the Duma, which included N.M. Muravyov, S.P. Trubetskoy and E.P. Obolensky. However, the “northerners” did not have such a clearly defined leader as Pestel. The Chisinau administration, which was separated into a separate organization, headed by M.F. Orlov and V.F. Raevsky in 1823 was destroyed by the government. Two programs were created in the Northern and Southern societies: “Russian Truth” by P. Pestel and “Constitution” by N. Muravyov - the pinnacles political thought Decembrism Pestel believed that in order to become new Russia a 10-year transition period is required, during which power is transferred to the Supreme Revolutionary Government. It was supposed to include A.P. Ermolova, M.M. Speransky, P.D. Kiseleva, N.S. Mordvinova and G.S. Batenkov - people known in society for their liberal views. It was they, possessing dictatorial powers, who were supposed to implement the provisions of “Russian Truth”. In his program, Pestel proposed abolishing serfdom and establishing a unitary state in Russia with a republican form of government. The highest legislative power in it belongs to the People's Council, and the executive power belongs to the State Duma, which consists of 5 people. Control functions were performed by the Supreme Council, and local power was exercised by district and volost assemblies and boards. The old classes in Russia were destroyed. Citizens of the new state were equal before the law, from the age of 20 they could vote and be elected, were endowed with property and political rights, with the exception of the right of unions and meetings with the aim of undermining the foundations of the state. Pestel introduced strict censorship and a powerful secret police in the country, and encouraged denunciation of politically unreliable citizens. The idea of a 10-year dictatorship and the unpopular political measures proposed by him caused the Decembrists to distrust Pestel. They suspected that he wanted to become the Russian Napoleon, the dictator of the revolution. On the agrarian issue, Pestel tried to reconcile two mutually exclusive principles: the public property of the land and the right of private ownership of the arable land of those who cultivate and cultivate the land. To do this, he divided the entire fund of state, peasant, church and most of the landowners' lands into public and private components. Anyone could receive a plot of public land to support their family; this plot was inalienable, that is, it could not be sold, leased, mortgaged or donated. Thus, Pestel hoped to save the peasants from proletarianization, and Russia from the horrors of capitalism. Peasants who could farm more land, than they were entitled to from the public fund, they could take a plot of private land intended for the “prosperity of the economy” and the development of private entrepreneurship. With this plot, its owner could do anything that could bring him additional profit. Muravyov's "Constitution" provided for the transformation of Russia into a federal state consisting of 14 powers and 2 regions (the powers were divided into counties, and counties into volosts). The highest legislative body was to be the People's Assembly, consisting of the Supreme Duma and the House of Representatives, elected for 6 years. Only men who had reached the age of 21 and had real or movable property in the amount of 500 and 1000 rubles could enjoy the right to vote. respectively. For those wishing to be elected, the property qualification was even higher. The highest executive power belonged to the emperor, who was the supreme commander in chief and could, with the consent of the Supreme Duma, appoint ministers and judges. He was given a salary of up to 10 million rubles. per year so that he could maintain the yard. The monarch could reject the decisions of the People's Council, but if the council confirmed its decision for the third time, it automatically became law. The highest judicial body was to become the Supreme Court, which led the courts in the provinces and cities. The Constitution abolished serfdom and the previous class division of society. It proclaimed the equality of citizens and provided them with rights and freedoms without any restrictions. Solving the agrarian question, Muravyov endowed the former serfs with an estate and two acres of arable land, while maintaining landownership. Such a solution to the issue would force the peasants to become hired laborers for their former owners, since two acres of land could not provide a tolerable existence for a peasant family. The main difference between "Russian Truth" and the "Constitution" was not that the first made Russia a unitary republic, and the second - a federal constitutional monarchy. The point was not even that Pestel proposed the introduction of a 10-year transition period under the dictates of the Provisional Government, and Muravyov - the introduction of constitutional rule immediately after the coup. The main difference between the two approaches to the future of Russia was that Pestel and Muravyov counted on different driving forces future transformations, saw supporters of change in different segments of the country's population. Pestel hoped for the support of the revolutionaries from the peasantry, who, in gratitude for the liberation from serfdom and the provision of land, would support the new government. Muravyov believed that only the most educated, organized and independent layer of Russians - the middle nobility - could provide real help to the Decembrists. The debate about which of the two options was more realistic continues in modern historiography. However, now most researchers agree that we are dealing with two utopias, since neither “Russian Truth” nor the “Constitution” fully took into account the socio-political situation in the empire. Russia in the first quarter of the 19th century. was not ready for such radical changes, and the plans of the Decembrists were most likely doomed to failure. In 1824, the Northern and Southern societies managed to agree on the timing of their joint performance. In the summer of 1826, at the base of the 2nd Army, stationed in Ukraine, it was planned to conduct large maneuvers with the participation of the emperor and his brothers. The uprising was planned to begin simultaneously in Ukraine and St. Petersburg. The royal family was to be exiled abroad, and the monarch himself was to be arrested until the issue of the form of government was resolved. The Decembrists gradually increased their strength: in 1825, the Society of United Slavs became part of the Southern Society; in St. Petersburg, the “Ryleevskaya branch” (a group of officers led by K.F. Ryleev) was active. However, life made its own adjustments to the plans of the noble revolutionaries - on November 19, 1825, Emperor Alexander I unexpectedly died in Taganrog.

In 1816, the first Decembrist society arose in St. Petersburg, called the “Union of Salvation.” Its founders were A.N. Muravyov, S.P. Trubetskoy, N.M. Muravyov, M.I. and S.I. Muravyov-Apostoly, I.D. Yakushkin, a little later they were joined by P.I. Pestel. The "Union of Salvation", or "Society of True and Faithful Sons of the Fatherland", numbered up to 30 members, among whom were only officers of the Guards regiments and the General Staff. According to the “Statute” (charter), members of the society were divided into “boyars”, “husbands” and “brothers” (the influence of Freemasonry), who swore an oath on the cross and the Gospel upon entry.

One of the fundamental ideas of Enlightenment philosophy was the idea that the world is ruled by opinion. In other words, the way of government and the structure of life in a particular state depend on the public opinion that prevails in it. Thus, the task for the Decembrists changed radically: instead of preparing a revolutionary coup, they had to engage in the education of appropriate public opinion. Since the “Union of Salvation” was completely unsuitable for solving this problem, in January 1818 the “Union of Welfare” was created in Moscow instead. To expand the number of members of the organization, the explicit and secret goals of the new society were written down in its charter (the “Green Book”).

The explicit goal was the spread of education and the occupation of civil positions by members of the "Union". The secret goal remained the same - “the introduction of a constitution” and “the abolition of slavery.” Not everyone who joined the society was introduced to the second part of the charter. The Decembrists believed that it would take about 20 years to form a civilized public opinion. To achieve this, they provided for the creation of “Union” councils in most provincial cities of Russia, as well as legal and semi-legal societies: educational, literary, and charitable. In 1818-19 A mass retirement of officers began - members of the Union of Welfare, who were in a hurry to occupy various civilian positions for a wider coverage of society with humane ideas. The Decembrists created Lancastrian mutual education schools, saved the population of the starving Smolensk province, bought out talented serfs, and campaigned in salons against “slavery and despotism.”

However, during the 2 years of the existence of the new organization, the Decembrists managed to open only 5-6 of its administrations. The results of nurturing a humane public opinion, if there were any, remained little noticeable. In domestic policy Reactionary, feudal overtones were sounding more and more clearly in Russia. Moreover, in 1820, a timely hint from history came to the aid of the noble revolutionaries in the form of military revolutions in Spain and Italy, as well as indignation in the Semenovsky Guards Regiment. These events showed them that with a certain organization of affairs, a successful revolution was possible using only the army (which was especially close to them, as officers). In other words, life again demanded organizational restructuring from the Decembrists.

In January 1820, a meeting of the Root Council took place in St. Petersburg - governing body"Union of Welfare". It was decided to fight for the introduction of a republican system in Russia. In addition, Pestel and Nikita Muravyov were instructed to develop program documents for the secret society. A year later, a congress of representatives of the administrations (branches) of the “Union” was held in Moscow, at which it was decided to dissolve it. The moderate wing thereby hoped to cut off Pestel and his radical like-minded people from the movement. However, convinced revolutionaries had their own views on the future of the secret society.

In the spring and summer of 1821, the construction of the Southern and Northern Decembrist societies began in Ukraine and St. Petersburg - more conspiratorial than the Union of Welfare, and developing more radical tactics of action. Thinking over plans for a military revolution, the conspirators hoped that it would be bloodless and quick. In addition, this tactic made it possible to do without the help of the masses, whom the Decembrists considered, on the one hand, a counter-revolutionary force due to the traditional naive monarchism of the peasants, and on the other, an uncontrollable force capable of rebellion, anarchy, blind destruction, but not creation. Thus, the well-known thesis that the revolutionaries were “terribly far from the people” is explained both by their social caution and by the political underdevelopment of the Russian peasantry.

In 1821-23 The final organizational formation of the Northern and Southern societies takes place. Southern society was governed by the Root Duma (Directory), which, in addition to P.I. Pestel and A.P. Yushnevsky, N.M. was also elected. Muravyov. The “southerners” understood that the fate of the revolution would be decided in the capital, so they elected “northerner” Muravyov to the Directory. In fact, Pestel dominated the Southern society, advocating a strictly disciplined organization, the members of which unconditionally obey the leadership. Northern society was governed by the Duma, which included N.M. Muravyov, S.P. Trubetskoy and E.P. Obolensky. However, the “northerners” did not have such a clearly defined leader as Pestel. The Chisinau administration, which was separated into a separate organization, headed by M.F. Orlov and V.F. Raevsky in 1823 was destroyed by the government.

Two programs were created in the Northern and Southern societies: “Russian Truth” by P. Pestel and “Constitution” by N. Muravyov - the pinnacle of political thought of Decembrism. Pestel believed that for the formation of a new Russia, a 10-year transition period was necessary, during which power was transferred to the Supreme Revolutionary Government. It was supposed to include A.P. Ermolova, M.M. Speransky, P.D. Kiseleva, N.S. Mordvinova and G.S. Batenkov - people known in society for their liberal views. It was they, possessing dictatorial powers, who were supposed to implement the provisions of “Russian Truth”.

In his program, Pestel proposed abolishing serfdom and establishing a unitary state in Russia with a republican form of government. The highest legislative power in it belongs to the People's Council, and the executive power belongs to the State Duma, which consists of 5 people. Control functions were performed by the Supreme Council, and local power was exercised by district and volost assemblies and boards. The old classes in Russia were destroyed. Citizens of the new state were equal before the law, from the age of 20 they could vote and be elected, were endowed with property and political rights, with the exception of the right of unions and meetings with the aim of undermining the foundations of the state. Pestel introduced strict censorship and a powerful secret police in the country, and encouraged denunciation of politically unreliable citizens. The idea of a 10-year dictatorship and the unpopular political measures proposed by him caused the Decembrists to distrust Pestel. They suspected that he wanted to become the Russian Napoleon, the dictator of the revolution.

On the agrarian issue, Pestel tried to reconcile two mutually exclusive principles: the public property of the land and the right of private ownership of the arable land of those who cultivate and cultivate the land. To do this, he divided the entire fund of state, peasant, church and most of the landowners' lands into public and private components. Anyone could receive a plot of public land to support their family; this plot was inalienable, that is, it could not be sold, leased, mortgaged or donated. Thus, Pestel hoped to save the peasants from proletarianization, and Russia from the horrors of capitalism. Peasants who could cultivate more land than they were entitled to from the public fund could take a plot of private land intended for the “prosperity of the economy” and the development of private entrepreneurship. With this plot, its owner could do anything that could bring him additional profit.

Muravyov's "Constitution" provided for the transformation of Russia into a federal state consisting of 14 powers and 2 regions (the powers were divided into counties, and counties into volosts). The highest legislative body was to be the People's Assembly, consisting of the Supreme Duma and the House of Representatives, elected for 6 years. Only men who had reached the age of 21 and had real or movable property in the amount of 500 and 1000 rubles could enjoy the right to vote. respectively. For those wishing to be elected, the property qualification was even higher.

The highest executive power belonged to the emperor, who was supreme commander in chief and could, with the consent of the Supreme Duma, appoint ministers and judges. He was given a salary of up to 10 million rubles. per year so that he could maintain the yard. The monarch could reject the decisions of the People's Council, but if the council confirmed its decision for the third time, it automatically became law. The highest judicial body was to become the Supreme Court, which led the courts in the provinces and cities.

The Constitution abolished serfdom and the previous class division of society. It proclaimed the equality of citizens and provided them with rights and freedoms without any restrictions. Solving the agrarian question, Muravyov endowed the former serfs with an estate and two acres of arable land, while maintaining landownership. Such a solution to the issue would force the peasants to become hired laborers for their former owners, since two acres of land could not provide a tolerable existence for a peasant family.

The main difference between "Russian Truth" and the "Constitution" was not that the first made Russia a unitary republic, and the second - a federal constitutional monarchy. The point was not even that Pestel proposed the introduction of a 10-year transition period under the dictates of the Provisional Government, and Muravyov - the introduction of constitutional rule immediately after the coup. The main difference between the two approaches to the future of Russia was that Pestel and Muravyov counted on different driving forces for future transformations and saw supporters of change in different segments of the country's population. Pestel hoped for the support of the revolutionaries from the peasantry, who, in gratitude for the liberation from serfdom and the provision of land, would support the new government. Muravyov believed that only the most educated, organized and independent layer of Russians - the middle nobility - could provide real help to the Decembrists.

The debate about which of the two options was more realistic continues in modern historiography. However, now most researchers agree that we are dealing with two utopias, since neither “Russian Truth” nor the “Constitution” fully took into account the socio-political situation in the empire. Russia in the first quarter of the 19th century. was not ready for such radical changes, and the plans of the Decembrists were most likely doomed to failure.

In 1824, the Northern and Southern societies managed to agree on the timing of their joint performance. In the summer of 1826, at the base of the 2nd Army, stationed in Ukraine, it was planned to conduct large maneuvers with the participation of the emperor and his brothers. The uprising was planned to begin simultaneously in Ukraine and St. Petersburg. The royal family was to be exiled abroad, and the monarch himself was to be arrested until the issue of the form of government was resolved. The Decembrists gradually increased their strength: in 1825, the Society of United Slavs became part of the Southern Society; in St. Petersburg, the “Ryleevskaya branch” (a group of officers led by K.F. Ryleev) was active. However, life made its own adjustments to the plans of the noble revolutionaries - on November 19, 1825, Emperor Alexander I unexpectedly died in Taganrog.

Causes. A very clear growing gap between Russia and the West began to be noted after the War of 1812 and the foreign campaigns of the Russian army, visits by military officers to countries Western Europe. Many young officers of the Russian army wanted to quickly bridge the gap between the Russian and European orders.

Changes that took place in Europe after the Great french revolution, namely: the collapse of monarchies, the establishment of parliamentary institutions, the bourgeois principles of a market economy - could not but influence the development of socio-political thought in Russia.

After the return of Russian troops from foreign campaigns, the first signs of political discontent began to appear among the young noble officers. Little by little, this discontent grew into a socio-political movement, which was called the Decembrist movement.

Social composition. The Decembrist movement affected the upper reaches of the noble youth. This can be explained by the fact that the bourgeoisie, due to economic weakness and political underdevelopment, began to form only towards the end of the 18th century. and during this period it did not play an independent role in the life of the country.

Decembrist societies, their activities. IN 1816–1818 The first Decembrist organizations arose - "Union of Salvation" and "Union of Prosperity". Based on the latter, two revolutionary organizations were organized: Northern society(under the leadership of N.M. Muravyov, S.P. Trubetskoy, K.F. Ryleev, the center was located in St. Petersburg) and Southern Society(under the leadership of P.I. Pestel, located in Ukraine). Decembrists in their activities:

1) pursued the goal of implementing plans for political changes in the country through a military coup;

2) advocated the introduction of a constitutional system and democratic freedoms, the elimination of serfdom and class differences;

3) developed the main program documents, which became the “Constitution” of N.M. Muravyov and “Russian Truth” by P.I. Pestel. “Constitution” N.M. Muravyova was more moderate (she recognized the need to preserve the constitutional monarchy).

P.I. program Pestelya was more radical. She excluded the preservation of the monarchy and advocated the establishment of a republican system in Russia.

Uprising on Senate Square. December 14, 1825 on the day when the issue of succession to the throne in the country was to be resolved, the Decembrists wanted, having gathered on Senate Square, to disrupt the oath to Nicholas and force the Senate to publish the “Manifesto to the Russian People,” which included the main demands of the Decembrists.

Unfortunately, the Decembrists were late. The senators had already sworn allegiance to Nicholas before their speech. The Decembrist uprising was brutally suppressed. But their efforts were not in vain. Many ideas of the Decembrists were implemented during subsequent reforms.

In March 1816, guards officers (Alexander Muravyov, Nikita Muravyov, Captain Ivan Yakushkin, Matvey Muravyov-Apostoli, Sergey Muravyov-Apostol, Prince Sergey Trubetskoy) formed the first secret political society “Union of Salvation” (from 1817 “Society of True and Faithful Sons of the Fatherland”). It also included princes. A. Dolgorukov, MajorM. S. Lunin, Colonel F. N. Glinka, adjutant of Count Wittgenstein (commander-in-chief of the 2nd Army), Pavel Pestel and others.

The company's charter ("Statute") was drawn up by Pestel in 1817. It expresses its goal: to strive with all one’s might for the common good, to support all good measures of the government and useful private enterprises, to prevent all evil and eradicate social vices, exposing the inertia and ignorance of the people, unfair trials, abuses of officials and dishonest actions of private individuals, covetousness and embezzlement, cruel treatment of soldiers, disrespect for human dignity and non-respect of individual rights, dominance of foreigners. The members of society themselves were obliged to behave and act in all respects in such a way as not to deserve the slightest reproach. The hidden goal of the society was the introduction of representative government in Russia.

The Union of Salvation was headed by the Supreme Council of the “boyars” (founders). The remaining participants were divided into “husbands” and “brothers”, who were supposed to be grouped into “districts” and “governments”. However, this was prevented by the small size of the society, which numbered no more than thirty members.

OfferI. D. Yakushkin to carry out the regicide during the stay of the imperial court in Moscow caused disagreements among members of the organization in the fall of 1817. The majority rejected this idea. It was decided, having dissolved the society, to create on its basis a larger organization that could influence public opinion.

[Edit] "Union of Welfare" (1818-1821)

In January 1818, the Union of Welfare was formed. The existence of this formally secret organization was quite widely known. There were about two hundred people in its ranks (men over 18 years old). The “Union of Welfare” was headed by the Root Council (30 founders) and the Duma (6 people). “Business councils” and “side councils” in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tulchin, Poltava, Tambov, Nizhny Novgorod, Chisinau were subordinate to them; there were up to 15 of them.

The goal of the “Union of Welfare” was proclaimed to be the moral (Christian) education and enlightenment of the people, assistance to the government in good endeavors and mitigation of the fate of the serfs. The hidden purpose was known only to members of the Root Council; it consisted in establishing constitutional government and eliminating serfdom. The Welfare Union sought to widely disseminate liberal and humanistic ideas. For this purpose, literary and literary-educational societies were used (“Green Lamp”, “Free Society of Lovers of Russian Literature”, “Free Society for the Establishment of Schools Using the Method of Mutual Education” and others), periodicals and other publications.

At a meeting in St. Petersburg in January 1820, when discussing the future form of government, all participants spoke in favor of establishing a republic. At the same time, the idea of regicide and the idea of a provisional government with dictatorial powers (proposed by P.I. Pestel) were rejected.

The charter of the society, the so-called “Green Book” (more precisely, its first, legal part, provided by A.I. Chernyshev) was known to Emperor Alexander himself, who gave it to Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich to read. At first, the sovereign did not recognize political significance in this society. But his view changed after news of the revolutions of 1820 in Spain, Naples, Portugal and the rebellion of the Semyonovsky regiment (1820).

Later, in May 1821, Emperor Alexander, after listening to the report of the commander of the Guards Corps, Adjutant General Vasilchikov, told him: “Dear Vasilchikov! You, who have served me since the very beginning of my reign, you know that I shared and encouraged all these dreams and these delusions (vous savez que j'ai partagé et encouragé ces illusions et ces erreurs), and after a long silence added: It’s not for me to be strict (ce n’est pas a moi à sévir).” Note from Adjutant General A. H. Benckendorff, in which information about secret societies was presented as completely as possible and with the names of the main figures, also remained without consequences; after the death of Emperor Alexander, it was found in his office in Tsarskoe Selo. Only a few precautions were taken: in 1821 an order was made to establish a military police under the Guards Corps; on August 1, 1822, the highest order was issued to close Masonic lodges and secret societies in general, no matter what names they existed. At the same time, a signature was taken from all employees, military and civilian, stating that they did not belong to secret societies.

In January 1821, a congress of deputies from various departments of the Union of Welfare was convened in Moscow (from St. Petersburg, from the 2nd Army, and also several people who lived in Moscow). Due to escalating disagreements and measures taken by the authorities, it was decided to dissolve the society. In reality, it was intended to close the society temporarily in order to weed out both unreliable and too radical members, and then recreate it in a narrower composition.

The era of Alexander 1 is characterized by upheavals, both external and internal. At this time, the development of movements and secret societies began that led Russia to the Decembrist uprising of 1825. The secret social movement under Alexander 1 was small organizations operating secretly from the authorities, adhering to liberal views. For them, it was important not so much to reform Russia as to overthrow the autocracy.

Reasons for the emergence of secret societies

The starting point in the activities of secret organizations Russian Empire under Emperor Alexander 1, the war with Napoleonic France began in 1812. It was after her that the formation of public organizations began. Reasons for their appearance:

The army's march to the West, to Paris. The Russian army drove Napoleon to France. During this time, many officers managed to see the world without serfdom. These same officers did not see the main thing - the Western world, without serfdom, was built on colonies. The prosperity of countries grew only because of the colonies.
The elite of the Russian Empire opposed Alexander 1, directly and indirectly supporting secret societies. Reasons for the negative attitude towards the emperor: the Peace of Tilsit and rapprochement with Napoleon, as well as the rejection of liberal reforms.
Development of a social ideology of progress. In Russia, the ideas of democratic development of the country were actively promoted, with partial or complete rejection of the monarchy.
The government's indecisiveness in reforms. After 1812, Alexander 1 finally abandoned the ideas of liberalism, carrying out reforms conservatively and very carefully. Therefore, there were dissatisfied people who believed that changes should be faster and more widespread. It is noteworthy that in general the goals of secret organizations (in initial stage) and governments coincided.

These are the 4 main reasons for the emergence of secret societies in the Russian Empire. The key point here is the following (this is usually not written about in textbooks) - the active rise of these movements began with a new wave of liberalism that hit Russia after the events of 1812. This was the second wave, and the first occurred during the reign of Catherine II.

Secret societies of the era of Alexander 1

Secret societies operating in Russia in the 19th century (1816-1825) are interesting in that they, as a rule, did not exist for long, but were constantly transformed into new forms with new ideas and tasks. The leaders of the societies did not change. Please note the table below, which shows that the names of the leaders remain unchanged. Only the names change.

Secret societies and social movements under Alexander 1

Name of the company	Dates of existence	Leaders	Main document
Salvation Union	1816-1818	Muravyov A.N. Number of people: 30 people.	-
1818-1821	Muravyov A.N., Pestel P.I., Pushchin I.I., Trubetskoy S.P. Only 200 people.	"Green Book"
Southern Secret Society (STS)	1821-1825	Davydov V.L., Muravyov-Apostol S.I., Volkonsky S.G., Bestuzhev-Ryumin M.P., Pestel P.I.	"Russian Truth"
Northern Secret Society (STO)	1822-1825	Muravyov N.M., Pushchin I.I., Trubetskoy S.P., Lunin M.S., Obolensky E.P., Turgenev N.I.	"Constitution"

Salvation Union

“The Union of Salvation” was the first large secret society in Russia during the era of Alexander I. It was small in number and consisted of 30 people, and the leader was Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov (1806-1874). Another name for this organization is Society of True and Faithful Sons of the Fatherland. The secret organization existed for 2 years, after which it collapsed. This society had 2 main tasks:

Abolition of serfdom and distribution of land to peasants. There were no disagreements.
Limitation of autocracy. There were disagreements over the principles of limitation: the Constitution or complete overthrow.

Achieving the set goals required mass participation. The Salvation Union consisted of only 30 people, so in 1818 it ceased to exist, modernizing into a more mass form.

The secret organization “Union of Welfare” was a response to the change in the position of the authorities. The union began work in 1818 on the basis of the Salvation Union. In the new formation, the society consisted of 200 representatives, the backbone of which was made up of the same Muravyov, Pestel, Pushchin and others. The Charter of the Union was created, which was called the “Green Book”. It is important to note the mass character - if until 1818 societies worked only in the capital, then the Welfare Union worked in 4 cities of the empire: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tulchina and Chisinau.

This organization rejected the ideas of a coup d'etat and any restrictions on the monarchy. The main task was to disseminate their ideas to the masses. This was achieved through the publication of magazines and newspapers, the creation of “educational” societies, the opening of private schools, and so on. Due to this, the leaders of the movement wanted to set Russia on the path of reform.

The union was liquidated due to disagreements between the leaders about further development, since the emperor finally refused to carry out reforms. Therefore, ongoing activities were no longer possible. The second reason for the collapse of the Union is much more serious - revolutions began in Spain, Portugal and Italy in 1820, which led to coups d'état, as a result of which these countries adopted a fairly liberal Constitution. This forced Russian public organizations to think again about overthrowing or limiting the monarchy.

Northern and Southern Decembrist Societies

In 1821 in public organization a turning point occurred, as a result of which 2 new organizations were formed, with different goals and objectives:

Southern Secret Society (1821-1825). Started operating in the town of Tulchin. I lived in this city Ukrainian army. YTO worked mainly on the territory of Ukraine. They created a charter - “Russian Truth”. Its author was Pestel. The main goal of society is the overthrow of the autocracy and the creation of a Republic or Federation.
Northern secret society (1822-1825). It was founded in St. Petersburg. The main ideas were set out in the “Constitution”, the author of which was Muravyov. The STO held softer views, wanting not to overthrow the power of the monarch, but to limit it by introducing a constitutional monarchy.

Emperor's reaction

The secret social movements of Russia during the era of Alexander 1 existed for a long time without resistance from the authorities. At the same time, the Emperor actively developed the secret police, so Alexander 1 had information about the activities of the Societies. However, until 1822 the authorities did not react in any way to these organizations. Why? The fact is that the “Union of Salvation” was insignificant in number, and the “Union of Welfare” did not set tasks that threatened the government. Everything changed when 2 independent societies were formed with a common goal - activity against the emperor. That is why in 1822 Alexander 1 issued a Decree prohibiting the activities of any secret organizations, including Masonic lodges. In 1823, persecution of society members began, but the police acted reluctantly.

Already in 1825, when the emperor learned about the impending conspiracy and that the army was involved in it, mass arrests began. This did not stop the secret society from holding an uprising in the center of St. Petersburg, on Senate Square. main reason The possibility of the Decembrists speaking out was that Alexander 1 did not arrest their leader Pestel. This was done 3 days after the death of the ruler.

What did the activities of the societies lead to?

Public organizations under Alexander 1 were united. Of course, the secret societies of the South and North had different views on the development of Russia, they were united by a single mission - preparing the population for the Decembrist uprising. The uprising on Senate Square was the first serious and organized protest against the authorities. The Decembrists were not successful, but they showed that secret societies in Russia worked effectively. Therefore, the following emperors did a lot to combat them, but in one form or another they continued to exist, which in particular led to 1917.