The Decembrist uprising by the hour. Literary and historical notes of a young technician

1. The situation in the country on the eve of the uprising.

· In November 1825, during a trip to the south, Alexander I died in Taganrog, who was officially succeeded by his brother Konstantin. However, even during the life of Alexander I, Constantine abdicated the throne in favor of his younger brother Nicholas, but a narrow circle of people knew about this.

· After the death of the king, the army and government agencies They swore allegiance to Constantine, but he confirmed his refusal and the oath was scheduled for December 14, 1825.

· The Decembrists decided to take advantage of this situation, raise an uprising, and prevent the re-oath until the new emperor adopted the Constitution.

· On December 13, at Ryleev’s apartment in St. Petersburg, a meeting was held at which an important document was drawn up - “Manifesto to the Russian People,” which indicated the goals and program of the Decembrists.

2. The main provisions of the “Manifesto to the Russian People”:

· abolition of serfdom and the class system, equality of all citizens before the law;

· destruction of the autocracy and organizations of the provisional government for holding elections;

· proclamation of the right of private property;

· destruction of the estate court and the introduction of jury trials;

· destruction of recruiting camps and military settlements.

3. The Decembrist uprising on Senate Square and in the Chernigov Regiment.

· In the morning December 14, 1825 The Decembrists were already in the barracks to lead the units subordinate to them to the Senate building. First to come to Senate Square Moscow Guards Regiment under the command of Mikhail and Alexander Bestuzhev. In total, approximately 3 thousand soldiers gathered in the square.

· The organizers were unable to implement the plan developed on the eve of the uprising. Leader of the uprising S. Trubetskoy did not show up to the square, and only in the evening a new leader was elected Prince Obolensky.

· The Decembrists did not take offensive actions (they did not capture the Winter Palace or artillery), although they had such an opportunity. They were afraid to involve the people who supported them in the uprising.

· Several times Nicholas I tried to persuade the rebels to lay down their arms, but to no avail. Nicholas I pulled together the remaining troops, which surrounded Senate Square. The Guards cavalry attacked the rebels, but they repelled the attacks.

· By evening, Nicholas I ordered the rebels to be shot with artillery. By nightfall the uprising was completely defeated.

· At the end of December 1825 in Ukraine rebelled Chernigov Infantry Regiment. The uprising was led by members of the Southern Society - Sergey Muravyov-Apostol and Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin. Southern society repeated the mistakes of the Northern one. The southerners also did not go on the offensive; most importantly, they were afraid to rely on the support of the masses. A few days later the uprising in Ukraine was crushed.

· The tsarist government brutally dealt with the Decembrists. 579 people were involved in the investigation. July 13, 1826 five people - K.F. Ryleev, P.I. Pestel, S.I. Muravyov-Apostol, M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and P.G. Kakhovsky - were hanged in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

4. The significance of the Decembrist uprising:

· this revolutionary movement differed from spontaneous peasant uprisings in that it developed a political program and waged an organized struggle aimed at violently eliminating the existing social and state system in the name of a more advanced system;

· main mistake The Decembrists were that they were far from the people and wanted to carry out a revolutionary coup without the participation of the masses, so the uprising was doomed to defeat;

· with their speech, the Decembrists laid the foundation for the revolutionary movement in Russia, and subsequent generations of revolutionaries learned from their experience;

· The Decembrists developed a clear program of bourgeois reforms. The main demands of this program - the elimination of serfdom and autocracy - became the main ones for the progressive public and revolutionaries of subsequent generations (until the abolition of serfdom in 1861).

TOPIC 30. Power and society of Russia in the second quarter of the 19th century. Domestic policy Nicholas I (1825–1855).

The cavalry guard's life is short-lived,
And that's why he's so sweet.
The trumpet is blowing, the curtains are thrown back,
And somewhere you can hear the sound of sabers... (B. Okudzhava)

As you know, the Decembrists took advantage of the interregnum situation for their speech: Emperor Alexander I died without leaving an heir. The throne was supposed to pass to his younger brother Constantine, but he had long ago renounced the succession to the throne, but almost no one knew about this. In this situation, the next oldest brother, Nikolai, should have taken power, but he did not dare to do this, because. many had already sworn allegiance to Constantine, and in the eyes of the people Nicholas would have looked like an impostor, especially since he was not particularly popular. While Nicholas was negotiating with Konstantin, who did not confirm his abdication and did not accept power, the Decembrists decided to start a speech.

Uprising plan

Of course, members of secret societies had it. They had been preparing for the uprising for about 10 years, carefully thinking through all the options and gathering forces, but they did not have a specific date for their performance. They decided to use the ensuing situation of interregnum to realize their plan: “...now, after the death of the sovereign, there is the most convenient time to put into action the previous intention.” However, the heated discussions that began about the situation, which took place mainly in K. Ryleev’s apartment, did not immediately lead to coordinated actions - there were disputes and differences of opinion. Finally, a somewhat unanimous opinion emerged, supported by the majority. They also came to the decision that the uprising should be led by a dictator, who was appointed S. Trubetskoy.

The main goal of the uprising was the crushing of the autocratic serfdom, the introduction of representative government, i.e. adoption of the constitution. An important point The plan was to convene the Great Council (it was supposed to meet in the event of a coup). The cathedral was supposed to replace the outdated autocratic serf system of Russia with a new, representative system. This was the maximum program. But there was also a minimum program: before the convening of the Great Council, act in accordance with the manifesto drawn up, gain supporters and after that identify issues and problems for discussion at this council.

This manifesto was written down by S. Trubetskoy, in any case, it was found in his papers during the search, it appeared in his investigative file.

Manifesto

1. Destruction of the former government.
2. The institution is temporary until a permanent one is established.
3. Free embossing, and therefore the elimination of censorship.
4. Free worship of all faiths.
5. Destruction of property rights extending to people.
6. Equality of all classes before the law, and therefore the abolition of military courts and all kinds of judicial commissions, from which all judicial cases are transferred to the departments of the nearest civil courts.
7. Declaration of the right of every citizen to do whatever he wants, and therefore a nobleman, merchant, tradesman, peasant still have the right to enter into military and civil service and into the clergy, trade wholesale and retail, paying the established duties for trading. Acquire all kinds of property, such as: lands, houses in villages and cities; enter into all kinds of conditions among themselves, compete with each other before the court.
8. Addition of poll taxes and arrears on them.
9. Elimination of monopolies, such as: on salt, on the sale of hot wine, etc. and therefore the establishment of free distillation and salt extraction, with payment for. industry from the production of salt and vodka.

10.Destruction of recruitment and military settlements.

11. Reducing the military service life for lower ranks, and determining it will follow the equation conscription between all classes.

12. Resignation of all lower ranks, without exception, who have served for 15 years.

13. The establishment of volost, district, provincial and regional boards, and the procedure for electing members of these boards, which should replace all officials hitherto appointed from the civil government.

14.Publicity of courts.

15.Introduction of juries into criminal and civil courts.

Establishes a board of 2 or 3 persons, to which all parts of the top management, that is, all ministries, are subordinated. Council, Committee of Ministers, army, navy. In a word, all the supreme executive branch, but by no means legislative, and not judicial. – For this latter, there remains a ministry subordinate to the temporary government, but for the judgment of cases not resolved in the lower instances, the criminal department of the Senate remains and a civil department is established, which decides finally, and the members of which will remain until the establishment permanent rule.

The temporary board is entrusted with the enforcement of:

1. Equal rights of all classes.
2. Formation of local volost, district, provincial and regional boards.
3. Formation of the internal people's guard,
4. Formation of the trial with the jury.
5. Equation of conscription between classes.
6. Destruction of the standing army.
7. The establishment of a procedure for electing electors to the House of People's Representatives, who must approve for the future the existing order of government and state legislation.

It was supposed to publish the Manifesto to the Russian people on the day of the uprising - December 14, 1825. The troops were to remain on Senate Square until negotiations were underway with the Senate, to convince the Senate (if the Senate disagreed, it was allowed to use military force) accept the Manifesto, distribute it. Then the troops had to withdraw from the city center to protect St. Petersburg from possible actions government troops.

Thus, according to the plan, on the morning of December 14, the rebel regiments were to gather on Senate Square and force the Senate to issue a Manifesto. Guardsmen - capture the Winter Palace and arrest the royal family, and then occupy the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Constituent Assembly was supposed to establish the form of government in the country and determine the fate of the king and his family.

In case of failure, the troops had to leave St. Petersburg and reach the Novgorod military settlements, where they would meet support.

Senate Square December 14, 1825

But already early in the morning the well-thought-out plan began to crumble. K. Ryleev insists on the murder of the tsar, which was not included in the immediate plans, due to the interregnum. The murder of the tsar was entrusted to P. Kakhovsky, it was supposed to mark the beginning of the uprising. But Kakhovsky refuses to commit murder. In addition, Yakubovich, appointed to command the guards during the capture of the Winter Palace, also refused to carry out this task. In addition to everything, Mikhail Pushchin refused to bring a cavalry squadron to the square. We had to hastily rebuild the plan: Nikolai Bestuzhev was appointed instead of Yakubovich.

At 11 o'clock in the morning, the Moscow Life Guards Regiment was the first to arrive on Senate Square and was lined up in the shape of a square near the monument to Peter. People began to gather. At this time, St. Petersburg Governor General Miloradovich arrived on the square. He persuaded the soldiers to disperse, convinced them that the oath to Nicholas was legal. It was a tense moment of the uprising, events could have gone according to an unforeseen scenario, because the regiment was alone, the others had not yet arrived, and Miloradovich, the hero of 1812, was popular among the soldiers and knew how to talk to them. The only solution was to remove Miloradovich from the square. The Decembrists demanded that he leave the square, but Miloradovich continued to persuade the soldiers. Then Obolensky turned his horse with a bayonet, wounding the governor-general, and Kakhovsky fired and inflicted a mortal wound on him.

Ryleev and I. Pushchin at this time went to Trubetskoy; on the way they learned that the Senate had already sworn allegiance to the Tsar and dispersed, i.e. the troops had already gathered in front of the empty Senate. But Trubetskoy was not there, nor was he on Senate Square. The situation in the square required decisive action, but the dictator did not appear. The troops continued to wait. This delay played a decisive role in the defeat of the uprising.

The people in the square clearly supported the rebels, but they did not take advantage of this support, obviously fearing the activity of the people, a “senseless and merciless” riot, according to Pushkin. Contemporaries of the events unanimously note in their memoirs that tens of thousands of people who sympathized with the rebels gathered in the square. Later, Nikolai told his brother several times: “The most amazing thing in this story is that you and I weren’t shot then.”

Meanwhile, government troops, on the orders of Emperor Nicholas, were drawn to Senate Square, mounted troops began to attack the Moscow regiment stationed in a square, but were repulsed. Then Nicholas called on Metropolitan Seraphim for help in order to explain to the soldiers the legality of the oath to him, and not to Constantine.

But the Metropolitan’s negotiations were fruitless, and troops supporting the uprising continued to gather in the square: the Life Guards of the Grenadiers, the naval crew. Thus, on Senate Square there were:

• Moscow regiment led by brothers A. and M. Bestuzhev.
• The first detachment of life grenadiers (Sutgof company).
• Guards naval crew under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Nikolai Bestuzhev (elder brother of Alexander and Mikhail) and Lieutenant Arbuzov.
• The rest, the most significant part, is the life grenadier under the command of Lieutenant Panov.

V. Masutov "Nicholas I in front of the formation of the Life Guards Sapper Battalion in the courtyard of the Winter Palace on December 14, 1825"

Due to the continued absence of the dictator S. Trubetskoy, already in the middle of the day the Decembrists elected a new dictator - Prince Obolensky, who was the chief of staff of the uprising. And at that time Trubetskoy was sitting in the office of the General Staff and periodically looked around the corner, watching what was happening on Senate Square. He simply chickened out at the last moment, and his comrades waited, thinking that his delay was due to some unforeseen circumstances.

But by this time government troops had already surrounded the rebels. At three o'clock in the afternoon it was already getting dark, soldiers from the imperial troops began to run over to the rebels. And then Nikolai gave the order to shoot with buckshot. But the first shot was delayed: the soldiers did not want to shoot at their own, and then the officer did it. The rebels had no artillery; they responded with rifle shots. After the second shot, the square trembled, the soldiers rushed onto the thin ice of the Neva - the ice split from the falling cannonballs, many drowned...

The uprising was suppressed.

Late in the evening, some of the Decembrists gathered at Ryleev’s apartment. They understood that arrests awaited them, so they agreed on how to behave during interrogations, said goodbye to each other, worried about how to inform Southern society that the case was lost... that Trubetskoy and Yakubovich had cheated...

In total, on December 14, 1825, government troops killed 1,271 people, of which 9 were women and 19 children, 903 were “mobs,” the rest were military.

The Decembrist uprising on Senate Square is one of the greatest and tragic events in Russian history. The emergence of revolutionary movements began long before the overthrow of the imperial dynasty. This was the first time that people had gathered on such a large scale to attack the imperial dynasty. This uprising was supposed to lead to a change of power. Towards the destruction of the Russian Empire and the construction of a new, liberal democratic state. We will consider the causes of the Decembrist uprising, its course and results.

Background

After the Patriotic War in 1812, the people did not calm down and began to organize an uprising. Then various secret societies began to form, which should have once led to the emergence of a new revolution. This is what happened in December 1825.

The revolution could not begin without preparation, and the revolutionaries began to prepare in advance. They worked a careful plan, the result of which was not to be anything, but the formation of a new state.

According to their plan, Nicholas I had to abdicate the throne. After which a provisional government would ascend to the throne, which was to be headed by Count Speransky.

After this, the reorganization of state power would begin. Russian empire was to become a constitutional monarchy or a republic. The entire royal family was planned to be killed or sent abroad to Fort Ross

But none of this was destined to happen, the uprising was suppressed by force imperial army. How did it all happen?

Causes of the uprising

The reasons for the December uprising of 1825 include the following factors:

Prerequisites

Various alliances with rebel activities were organized. They actively grew and developed. Despite numerous arrests and counterintelligence resistance from imperial soldiers, many revolutionaries died or abandoned the idea of ​​seizing power, however, new ones took their place. They were waiting for the perfect moment to launch their troops' offensive. At this point, the situation of the ascension to the throne of Nicholas, the emperor’s brother, after the death of Alexander I became ambiguous.

Interregnum

Konstantin Pavlovich, Alexander's older brother, should have inherited the throne after him, since he had no children. But there was a secret document that confirmed Constantine’s renunciation of the throne. He signed it during Alexander’s lifetime. This gave his younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich a chance for the throne. However, he was extremely unpopular among the highest ranks and those close to the royal family.

A double reign situation arose when Constantine was persuaded to ascend the throne, while Nicholas was also persuaded to sign his renunciation. This is what happened: Nicholas, under pressure, abdicates the throne, giving his place to the rightful ruler Constantine. But he still refuses the place offered to him and re-signs his abdication of the throne, explaining at the meeting his decision in favor of his brother.

Only on December 14, after long meetings, the Senate recognized the rights to the throne of Nikolai Pavlovich, after which he immediately took the oath.

This situation led to the fact that the throne seemed to be passed from hand to hand, which shook the social strata of society and the revolutionaries could not help but take advantage of this, since this was the ideal moment for an uprising.

Uprising plan

At this time, the participants in the December uprising were already planning their attack. Their primary goal was to prevent Nicholas from ascending the throne. And all methods were used for this. The Winter Palace had to be captured by killing the soldiers guarding it. They planned to transfer those close to the royal family to their side, and if they refused, they would send them abroad or kill them. The decision was made to imprison or kill the royal family.

The head of the uprising was Sergei Trubetskoy. Active politician and Grand Duke. After the capture, it was necessary to create a new provisional government. And its main legislative body is a special assembly. The main legal act is the Constitution.

On the night of December 14, according to the plan, an assassin was supposed to enter the palace to eliminate the new Emperor Nicholas. However, Kakhovsky, who was appointed to the role of assassin, refused to carry out the order to kill the Tsar. An attack by the Izmailovsky regiment on the Winter Palace was also planned, but Yakubovich refused to lead his troops.

Thus, by the morning of December 14, Emperor Nicholas was alive, and the revolutionaries managed to bring only about 800 agitated soldiers to the square near the winter palace. And their plan for the uprising was not fully realized, but only partially.

Participants

From famous personalities who were part of the conspiracy can be noted:

Uprising on Senate Square

Nicholas I was warned about a possible planned attack. The plans of the Decembrists were revealed to him by one of the members of the secret society, who considered participation in the uprising against the tsar unworthy of the title of nobility. Yakov Ivanovich Rostovtsev was a man of honor and told the tsar about the event planned by the revolutionaries, which could lead to the demise of the Russian Empire.

At seven in the morning Nicholas was already proclaimed emperor. At this time, Senate Square was completely occupied by rebel soldiers. In addition, seeing the events taking place, ordinary people came out onto the streets of St. Petersburg and happily joined the uprising. People turned into an unbridled crowd of angry residents.

When the emperor and his troops approached the palace, they began to throw stones at him with curses and threats. The rebels were surrounded by a ring of soldiers near the palace, and with a second ring they stood at the entrance to the square, preventing newly arrived citizens, who were already crowded together and trying to get to the center of events, from joining the uprising.

Members of the imperial dynasty took refuge in the palace, but with the defeat of the royal troops, a retreat plan was prepared and a carriage was prepared that would take the emperor to shelter in Tsarskoye Selo.

Nicholas sent an ambassador to offer peace and negotiate an agreement on the conditions for ending the uprising. He became Metropolitan Seraphim. However, the people did not listen to him, saying that he had sworn allegiance to two kings in a week. Another person trying to restore order was Governor General Mikhail Miloradovich.

During the negotiations he was severely wounded and later died. After the revolutionaries opened fire on the people sent to negotiate, the soldiers of the imperial army opened fire with grapeshot at the revolutionaries. The crowd was dispersed.

The rebels were surrounded by government troops, four times the number of revolutionaries gathered in the square. When those gathered began to run under a hail of shots, they realized that they could not break through the ring of government troops. They rushed to the Neva to cross the ice to Vasilyevsky Island. However, the ice collapsed and many died in the water. Those who managed to get closer to the island were already met with artillery fire from its shores. By nightfall the uprising was completely suppressed.

Results

On this day, St. Petersburg was drenched in the blood of its citizens. The corpses of rebel soldiers were scattered everywhere on the streets, ordinary people, united in a mad crowd, and the royal guards, bravely defending the Senate Square from the attack.

The wounded rebels were afraid to go to the hospital for help, since they could be arrested and tried for revolutionary activities. Many died from gunshot wounds already at home, deprived of help and hope of salvation. Others sank while crossing the Neva, trying to swim to the shore of Vasilevsky Island in ice water, many died from frostbite.

In total, 277 soldiers from the Grenadier Regiment and 371 from the Moscow Regiment were arrested. More than fifty sailors from the sea crew were also put on trial. They were taken to the royal palace, where the emperor himself acted as judge.

The trial was conducted by the highest judicial body in criminal matters. The five main participants in the uprising were sentenced to death. It was decided to send the rest to hard labor exile in Siberia, where living conditions were the most difficult.

On December 17, Nicholas I decided to establish a new commission, the main goal of which was to identify secret societies, find hiding revolutionaries, and eliminate underground anti-government movements. The leader of the new commission was Minister of War Alexander Tatishchev.

Briefly about the uprising: dates

• 1816 - the emergence of secret organizations with revolutionary movements (Trubetskoy and Muravyov).
• 1818 - transformation of the organization into the Union of Welfare, expansion of staff, increase in the size of the organization.
• 1819 – poisoning of Speransky, leader of liberal movements.
• June 1819 – riots in military settlements.
• January 17, 1820 – reform in universities. Introducing religious beliefs into sections of society, instilling humility.
• June 1820 – reform in publishing rules literary works. Tightening censorship.
• January 1, 1825 - ban on any secret organizations in Russia. Persecution and persecution of different communities.
• 1823 – The Southern Society, led by Pestal, releases a new program “Russian Truth”.
• December 14, 1825 – Decembrist uprising.
• 1825 – uprising of the Chernigov regiment.
• 1825 - creation of a special commission to persecute revolutionaries underground.
• July 13, 1826 – trial of the revolutionaries. Enforcement of the sentence.

The Decembrist uprising has important in the history of Russia. This is one of the largest revolutionary movements in history. Despite the failure of the rebels, one cannot ignore the factor of danger to which the Russian Empire was exposed.

The Decembrists lost this war, but the idea of ​​​​changing society into a new system did not subside in the minds of people. Only a century later, in 1917, can we say that the plans of the Decembrists were fully implemented. After all, their followers took into account all the mistakes and shortcomings of the 1825 uprising. Thus, we can say that it was at that time that the real Civil War, which lasted for centuries and led to very tragic consequences.

Uprising on December 14, 1825. Events, however, forced the conspirators to hurry. In November 1825, in Taganrog, after an unexpected and short illness, 47-year-old Alexander I, who had never been ill, died before, full of strength and never ill. His death was so unexpected and strange, and the veil of mystery that shrouded both his stay in Taganrog and subsequent events (the funeral of the body, its transfer to Moscow, the behavior of people close to it), was so dense and unusual that rumors soon spread about the voluntary resignation of Alexander I from power, which he repeatedly told others about, and the substitution of the body. This rumor had a solid basis in connection with the severe moral and religious crisis in which the emperor was, his fear of a possible coup and violent death following the tragic example of his father.

All this immediately created a confusing political situation, which the conspirators decided to take advantage of. They planned to prevent the oath of official St. Petersburg to Nicholas, withdraw troops loyal to them to Senate Square, seize the Winter Palace, arrest the royal family, force the Senate to announce the overthrow of the monarchy and release a Manifesto on the establishment of the Provisional Revolutionary Government, the abolition of serfdom, the equalization of all citizens before the law, the destruction (Kcherut conscription and military settlements and other revolutionary measures included in their programs. After this, it was planned to assemble a Constituent Assembly (Great Council) and submit for its consideration a program for the future reorganization of Russia.

Colonel of the General Staff, Prince S.P. Trubetskoy, was elected dictator, that is, commander of the forces of the uprising.

On November 27, the capital and army, as expected, swore allegiance to Constantine. At the same time, the guard intervened in the matter again. Governor General of St. Petersburg L. A Miloradovin, a man close to the dowager queen - the wife of Paul I, threatened Nicholas that he would raise the guard if he did not swear allegiance to his brother. Nikolai reluctantly agreed to this demand. Although Nicholas, his family, the Senate and other institutions swore allegiance to Constantine on November 27, the issue was not finally resolved. A will of Alexander I and others appeared to arrest the conspirators. The conspirators also prepared for December 14, trying to prevent the re-taking the oath and carry out a coup d'etat. The decisive meeting took place at Ryleev’s apartment. He asked Kakhovsky to change into the uniform of the Life Grenadier Regiment, enter the palace and kill Nicholas I before its capture. Yakubovich was entrusted with taking possession of the Winter Palace. Another part of the loyal troops was to occupy the Peter and Paul Fortress.

It was a cold, gloomy, windy morning on December 14th. In the pre-dawn twilight, the Moscow regiment, led by the staff captain of the Life Guards Dragoon Regiment A. A. Bestuzhev, arrived in battle formation with combat equipment on Senate Square and stood in the form of a monument to Peter I. The uprising began. But his plan would immediately begin to crumble. Kakhovsky refused to commit!, an act of regicide. Yakubovich did not want to lead the rebel units to the Winter Palace, fearing, as he said, massacres in the palace and the murder of the royal family.

The Winter Palace stood unshakably, and the king, having learned about the outbreak of an uprising, pulled loyal troops to it.

Trubetskoy did not appear at Senate Square. He 1|multiplied near the headquarters, peeking around the corner, old-HII. to understand how many rebel troops have gathered and whether it is worth risking his life. He never appeared to the foreigners, leaving them without military leadership.

By 11 o'clock in the morning it turned out that the Senate had already sworn allegiance to Nicholas I and the senators had gone home.

A new monarch appeared on Senate Square, surrounded by loyal troops. Governor General M. A. Miloradovich arrived. Government troops launched several attacks against the rebels, but they were repulsed by gunfire. Tension in the square grew. Reinforcements approached the rebels - life grenadiers, a flei naval crew, and now there were about 4 thousand people in the square with 30 officers. Nicholas, for his part, brought infantry units, artillery and horse guards to the square, which were four times larger than the rebel forces. On the square, a new military leader of the rebel troops was chosen - Prince E. P. Obolensky.

News of the uprising quickly spread throughout St. Petersburg. Crowds of people were approaching the square. Soon there were more than 150 thousand of them. Stones and sticks were thrown from the crowd at the soldiers loyal to the tsar. Threats were heard against Nikolai. Those gathered clearly sympathized with the rebels.

Wary of allowing bloodshed and thereby tarnishing the beginning of his reign, the tsar sent M.A. Miloradovich to the rebels. Hero Patriotic War 1812, the brave military leader was extremely popular among the soldiers. Miloradovich addressed the rebels with a heated speech, persuading them to come to their senses and return to the barracks. The soldiers were embarrassed. The situation was critical. Then Prince B.P. Obolensky rushed to the Governor-General and turned his horse with a bayonet, wounding Miloradovich in the thigh.

Kakhovsky ran up and shot the general in the back. The mortally wounded general was taken home. For a moment, the spirit of the rebels strengthened. They immediately drove away the metropolitans sent to them with admonitions.

The tension was growing. The people surrounding the square behaved increasingly hostile towards the authorities. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, Nicholas I ordered the cannons to open fire. At first a volley of buckshot was fired over the square. This did not sway the rebels. They responded with gunfire. The next hall was already targeted. Buckshot struck the first ranks of the rebels. The square trembled and fell apart. The soldiers ran onto the ice of the Neva, trying to get over to Vasilyevsky Island. The firing continued, and the Horse Guards came into action, pursuing the escapees. Artillery struck, the ice began to crumble, ice holes formed, and the rebels began to drown. Their ranks were completely mixed. Soon it was all over.

Raids and arrests began throughout the city. The arrested Decembrists, as the rebels began to be called after December 14, were taken to the Winter Palace.

The uprising in the south of the country also failed. P.I. Pestel was arrested on December 13, on the eve of the uprising in St. Petersburg.

On December 29, a rebellion broke out in the Chernigov regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel S.I. Muravyov-Apostol and Second Lieutenant M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin. The rebels captured the city of Vasilkov and headed to Zhitomir to join other units that were being prepared for action by conspiratorial officers. However, a government detachment blocked their path. Artillery salvoes fell on Chernigov residents. Muravyov-Apostol was wounded and woke up already arrested. Bestuzhev-Ryumin was also seized with weapons in his hands. The rebels were scattered. Arrests began.

On December 17, 1825, the Investigative Committee began work in St. Petersburg, which met for six months. Nicholas I took a direct part in its work, interrogating the Decembrists himself. Three questions interested the investigators - involvement in plans for regicide, in an armed uprising in St. Petersburg and in the south, and attitude to secret anti-government organizations.

They, the nobles, sought to show the first nobleman of the empire the validity and regularity of their actions. Many were strongly impressed by the personal interest of Nicholas I in finding out the reasons for the revolutionary mutiny of a group of officers. Others were broken by the difficult conditions of detention in the fortress, complete uncertainty about their fate, and fear of death.

According to the results of the trial, five 4P Estel, Ryleev, S. Muravyov-Apostol, M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Kakhovsky) were executed as villains. The court sentenced the rest to various punishments - to hard labor, deprivation of ranks, demotion to the ranks. The soldiers themselves faced punishment with spitzrutens and exile to distant garrisons. The entire penal Cherni-Sonsky regiment was sent to the Caucasus. Some Decembrist officers were also exiled there. In total, about 600 people were involved in the investigation and investigation.

Only after the death of Nicholas I in 1855, having spent about 5 years in penal servitude and in exile, the surviving Decembrists received an amnesty, left the penal dungeons, but remained in a settlement in Siberia: they were prohibited from entering the central provinces of Russia.

The Decembrist movement went unnoticed by the majority of the population of the vast empire, but left a significant mark among the top of society, the ruling elite, and the emerging intelligentsia.

At the same time, the uprising of December 14, 1825 frightened and puzzled the well-meaning part of Russia and forced conservative forces led by the new emperor to rally.

The extremism of the Decembrists, the blood they threatened Russia with, resulted in a long break in the country’s re-<|к>rmist efforts, and later with a painful and overly cautious approach to constitutional reforms, to the abolition of serfdom. The evolutionary path of development of the country turned out to be slow. The reactionary nobility could triumph.

Looking at the West, where serfdom had long been abolished and a constitution was introduced, it became clear that the conditions in which serfs lived were simply terrible. Their masters mocked them, regularly increasing their dues and corvée, and if they disobeyed, they were exiled to Siberia, with the support of the tsar himself.

After the war, industry recovered quite quickly, but it could not compete with industry European countries, since in Russia it was based on manufactories, and those, in turn, on manual labor. To set up production it was necessary to attract great amount peasants The landowners without hesitation took away their lands and annexed them to their own, making the amounts of quitrents incredibly high. The peasants refused to pay taxes and, as a result, anti-serfdom movements began.

Military officers who had been abroad were openly afraid that a rebellion would soon begin among the masses and cover the entire country. Many have become disillusioned with government activities emperor, since he was a supporter of repressive methods of influencing the serfs.

The Decembrists believed and dreamed of democracy and freedom of speech. The main example to follow was France, where a revolution recently took place. The Decembrists also insisted on the distribution of power among branches, and not its concentration in one hand.

Decembrist uprising on Senate Square in St. Petersburg.

In 1825, the Decembrists came to Senate Square on December 14. Governor General Miloradovich tried to calm the Decembrists, but one of the participants in the uprising wounded him. In the process, the Decembrists receive news that the army employees have long sworn allegiance to the new emperor, and they have no choice, they will have to surrender their weapons and be defeated. The Decembrists decide to die, still hoping that reinforcements are somewhere nearby. At this time, a struggle ensued between them and the royal artillery. The guns shot the rebels point-blank. Some soldiers ran away.

After the suppression of the uprising, all participants faced trial. Three dozen officers were sentenced to death, 17 people were exiled to Siberia for eternal hard labor. The rest were demoted to soldiers or sent to hard labor for a certain period.

Consequences and results of the Decembrist uprising.

The historical significance of the Decembrist uprising is disproportionately high. The Decembrist uprising was the first unification against tsarist power. Thanks to him, the unshakable tsarist regime was shaken, and it contributed to the future development of the opposition in Russia.