K. Kolman "The Revolt of the Decembrists"

The Decembrists were "children of 1812", that is how they called themselves.

The war with Napoleon awakened in the Russian people, and in particular in the nobility, a sense of national identity. What they saw in Western Europe, as well as the ideas of the Enlightenment, clearly outlined for them the path that, in their opinion, could save Russia from the heavy oppression of serfdom. During the war, they saw their people in a completely different capacity: patriots, defenders of the Fatherland. They could compare the life of peasants in Russia and in Western Europe and conclude that the Russian people deserved a better fate.

Victory in the war put before thinking people the question is how should the victorious people continue to live: should they still languish under the yoke of serfdom, or should they be helped to throw off this yoke?

Thus, an understanding of the need to fight against serfdom and autocracy gradually developed, which did not even seek to change the fate of the peasants. The Decembrist movement was not some kind of outstanding phenomenon, it took place in the general mainstream of the world revolutionary movement. P. Pestel wrote about this in his testimony: “The current century is marked by revolutionary thoughts. From one end of Europe to the other one and the same thing is visible, from Portugal to Russia, not excluding a single state, even England and Turkey, these two opposites. All of America presents the same spectacle. The spirit of transformation makes, so to speak, the minds everywhere bubbling ... These are the reasons, I believe, that gave rise to revolutionary thoughts and rules and rooted them in the minds.

Early secret societies

The early secret societies were the forerunners of the Southern and Northern Societies. The Salvation Union was organized in February 1816 in St. Petersburg. The very name of the society suggests that its members set salvation as their goal. Save who or what? According to the participants of the society, it was necessary to save Russia from falling into the abyss, on the edge of which she stood. The main ideologist and founder of the society was Colonel of the General Staff Alexander Nikolaevich Muravyov, he was 23 years old at that time.

F. Tulov "Alexander Nikolaevich Muravyov"

Union of Salvation

It was a small, closed group of like-minded people, numbering only 10-12 people. At the end of its existence, it grew to 30 people. The main members of the Salvation Union were the prince, vv. General Staff officer S.P. Trubetskoy; Matvey and Sergey Muravyov-Apostles; Lieutenant of the General Staff Nikita Muraviev; I.D. Yakushkin, second lieutenant of the Semyonovsky regiment; M.N. Novikov, nephew of the famous educator of the XVIII century, and Pavel Ivanovich Pestel.

The main goals of their struggle:

• the abolition of serfdom;
• liquidation of autocracy;
• the introduction of a constitution;
• establishment of representative government.

The goals were clear. But the means and means to achieve this are vague.

But since the ideas of the Decembrists were borrowed from the Enlightenment, the means and methods were formed precisely from these sources and they consisted not in the seizure of power, but in the education of progressive social views. And when these views take hold of the masses of the people, these masses themselves will sweep away the government.

Welfare Union

But time passed, new ideas and attitudes appeared, in accordance with this, in 1818 another society was formed - the Welfare Union (based on the Salvation Union). His organizational structure was more complicated, and the scope of action was much wider: education, army, bureaucracy, court, press, etc. In many ways, the goals of the Welfare Union coincided with the state policy of Russia, so the organization was not completely secret.

The main goals of the organization:

• abolition of serfdom;
• liquidation of autocracy;
• introduction of free and lawful government.

But the charter of the Welfare Union consisted of two parts: the main and the "secret", which was compiled later.

His program:

• the abolition of slavery;
• equality of citizens before the law;
• publicity in state affairs;
• publicity of legal proceedings;
• the destruction of the wine monopoly;
• destruction of military settlements;
• improving the fate of the defenders of the Fatherland, setting the limit of their service, reduced from 25 years;
• improvement of the lot of the members of the clear;
• in peacetime, a reduction in the size of the army.

In January 1820, at a meeting in St. Petersburg, the question was raised: "Which government is better - constitutional-monarchical or republican?" All unanimously chose republican rule.
The Welfare Union for the first time in the history of the Russian revolutionary movement decided to fight for a republican form of government in Russia. The change in the program also entailed tactical changes.

The Moscow Congress, convened in 1820, decided to purge the movement of the vacillating part, as well as the radical part. The Pestel Society was declared dissolved.

New secret societies

Southern Society of Decembrists

On the basis of the "Union of Welfare" in 1821, two revolutionary organizations: Southern Society in Kiev and Northern Society in St. Petersburg. The more revolutionary of them, the South, was headed by P. Pestel. The Tulchinskaya administration of the Union of Welfare resumed a secret society called "Southern Society". Its structure was similar to the structure of the Union of Salvation: it consisted exclusively of officers, strict discipline. It was supposed to establish a republican system through regicide and a military coup. The society included three councils: Tulchinskaya (headed by P. Pestel and A. Yushnevsky), Vasilkovskaya (headed by S. Muravyov-Apostol) and Kamenskaya (led by V. Davydov and S. Volkonsky).

Political program of the Southern Society

"Russian Truth" P.I. Pestel

P. Pestel, a supporter of revolutionary actions, suggested that during the revolution a dictatorship of a temporary supreme government would be required. Therefore, he drew up a project with a very long title "Russian Truth, or the Preserved State Charter of the Great Russian People, which serves as a testament to the improvement of the State system of Russia and contains the right order both for the people and for the Provisional Supreme Board", or in short "Russian Truth" ( by analogy with the legislative document Kievan Rus). In fact, it was a constitutional project. It had 10 chapters:

- about land space;

- about the tribes inhabiting Russia;

- about the estates found in Russia;

- about the people in relation to the political state prepared for them;

- about the device and education supreme power;

- about the structure and formation of local authorities;

- about the security arrangements in the state;

- about the government;

- an order to draw up a state code of laws.

With the abolition of serfdom, Pestel provided for the liberation of the peasants with land. Moreover, he proposed to divide all the land in the volost into two parts: the one that is public property cannot be sold. The second part is private property, it can be sold.

But, despite the fact that Pestel advocated the complete abolition of serfdom, he did not propose to give all the land to the peasants, and landownership was partially preserved.

A staunch opponent of autocracy, he considered it necessary to physically destroy the entire reigning house.

When a republic is proclaimed, all estates must be destroyed, not one estate should differ from another in any social privileges, the nobility was destroyed, all people should be equal citizens. Everyone had to be equal before the law, everyone could participate in public affairs.

According to Pestel's constitution, the age of majority was reached by the age of 20. Pestel was a supporter of a federal structure with a strong centralized authority. The republic was to be divided into provinces or oblasts, oblasts into uyezds, and uyezds into volosts. Heads are only elected. Higher legislature- People's Council, which should be elected for 5 years. No one had the right to dissolve the veche. Veche was supposed to be unicameral. Executive agency- State Duma.

To control the exact implementation of the constitution, Pestel assumed power vigilant.

The constitution proclaimed the inviolable right of property, freedom of occupation, printing and religion.

The national question: other nationalities did not have the right to separate from the Russian state, they had to merge and exist as a single Russian people.

It was the most radical constitutional project of all that existed at that time.

But Russia was not yet ready to live according to Pestel's project, especially in the matter of the liquidation of estates.

northern society

P. Sokolov "Nikita Muraviev"

It was formed in the spring of 1821. At first it consisted of 2 groups: a more radical group led by Nikita Muravyov and a group led by Nikolai Turgenev, then they united, although the radical wing, which included K. F. Ryleev, A. A. Bestuzhev, E. P. Obolensky, I. AND. Pushchin, shared the provisions of "Russian Truth" by P. I. Pestel. The society consisted of councils: several councils in St. Petersburg (in the guards regiments) and one in Moscow.

At the head of society was the Supreme Duma. N. Muravyov's deputies were princes Trubetskoy and Obolensky, then, in connection with Trubetskoy's departure to Tver, Kondraty Ryleev. I. Pushchin played a significant role in society.

Political program of the Northern Society

N. Muravyov created his own constitution. He abandoned his republican views and moved to the position of a constitutional monarchy.

He proposed to solve the peasant question in the following way: free them from serfdom, but leave the landowners' lands to the landowners. The peasants were supposed to receive estates and two acres per yard.

Only the owner of the land had the right to participate in political life(to elect and be elected). Those who did not have real estate or movables, like women, were deprived of the right to vote. The nomads also lost it.

According to the constitution of Nikita Muravyov, anyone who arrived on Russian soil ceased to be a slave (serf).

Military settlements should be destroyed, specific lands (those from which the income from which went to the maintenance of the reigning house) were confiscated, they were transferred to the peasants.

All class names were abolished and replaced by the title of citizen. The concept of "Russian" had meaning only in relation to Russian citizenship, and not national.

The constitution of N. Muravyov proclaimed freedoms: movement, occupation, speech, press, religion.

The class court was abolished and a common juror was introduced for all citizens.

The emperor was supposed to represent the executive power, he should be the commander in chief, but he had no right to start and cancel wars.

Russia was seen by Muravyov as a federal state, which was supposed to be divided into federal units (powers), there should have been 15 of them, each with its own capital. And Muravyov saw Nizhny Novgorod, the center of the country, as the capital of the federation.

The supreme legislative body is the People's Council. It consisted of 2 chambers: the Supreme and the House of People's Representatives.

The Supreme Duma was supposed to be a legislative body, including carrying out a trial of ministers and all dignitaries in case of their accusation. She also participated, together with the emperor, in the conclusion of peace, in the appointment of commanders in chief, and the supreme guardian (prosecutor general).

Each power also had a bicameral system: an elected chamber and a State Duma. Legislative power in the state belonged to the legislative assembly.

The constitution of N. Muravyov, if it were introduced, would break all the foundations of the old system, it would certainly meet with resistance, so he provided for the use of weapons.

The question of the unification of the Southern and Northern societies

Members of both societies understood the need for this. But it was not easy for them to come to a common opinion. Each society had its doubts about certain issues of constitutions. In addition, even the very personality of P. Pestel caused doubt among the members of the Northern Society. K. Ryleev even found that Pestel was "a dangerous person for Russia." In the spring of 1824, Pestel himself came to the members of the Northern Society with a proposal to accept the Russian Truth. There were passionate arguments at the meeting, but at the same time this visit spurred the Northern Society to more decisive action. They discussed the issue of preparing a performance in the White Church, where a royal review was planned in 1825. But the performance could only be joint: Northern and Southern societies. Everyone agreed that a common program should be worked out: the ideas of a republic (instead of a constitutional monarchy) and a Constituent Assembly (instead of the dictatorship of the Provisional Revolutionary Government) were more acceptable to the majority. These questions must be finally decided by the congress of 1826.

But events began to develop according to an unforeseen plan: in November 1825, Emperor Alexander I suddenly died. The heir to the throne was Alexander's brother Konstantin, who had already refused to rule, but his decision was not made public, and on November 27 the population swore allegiance to Konstantin. However, he did not accept the throne, but he did not formally renounce the imperial throne. Nicholas did not wait for a formal abdication from his brother and declared himself emperor. The re-swearing was to take place on December 14, 1825.

A situation of interregnum was created, and the Decembrists decided to start an uprising - even earlier, when creating the first organization, they decided to act at the time of the change of emperors. This moment has now arrived, although it was unexpected and premature.

In February 1821, in the south of Russia, the secret organization was revived again. From the revolutionary-minded members of the Tulchinskaya council of the Union of Welfare, a secret Southern Society of Decembrists is created. It included three departments. Tulchinskaya was the central government. The headquarters of the 2nd Army stationed in Ukraine was located in Tulchin. P.I. was at the head of this council. Pestel is the favorite adjutant of the commander-in-chief of the army, Field Marshal P.Kh. Wittgenstein. Vasilkovskaya council was headed by Colonel S.I. Muravyov-Apostol, and Kaminskaya - General Prince S.G. Volkonsky. A little later, a Directory of three persons was elected: P.I. Pestel (colonel, commander of the Vyatka infantry regiment), elected chairman of the society, quartermaster general of the 2nd army A.P. Yushnevsky and Petersburger Nikita Muravyov - to communicate with the Northern society. The directory supervised all departments

Every year, in January, starting from 1822, congresses of the Southern Society met in Kiev to discuss organizational, tactical and program issues.

Work on his constitutional draft P.I. Pestel began in 1819-1820. in the midst of the activity of the Welfare Union. But the name Russkaya Pravda, which is associated with the most ancient monuments of Russian legislation of the time Kiev prince Yaroslav the Wise, was given only in 1824. The full name of this document: “The reserved state charter of the great Russian people, serving as a covenant for the improvement of the state structure of Russia and containing the right order, both for the people and for the Provisional Supreme Government.” Last words point to the direct purpose of the document: it is, first of all, an order to the interim government, which will be created as a result of the coup, the program of its activities. At the same time, this is a project for the future state structure of Russia, i.e. draft constitution. We come across significant sections of the text in Russkaya Pravda, representing a concentrated socio-economic analysis of the state of affairs in Russia.

In 1824-1825. Pestel continued to work on the text of Russkaya Pravda.

Russkaya Pravda posed two central questions: the overthrow of the autocracy and the establishment of a republic; the abolition of serfdom.

In order to prevent the restoration of the old regime after the revolution, P. Pestel suggested for a while, until the new order was strengthened, to hand over full power to the Provisional Government with dictatorial powers, and then the Provisional Government was to transfer all power to elected bodies.

Administrative division. Russia was divided into 10 regions and 3 appanages. Destinies: Capital (Nizhny Novgorod or Moscow), Donskoy and Kirghiz. Each region consisted of 5 provinces or districts, the provinces were divided into counties, and the counties into volosts. In each volost, 1000 male inhabitants lived.

The entire Russian people is one estate - civil. All Russians are painted according to volosts. Every Russian citizen is a member of some volost. The volost has two lists for its members: Civil and Scarb. Citizens who have some kind of property in the volost are included in the Treasury List. The tax is taken from the property, so the same person could be recorded in the Treasury lists of many volosts, but in the Civil list each citizen could be recorded only in one volost, because this list meant a political state.

Supreme bodies authorities. The supreme legislative power was transferred to the People's Veche - a unicameral parliament. It consisted of people's representatives elected for 5 years. Every year the fifth part was updated. The chairman is elected annually from among the members Last year sitting. The People's Veche discussed and adopted laws, declared war and made peace.

Supreme - executive power belonged to the Sovereign Duma. It consisted of 5 members, elected for 5 years. Every day one of the Duma left and was replaced by another. The Chairman has been in session for the last fifth year.

The Sovereign Duma declared wars and negotiated. All ministries worked according to the orders of the Sovereign Duma. She had her own office.

In addition to these bodies, a supervisory authority was provided so that the two powers (legislative and executive) would not get out of control.

The vigilant power was entrusted to the Supreme Council, which consisted of 120 members, called boyars. Boyars were appointed for life. The provinces elected candidates to the Supreme Council, and the People's Veche of them appointed members to the Supreme Council. The chairman was elected for a year by the Council itself.

The People's Veche sent the laws adopted by it for approval to the Supreme Council, only after that the law received force.

The Council appointed from among its members one general-m | "0curator in each region (custodian) and in each ministry. The Supreme Council could bring an official to trial. The one who was prosecuted was tried in the usual judicial order. The governors-general also had duties in relation to regional The conclusion follows from this: the Council kept within the bounds of legality the People's Veche and the Sovereign Duma.

The Supreme Council appointed the commander-in-chief of the acting army.

Social program P.I. Pestel was of a radical nature. He demanded the abolition of serfdom and the gratuitous allocation of land to all peasants. P.I. Pestel counted 25

that the land, by natural right, is the property of all people, and, therefore, each person must have his share in it, the so-called. the earth is the main source of "sustenance of mankind". But according to modern laws, private property is established, and the right to property is so deeply rooted in the minds of people that it is impossible to completely break it. However, it is necessary to find ways to combine these two trends and resolve the contradiction between them. Plan P.I. Pestel was not in the elimination of land ownership, but in the transformation of all Russians into owners.

Russkaya Pravda lists three main principles that should guide the solution of the land issue:

“1 The liberation of the peasants from slavery should not deprive the nobles of the income they receive from their estates.

2. This liberation should not produce unrest and unrest in the state, for which the supreme government is obliged to use merciless severity against any violators of public peace.

3. This liberation should bring the peasants a better position against the present, and not give them an imaginary freedom!

As you can see, the author wants both the wolves to be fed and the sheep to be safe. On the one hand, the principle was proclaimed: the peasants must receive real freedom, i.e. opportunity to work on their land. On the other hand, the nobles must keep their income.

Pestel sought to reconcile these two mutually exclusive principles by dividing the entire land fund of the country into two parts: public land and private land. Public land was transferred to the disposal (but not ownership) of the volost society - the primary administrative and economic unit of the country, therefore it was called "volost", and every citizen of the country had to be "assigned" to one or another volost. Public land could neither be sold nor mortgaged, but was provided for the free use of a citizen if he wanted to engage in agriculture. The public land was intended for the production of a "necessary product".

By providing a guaranteed minimum of land to all those in need, Pestel hoped to put up an insurmountable barrier to the dispossession of land and pauperization (impoverishment) of the peasant.

The public fund was supposed to include state and monastic lands, and partial confiscation of landowners' lands was also envisaged.

"Division of lands"1

10000-	5000-	5000-
9000 -	4500-	4500-	500-	5000-
8000-	4000-	4000-	1000-	5000-
7000-	3500 -	3500-	1500-	5000-
6000-	3000-	3000-	2000-	5000-
5000-	2500-	2500-	2500-	5000-
4000-	2000-	2000-	2000-	4000-
3000-	1500-	1500-	1500-	3000-
2000-	1000-	1000-	1000-	2000-
1000-	500-	500-	500-	1000-

From this table follows:

1. If a landowner has 10,000 acres of land, then half was taken away from him free of charge.

2. If the landlord had less than 10,000 acres of land, then half was taken away in favor of the volost, and in the other volost, land was added up to 5,000 acres.

3. If the landowner had less than 5000 acres of land, then he was given for the selected half of the land for the volost exactly the same amount of acres of land in the other volost.

1 "The division of land" - a fragment from the "Russian Truth", contains a digital layout-\u003e at the mystical alienation of landlords' land in favor of the volost.

Consequently, Pestel's project did not completely destroy landownership, although it dealt a serious blow to large landowners.

In each volost, a volost bank was created, from which every citizen of the volost could take a loan to set up his own economy.

The source of the "surplus" is the second half of the land, which is privately owned. Private owners are landowners. Everyone can buy land. It was assumed that large-scale private landownership would be encouraged, since it would be a source of accumulation of capital directed to the "arrangement of manufactories, factories, plants ...".

Pestel understood the freedom of industry as the freedom of economic activity. The hired worker will have real freedom: to be hired in the city or to go to the countryside, having received the plot due to him and a loan from the bank.

Pestel's agrarian project was directed not only against feudalism, but also against certain evils of capitalism. He hoped that in the new society it would be possible to use the resources for the growth of productive forces opened up by capitalism, and at the same time to limit the possibilities of exploiting the working people, to prevent their transformation into poor proletarians.

The coexistence of two "worlds", which Pestel planned, seems utopian. Private landed property, designed to create surplus and abundance, would inevitably undermine public agriculture. This would be facilitated both by the preservation of large landlord property and by the dominance of the private capitalist element in industry and trade.

And "at the same time, it is necessary to emphasize the agrarian project of P. Pestel was more radical than the reform of 1861, carried out almost half a century later at a higher level of economic and political development Russia, in a revolutionary situation. By 1861, the peasants owned 1/3 of all cultivated land, as a result of the reform, 1/5 of the peasant allotments were cut off by the landlords. P.I. Pestel intended to give the peasants 1/2 of the land suitable for cultivation.

Political rights. According to Russkaya Pravda, all males who have reached the age of 12 would have the right to vote.

P. Pestel paid great attention to the need to introduce general democratic rights and freedoms: inviolability of the individual, equality of all before the law, freedom of speech, conscience and assembly, freedom of trade. However, he also allowed the restriction of these rights: the Christian religion was provided with state support, and the creation political parties generally forbidden. Pestel motivated the latter by fears of the destruction of the unity of the people and the new social order.

P. Pestel considered a military-revolutionary coup with the immediate liquidation of the monarchy and the destruction (physical) of members of the royal family in order to eliminate the possibility of restoring this form of government as a means of achieving the proposed socio-political transformations. The transformation was entrusted to the Provisional Supreme Board, which was established for 10-15 years, consisted of 5 directors headed by the Dictator.

Pestel presented a project for a republic, but made its implementation dependent on a revolutionary dictatorship introduced for a considerable period, which in itself could be fraught with grave consequences. Standing up for strict and independent legality, the Decembrist considered it possible to establish a revolutionary dictatorship, practically not bound by law in its actions. In general, Pestel's Russkaya Pravda opened up much wider opportunities for Russia than in the projects of M. M. Speransky for the transition to the principles of democracy and the rule of law. But, even if it remained unrealized, it retained its historical significance as the first project of a republican constitution in Russia.

Having accepted "Russian Truth" as a program, the southern society began to develop tactical plans and, first of all, to coordinate the actions of the Southern and Northern societies by the chain of their unification. During 1823, the southerners sent their representatives, but did not achieve success. In March 1824, P.I. himself went to St. Petersburg. Pestel.

Decembrists- Russian revolutionaries who raised an uprising against autocracy and serfdom in December 1825 and were named after the month of the uprising. The Decembrists were revolutionaries of the nobility, their class limitations left a seal on the movement, which, according to slogans, was anti-feudal and associated with the maturation of the prerequisites bourgeois revolution in Russia.

Reasons for the appearance

The process of disintegration of the feudal-serf system, which was clearly manifested already in the 2nd half of the 18th century and intensified in early XIX century, was the basis on which this movement grew. called the era of world history between and - the era of "bourgeois-democratic movements in general, bourgeois-national in particular", the era of "... the rapid breakdown of feudal-absolutist institutions that have outlived themselves." The Decembrist movement was an organic element of the struggle of that era. The anti-feudal movement in the world-historical process often included elements of noble revolutionaryism, they were strong in the Spanish liberation struggle of the 1820s, and were especially pronounced in the Polish movement of the 19th century. Russia is no exception in this respect. The weakness of the Russian bourgeoisie, which warmed itself under the wing of the autocracy and did not cultivate revolutionary protest in itself, contributed to the fact that the "first-born of freedom" in Russia became the revolutionary nobles - the Decembrists. , the participants of which were almost all the founders and many active members of the future Decembrist movement, the subsequent foreign campaigns of 1813-1814 were a political school for the future Decembrists.

Decembrist organizations

"Union of Salvation" and "Union of Prosperity"

In 1816, young officers A. Muravyov, S. Trubetskoy, I. Yakushkin, S. Muravyov-Apostol and M. Muravyov-Apostol, N. Muravyov founded the first secret political society - the Union of Salvation, or the Society of True and Faithful Sons Fatherland". Later, P. Pestel and others joined it - about 30 people in total. The work on improving the program and the search for more perfect methods of action for the elimination of absolutism and the abolition of serfdom led in 1818 to the closure of the Union of Salvation and the founding of a new, wider society - the Union of Welfare (about 200 people). The new society considered the formation of “public opinion” in the country to be the main goal, which was presented to the Decembrists as the main revolutionary force driving public life. In 1820, a meeting of the governing body of the "Union of Welfare" - the Root Council - according to Pestel's report, unanimously voted for the republic. It was decided to make the main force of the coup an army led by members of a secret society. The performance that took place before the eyes of the Decembrists in 1820 in the Semyonovsky regiment in St. Petersburg additionally convinced the Decembrists that the army was ready to move. According to the Decembrists, the revolution was to be made for the people, but without their participation. Eliminate Active participation people in the coming coup seemed necessary to the Decembrists in order to avoid the "horrors of the people's revolution" and to retain a leading position in revolutionary events.

Northern and Southern societies

The ideological struggle within the organization, in-depth work on the program, the search for better tactics, more effective organizational forms required a deep internal restructuring of society. In 1821, the congress of the Indigenous Administration of the Union of Welfare in Moscow declared the society dissolved and, under the cover of this decision, which made it easier to screen out unreliable members, began to form a new organization. As a result, in 1821 in Ukraine, in the quartering area of ​​the 2nd Army, the “Southern Society” of the Decembrists was formed, and soon the “Northern Society” of the Decembrists was formed with a center in St. Petersburg.

Southern society

One of the outstanding Decembrists, Pestel, became the head of the Southern Society. Members of the Southern Society were opponents of the idea of ​​the Constituent Assembly and supporters of the dictatorship of the Provisional Supreme Revolutionary Board. It was the latter that, in their opinion, was to take power into their own hands after a successful revolutionary coup and introduce a pre-prepared constitutional device, the principles of which were set forth in a document later called Russkaya Pravda.

Russian truth P. Pestel

According to Russkaya Pravda, Russia was declared a republic, serfdom was immediately abolished. The peasants were liberated with land. However, Pestel's agrarian project did not provide for the complete destruction of landownership. Russkaya Pravda pointed to the need for the complete destruction of the estate system, the establishment of the equality of all citizens before the law; proclaimed all basic civil liberties: speech, press, assembly, religion, equality in court, movement and choice of occupation. Russkaya Pravda fixed the right of every man who has reached the age of 20 to participate in the political life of the country, to elect and be elected without any property or educational qualifications. Women did not receive voting rights. Every year in each volost, the Zemsky popular assembly elected deputies to permanent representative bodies of local government. The unicameral People's Council - the Russian parliament - was endowed with full legislative power in the country; executive power in the republic belonged to the Sovereign Duma, which consisted of 5 members elected by the People's Council for 5 years. Every year one of them dropped out and one new one was chosen instead - this ensured the continuity and succession of power and its constant renewal. That member of the State Duma, who had been in its composition for the last year, became its chairman, in fact, the president of the republic. This ensured the impossibility of usurping the supreme power: each president held his post for only one year. The third, very peculiar supreme government agency Republic was the Supreme Council, consisting of 120 people elected for life, with regular payment for the performance of their duties. The only function of the Supreme Council was control ("guardian"). He had to see to it that the constitution was strictly observed. The Russkaya Pravda indicated the composition of the future territory of the state - Transcaucasia, Moldavia and other territories, the acquisition of which Pestel considered necessary for economic or strategic reasons, were to enter Russia. The democratic system was supposed to spread in exactly the same way to all Russian territories, regardless of what peoples they were inhabited. Pestel was, however, a resolute opponent of the federation: all of Russia, according to his project, was supposed to be a single and indivisible state. An exception was made only for Poland, which was granted the right to secede. It was assumed that Poland, together with all of Russia, would take part in the revolutionary coup conceived by the Decembrists and, in accordance with Russkaya Pravda, carry out the same revolutionary transformations that were supposed for Russia. Pestel's "Russian Truth" was repeatedly discussed at the congresses of the Southern Society, its principles were accepted by the organization. The surviving editions of Russkaya Pravda testify to the continuous work on its improvement and the development of its democratic principles. Being mainly the creation of Pestel, Russkaya Pravda was also edited by other members of the Southern Society.

northern society

The Northern Society of Decembrists was headed by N. Muravyov; the leading core included N. Turgenev, M. Lunin, S. Trubetskoy, E. Obolensky. The constitutional project of the Northern Society was developed by N. Muravyov. It advocated the idea of ​​a Constituent Assembly. Muravyov strongly objected to the dictatorship of the Provisional Supreme Revolutionary Government and the dictatorial introduction of a revolutionary constitution approved in advance by a secret society. Only the future constituent Assembly could, according to the Northern Society of Decembrists, draw up a constitution or approve any of the constitutional projects. The constitutional project of N. Muravyov was supposed to be one of them.

N.Muravyov's constitution

The “Constitution” of N. Muravyov is a significant ideological document of the Decembrist movement. In her project, class limitations affected much more than in Russkaya Pravda. The future Russia was to become a constitutional monarchy with a simultaneous federal structure. The principle of federation, close in type to the United States, did not take into account the national moment at all - the territorial one prevailed in it. Russia was divided into 15 federal units - "powers" (regions). The program provided for the unconditional abolition of serfdom. Estates were destroyed. The equality of all citizens before the law, equal court for all were established. However, the agrarian reform of N. Muravyov was class-limited. According to the latest version of the "Constitution", the peasants received only estate land and 2 acres of arable land per yard, the rest of the land remained the property of the landlords or the state (state lands). Political structure federation provided for the device of a bicameral system (a kind of local parliament) in each "power". The upper chamber in the "power" was the State Duma, the lower - the Chamber of Elected Deputies of the "power". The federation as a whole was united by the People's Council - a bicameral parliament. belonged to the people's council legislature. Elections to all representative institutions were conditioned by a high property qualification. The executive power belonged to the emperor - the supreme official of the Russian state, who received a large salary. The emperor did not have legislative power, but he had the right of a “suspensive veto”, that is, he could delay the adoption of a law for a certain period and return it to parliament for a second discussion, but he could not completely reject the law. The "Constitution" of N. Muravyov, like Pestel's "Russian Truth", declared the basic civil freedoms: speech, press, assembly, religion, movement, and others.

"Society of United Slavs"

In the last years of the activities of the secret Northern Society, the struggle of internal currents became more pronounced in it. The republican current, represented by the poet K.F. Ryleev, who joined the society in 1823, as well as E. Obolensky, brothers Nikolai, Alexander, Mikhail Bestuzhev and other members, intensified again. The entire burden of preparing the uprising in Petersburg fell on this republican group. Southern and Northern societies were in continuous communication, discussing their differences. A congress of the Northern and Southern Societies was scheduled for 1826, at which it was supposed to develop a common constitutional foundation. However, the situation in the country forced the Decembrists to speak ahead of schedule. In preparation for an open revolutionary action, the Southern Society united with the Society of United Slavs. This society in its original form arose back in 1818 and, having gone through a series of transformations, set as its ultimate goal the destruction of serfdom and autocracy, the creation of a democratic Slavic federation consisting of Russia, Poland, Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary (members of the society considered the Hungarians to be Slavs), Transylvania, Serbia, Moldavia, Wallachia, Dalmatia and Croatia. Members of the Slavic society were supporters of popular revolutions. The "Slavs" accepted the program of the southerners and joined the Southern society.

Decembrist revolt

In November 1825, Tsar Alexander I suddenly died. His older brother Konstantin had renounced the throne long before that, but the royal family kept the refusal a secret. Alexander I was to be succeeded by his brother Nikolai, who had long been hated in the army as a rude martinet and Arakcheev. Meanwhile, the army swore allegiance to Constantine. However, rumors soon spread about taking a new oath - to Emperor Nicholas. The army was worried, discontent in the country increased. At the same time, members of the secret society of the Decembrists became aware that spies had discovered their activities. It was impossible to wait. Since the decisive events of the interregnum played out in the capital, it became the center of the upcoming coup. The Northern Society decided on an open armed uprising in St. Petersburg and scheduled it for December 14, 1825 - the day when the oath to the new Emperor Nicholas I was to take place.

The plan for a revolutionary coup, elaborated in detail at meetings of the Decembrists in Ryleev’s apartment, was to prevent the oath, to raise troops sympathetic to the Decembrists, to bring them to Senate Square and by force of arms, if negotiations did not help, to prevent the Senate and the State Council from taking the oath to the new emperor. The deputation from the Decembrists was supposed to force the senators, if necessary - military force sign a revolutionary manifesto to the Russian people. The manifesto announced the overthrow of the government, abolished serfdom, abolished recruitment, declared civil liberties and convened a Constituent Assembly, which would finally decide the question of the constitution and form of government in Russia. The "dictator" of the forthcoming uprising was elected Prince S. Trubetskoy, an experienced military man, a participant in the war of 1812, well known to the guards.

The Moscow Regiment, which had risen first of the Life Guards, came to Senate Square on December 14 at about 11 am under the leadership of A. Bestuzhev, his brother Mikhail and D. Shchepin-Rostovsky. The regiment lined up in a square near the monument to Peter I. Only 2 hours later, the Life Guards Grenadier Regiment and the Guards Naval Crew joined it. In total, about 3 thousand rebel soldiers gathered on the square under the banners of the uprising, with 30 combatant commanders - Decembrist officers. The assembled sympathetic people greatly outnumbered the troops. However, the goals set by the Decembrists were not achieved. Nicholas I managed to swear in the Senate and the State Council while it was still dark, when the Senate Square was empty. The "dictator" Trubetskoy did not appear on the square, and the remaining commanders (Fonvizin, Volkonsky, Yushnevsky and Orlov), who had no real power behind them, were useless for the uprising. After it became known that Trubetskoy did not appear, the flight of the conspirators from the square became massive - Ryleev left the square (under the pretext of "search for Trubetskoy"), Yakubovich (who was supposed to take Zimny), Bulatov (responsible for the assault on the Peter and Paul Fortress). Undertaken by lieutenant Panov, the assault on the Winter Successes led by nine hundred grenadiers was repulsed by the Life Guards sapper battalion under the command of Alexander Gerua. Having suffered a defeat, Panov led the soldiers back to Kare Square; An attempt by the Governor-General Miloradovich to persuade the rebels was not successful. Miloradovich was mortally wounded by the Decembrist P. Kakhovsky. By evening, the Decembrists chose a new leader - Prince Obolensky, the chief of staff of the uprising. But it was already too late. Nikolai, who managed to pull the troops loyal to him to the square and surround the squares of the rebels, was afraid that "the excitement would not be transmitted to the mob", and ordered the shooting with grapeshot. According to clearly underestimated government figures, Senate Square more than 80 "rebels" were killed (according to alternative estimates, not counting the missing, more than a thousand people were killed). By nightfall, the uprising was crushed.

The news of the defeat of the uprising in St. Petersburg reached the Southern Society in the twentieth of December. On December 13, Pestel was already arrested, but nevertheless the decision to perform was made. The uprising of the Chernigov regiment was led by Lieutenant Colonel S. Muravyov-Apostol and M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin. It began on December 29, 1825 in the village of Trilesy, located 70 kilometers southwest of Kiev, where the 5th company of the regiment was stationed. The rebels, consisting of 1164 people, captured the city of Vasilkov and moved from there to join with other regiments. However, not a single regiment supported the initiatives of the Chernigovites, although the troops were undoubtedly in ferment. A detachment of government troops sent to meet the rebels met them with volleys of buckshot. On January 3, 1826, the Decembrist uprising in the south was crushed. During the uprising in the south, the appeals of the Decembrists were distributed among the soldiers and partly the people. The revolutionary "Catechism", written by S. Muravyov-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin, freed the soldiers from the oath to the tsar and was imbued with the republican principles of popular government.

Consequences of the Decembrist uprising

579 people were involved in the investigation and trial in the case of the Decembrists. Investigative and judicial procedures were conducted in deep secret. Five leaders - Pestel, S. Muravyov-Apostol, Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Ryleev and Kakhovsky - were hanged on July 13, 1826. Exiled to Siberia for hard labor and settlement 121 Decembrists. Over 1,000 soldiers were driven through the ranks, some were exiled to Siberia for hard labor or a settlement, over 2,000 soldiers were transferred to the Caucasus, where hostilities were taking place at that time. The newly formed penal Chernihiv regiment, as well as another consolidated regiment of active participants in the uprising, were also sent to the Caucasus.

The meaning of the Decembrist uprising

The Decembrist uprising occupies an important place in the history of the revolutionary movement in Russia. This was the first open action with weapons in hand in order to overthrow the autocracy and abolish serfdom. V.I. Lenin begins with the Decembrists the periodization of the Russian revolutionary movement. The significance of the Decembrists' movement was already understood by their contemporaries: "Your mournful work will not be wasted," wrote A.S. Pushkin in his message to the Decembrists in Siberia. The lessons of the Decembrist uprising were assimilated by their successors in the revolutionary struggle: Herzen, Ogarev, and subsequent generations of Russian revolutionaries who were inspired by the feat of the Decembrists. The profiles of the five executed Decembrists on the cover of Herzen's Polar Star were a symbol of the struggle against tsarism.

History of the Ukrainian SSR in ten volumes. Volume Four Team of Authors

2. SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN SOCIETIES AND THEIR PROGRAMS

2. SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN SOCIETIES AND THEIR PROGRAMS

Southern Society. Members of the Tulchinsk (Southern) council perceived the message about the termination of the activities of the Union of Welfare negatively and did not recognize the decision of the Moscow Congress. At the end of March 1821, members of the council P.I. Pestel, A.P. Yushnevsky, P.V. Avramov, N.V. Basargin, A.P. Baryatinsky, F.B. Volf, V.P. brothers N. A. and A. A. Kryukov gathered in Tulchin and unanimously decided to continue their activities, declaring all those present the main members (boyars) of the new society. At one of the following meetings, they elected a leadership - the Directory of the Southern Society, consisting of P. I. Pestel, A. P. Yushnevsky and N. M. Muravyov. The latter was elected at the suggestion of Pestel, who considered the Southern Society to be the district of the future All-Russian secret society and sought, with the help of N. M. Muravyov, one of the leaders of the Northern Society, to coordinate the activities of both societies in St. Petersburg.

The center of the Southern Society remained Tulchin, where the headquarters of the 2nd Army was located. Here the Tulchinskaya administration operated and was replenished with new members, secret meetings took place, conversations and discussions were held on the issues of the future revolutionary upheaval. For some time, P. I. Pestel and A. P. Yushnevsky remained the leaders of the Tulchinsk council, as well as the entire Southern society. At the end of 1825, A.P. Baryatinsky headed the Tulchinsk council, since P.I. Pestel focused on preparing the entire Southern society for an uprising.

During 1822–1825 Four congresses of the leading figures of the Southern Society were held in Kiev, at which the main issues of its activities were decided. The first congress in January 1822 confirmed the creation of the Southern Society and its ultimate goal - the establishment of a republic in Russia by revolutionary means. The participants of the congress accepted into the Southern Society a former member of the Union of Salvation and the Union of Welfare, Lieutenant Colonel S. I. Muravyov-Apostol, transferred from the Life Guards of the Semenovsky Infantry Regiment and appointed commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Chernihiv Infantry Regiment, whose headquarters was in Vasilkov . His brother, retired lieutenant colonel M. I. Muravyov-Apostol, also joined the society.

Along with the Tulchinskaya administration, the Kamenskaya administration was formed, headed by V. L. Davydov and Major General S. G. Volkonsky. Since that time, meetings of the leading figures of the Southern Society took place in Kamenka almost every autumn.

On the initiative of S. I. Muravyov-Apostol, in 1823, at the congress of the Southern Society, the third, Vasilkovskaya council, was created. S. I. Muravyov-Apostol and second lieutenant of the Poltava Infantry Regiment M. P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin were elected its leaders. The leaders of all three departments of the Southern Society did a great job of involving reliable like-minded people in the organization. In Tulchin, lieutenant I. B. Avramov, lieutenants brothers N. S. and P. S. Bobrishchev-Pushkin, lieutenant N. F. Zaikin, staff captain I. F. Fokht, lieutenant colonel A. V. Entaltsev and etc. The leaders of the Kamensk council, V. L. Davydov and S. G. Volkonsky, accepted into the society a second lieutenant from the military settlements, V. N. Likharev. The brothers A.V. and I.V. Poggio were also part of this council.

The Vasylkivska administration grew rapidly in numbers and deployed vigorous activity. S. I. Muravyov-Apostol and M. P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin involved in society many officers of the 3rd Infantry Corps of the 1st Army, among whom were the colonel of the quartermaster part of the headquarters of the corps V. I. Vranitsky, regiment commanders: Aleksopolsky - Colonel I. S. Povalo-Shveikovsky, Akhtyrsky - Colonel A. Z. Muravyov, Poltava - Colonel V. K. Tizenhausen, Lieutenant Colonel A. N. Frolov, Captain N. N. Semichev, Major M. M. Spiridov, Lieutenant I. I. Sukhinov and others.

"Russian Truth" by P. I. Pestel. Already at the first congress of the Southern Society in Kiev, the question of creating its program arose. The members of the society were then already deeply interested in the sections of the draft program written by P. I. Pestel, which in 1824, after repeated discussions at the congresses of the society, finally received the name “Russian Truth”.

P. I. Pestel - the author of Russkaya Pravda and the ideological leader of the noble revolutionaries - was a man of outstanding intelligence. A. S. Pushkin after his meeting with him in Chisinau (1821) wrote in his diary: “Spent the morning with Pestel; smart man in the whole sense of the word ... We had a conversation with him metaphysical, political, moral, and so on. He is one of the most original minds I know…” According to his socio-political views, P. I. Pestel is a republican, a convinced revolutionary, a fighter against autocracy and serfdom.

House in Kiev, where the Decembrists gathered

The unfinished text of Russkaya Pravda is one of the main documents of the Decembrists' revolutionary program. Of the ten planned chapters, five have been fully written, and only three have been edited. The rest are known in fragments. The Constitution is still preserved. State Testament” is a concise summary of the main ideas of the Southern Society program. According to Russkaya Pravda, the country was supposed to destroy the autocracy and proclaim a republic. V. I. Lenin highly appreciated the political significance of the slogan of the republic and pointed to the Decembrists as the first revolutionaries who put forward republican ideas in the liberation movement in Russia.

Speaking for the complete abolition of serfdom, P. I. Pestel wrote in Russkaya Pravda: “Slavery must be decisively abolished and the Nobility must forever renounce the vile advantage of possessing other People.”

Russkaya Pravda also provided for the liquidation of military settlements, the reduction of military service to 15 years, the abolition of medieval workshops, trade guilds and companies, titles, coats of arms and all sorts of privileges of the ruling classes. All Russian citizens were declared equal before the law. They were guaranteed freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, equality in court, choice of profession and other civil liberties.

According to Russkaya Pravda, all men who have reached the age of 20 had an equal and not limited by any property qualification suffrage.

The People's Council, which was elected by all citizens of the country, was proclaimed the supreme body of legislative power.

S. G. Volkonsky

V. L. Davydov

The highest executive power in the republic was to belong to State Duma, consisting of five members, who were appointed by the People's Council for a period of 5 years. It was envisaged the creation of a body to control the observance and correct application of laws and the implementation of government decrees - the Supreme Council.

P. I. Pestel considered it necessary after the victory of the revolution to first transfer power to the Provisional Supreme Board, which was entrusted with the duty to gradually, in accordance with Russkaya Pravda, carry out socio-economic and political reforms in the country. The composition of the Provisional Supreme Board was determined by a secret society.

To provide the citizens of Russia with a livelihood, P.I. Pestel proposed making them landowners. In his opinion, this could be achieved by land reform- confiscation of a significant part of the landed estates, state and church lands and the creation of large public land funds.

Public land was assigned to each volost and was subject to free distribution for use by all citizens: “Public land will collectively belong to the entire Volost Society and constitute Its inviolable property. It can neither be sold nor mortgaged. In Russkaya Pravda, a reservation is made that free public allotments are provided primarily to the poorest. Part of the land remained in state-protected private property of the treasury or individuals.

The basis of the “civil life” envisaged for Russia, according to Russkaya Pravda, should be volosts, which would also be called communes (communities). The citizens of each volost will form "one political family". Such an organization of society would, according to P.I. Pestel, improve the situation of the people and instill “morality and virtue” in the minds of citizens. It was supposed to eliminate all oppression of the masses. “For quite a long time,” wrote P.I. Pestel, “there was an opportunity for some to oppress all others; it is time now to put a decisive End to this vile and violent order of Things.

Concerned about liberation from despotism and feudal oppression of the Russian people, P.I. Pestel did not forget about the fate of other peoples who inhabited Russia, especially the backward northern and eastern peoples. He proposed to free all these peoples from the oppression of officials and feudal lords, to give them the same political rights as the Russian people. In this way, P. I. Pestel hoped to achieve a “merger” of all the peoples of Russia in a single centralized, politically strong, economically and culturally developed state.

Defending the unity of Russia and the integrity of its territory, P. I. Pestel emphasized with particular determination the common destinies of the Russian and Ukrainian peoples. He declared: "... Little Russia will forever remain inseparable with Russia and no force will tear Little Russia away from Russia ...".

Of course, in Russkaya Pravda there were also significant elements of class narrowness of the nobility, which manifested themselves primarily in upholding, along with the principle public use land and the principle of private ownership of it, in the absence of instructions for the granting of suffrage to women, in the unification of the educational system with the church, and also in the tendency to forced assimilation of all the peoples of the country.

"Russian Truth" as a revolutionary program liberation struggle in Russia, had a significant impact on the socio-political views of many members of secret societies and the entire Decembrist movement. The social transformations that the revolutionaries of the nobility dreamed of would objectively create the conditions for the development of the capitalist system in the country.

northern society. Simultaneously with the Southern Society, the Northern Society began to be created in St. Petersburg. Its organizers were N. M. Muravyov, E. P. Obolensky, S. P. Trubetskoy, M. S. Lunin and N. I. Turgenev. However, the formation of this society was delayed in connection with the withdrawal in April 1821 of the guard regiments from St. Petersburg for lengthy maneuvers in Belarus and Lithuania. The Society took shape organizationally in 1822 and launched its activities at the same time.

A significant part of the former active members of the Union of Welfare, who lived in Moscow, also established ties with society (I. I. Pushchin, S. M. Semenov, and others). I. I. Pushchin headed the council of the Northern Society in Moscow.

In December 1823, the members of the Northern Society approved the charter of the society written by N.I. Turgenev, in accordance with which it was built according to the category membership. Members of the first category had the right to elect the governing body - the Duma, control its activities, admit new members, create councils and manage them. Members of the second category took only an active part in the work of the society. The Duma of the Northern Society, elected in the fall of 1822, consisted of three persons: N. M. Muravyov (head, or ruler), E. P. Obolensky and S. P. Trubetskoy.

In 1824, S. P. Trubetskoy went to serve in Kiev, and at the same time K. F. Ryleev was elected a member of the Northern Duma. At this time, a large group of active figures joined the society: officers brothers Alexander, Nikolai and Mikhail Bestuzhev, P. G. Kakhovsky, poets A. I. Odoevsky and V. K. Kuchelbeker, a group of officers of the naval guards crew headed by A. P. Arbuzov. New forces significantly revived the activities of society. It markedly increased republican tendencies and the desire for closer unification with the Southern Society. During 1821–1825 The northern society was replenished with new members and its number exceeded 100 people. An urgent need was the development of a program of society and tactics for a revolutionary upheaval.

"Constitution" N. M. Muravyov. The program of the Northern Society was developed by N. M. Muravyov. Long years P. I. Pestel and N. M. Muravyov acted as political associates. Back in 1820, they together defended the republican ideas. Later, having become the head of the Northern Society, N. M. Muravyov gradually changed his views and drafted the Constitution - the program of the society - in a much more moderate way than P. I. Pestel's Russkaya Pravda.

And yet, despite a certain limitation and moderation, the "Constitution" testifies to the revolutionary views of N. M. Muravyov, who came out as a resolute supporter of the abolition of serfdom. “Serfdom and slavery are abolished,” he wrote, “a slave who touches the Russian land becomes free.” In terms of political system future Russia N. M. Muravyov wavered between a republic and a constitutional monarchy. But in the "Constitution" he nevertheless gave preference to the latter, and also adhered to the idea of ​​\u200b\u200ba federal structure of the country.

N. M. Muravyov

The draft "Constitution" provided for the equality of all citizens before the law, the abolition of estates and guilds, the personal inviolability of citizens, freedom of speech, the press, the right to engage in crafts and trade, the right to own property. real estate and earth.

The entire legislative power of Russia, according to the "Constitution" of N. M. Muravyov, was transferred to the People's Council. This supreme body of power in the country would consist of two chambers (the "Supreme Duma" and the "House of People's Representatives") and would be elected on the basis of a fairly high property qualification both for voters and especially for those who were elected deputies. Elections of lower authorities also provided for a certain property qualification.

N. M. Muravyov intended to leave the executive power to the “supreme official” of the Russian state - the emperor, who would have the right of veto, albeit limited, on all legislative decisions of the People's Council.

After the revolutionary upheaval, the secret society intended to convene a Constituent Assembly, which would determine the form of the state structure of Russia.

The future constitutional monarchy, according to the project of N. M. Muravyov, was to become a federation, which would include separate “powers” ​​or “regions” as constituent parts. Moreover, these "powers" were formed artificially, according to the territorial principle, without regard to ethnic boundaries. So, on the territory of Ukraine it was supposed to create two "powers": Ukrainian - with the capital in Kharkov and Black Sea - with the capital in Kiev. Power in all the "powers" would belong to the governing assemblies, whose members were also elected on the basis of a high property qualification.

The class limitations of the draft "Constitution" affected the preservation of the monarchy, landowner ownership of land, and the introduction of a high property qualification. Peasants would be liberated from serfdom only with a personal plot and with a minimum 2 acre plot of arable land per yard, while the rest of the land would remain the property of the state and landowners.

The “Constitution” of N. M. Muravyov was repeatedly discussed at meetings of the Northern Society and was subjected to justified criticism by many of its members. This also explains why the "Constitution" was never adopted as his program.

Gradually, among the members of the Northern Society, a group of like-minded revolutionary poet K. F. Ryleev emerged, who, together with E. P. Obolensky, rallied around himself the most radical members of the society, who resolutely advocated the overthrow of the autocracy and the establishment of a republic in Russia.

Condemning and criticizing autocracy, serfdom, Arakcheevism in his works, KF Ryleev called on the people to fight for freedom. The brave son of the Russian people was deeply interested in the life and heroic past of the Ukrainian people. In his thoughts and poems, K. F. Ryleev, along with the glorification of the patriotic deeds of the peoples of Russia, also sang the heroism of the leaders of the people's peasant uprisings in Ukraine - Severin Nalivaiko, Semyon Paliy, the heroism of the events of the liberation war of the Ukrainian people led by Bohdan Khmelnitsky against the domination of gentry Poland, the historical act of reunification Ukraine with Russia. Through the lips of his beloved hero Severin Nalivaiko, K. F. Ryleev proclaimed: “I have hell - to see Ukraine in captivity, to see it free - heaven! ..”.

K. F. Ryleev

Preparing for active actions, the members of the Northern Society sought to establish close ties with the Southern Society in order to attack the autocracy through joint efforts.

The organizational design of the Northern and Southern societies, the creation of policy documents - “Russian Truth” by P. I. Pestel and “Constitution” by N. M. Muravyov, the dissemination of republican ideas among the noble revolutionaries - all this contributed to the preparation of the revolutionary coup planned in Russia.

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Southern society

On the basis of the Union of Welfare in 1821, two large revolutionary organizations arose at once: the Southern Society and the Northern Society.

The Southern Society was headed by P. I. Pestel. Pestel was with General P. H. Wittgenstein, commander-in-chief of the 2nd Army, stationed in the city of Tulchin, in Ukraine. Here a secret revolutionary Southern society was formed, led by Pestel. Only officers were involved in the society, and strict discipline was observed in it, all members were required to submit unconditionally to the leading center - the Directory, which was a kind of absolutism. Southern society recognized the army as the mainstay of the movement, considering it the decisive force in the revolutionary upheaval.

In accordance with the "statutory rules" (1821), members of the society were divided into 3 categories, differing in the degree of awareness in the affairs of the Southern Society. At the congress of the leaders of the society in Kiev in 1823, the division of the society into councils was formalized: Tulchinskaya (headed by Pestel), Kamenskaya (headed by S. G. Volkonsky and V. L. Davydov) and Vasilkovskaya (headed by SI. Muravyov-Apostol and M. P. . Bestuzhev-Ryumin), and adopted a program document, later called "Russian Truth". The main provisions of Russkaya Pravda were approved by the Southern Society in 1823, and the document received its name in 1824. It was a republican document.

Pestel was an ardent supporter of the establishment of a republic. Russia, in his view, after the overthrow of the old government was to become a single and indivisible state. The members of the society intended to take power in the capital, forcing the emperor to abdicate.

The supreme legislative power belonged to the unicameral People's Council. It included 500 people.

Executive power was exercised by the Sovereign Duma consisting of 5 people elected by the People's Council for 5 years (one person each year). The chairman was the person who had sat in the Duma for the last year. All ministries were subordinate to the Duma.

The supreme control power went to the Supreme Council of 120 people, where the most respected people from all over the country were elected for life.

Regional, district, county and volost local assemblies received local administrative power.

Local executive power was exercised by the respective local.

"Russkaya Pravda" assumed the complete abolition of serfdom.

The main immediate goal of the Southern Society is the creation of a strong conspiratorial organization, which, by means of a military revolution in the South and in St. years of new government.

In the 2nd Army, another society arose - the Society of United Slavs. It arose in 1823 among army officers and consisted of 52 members, advocated a democratic federation of all Slavic peoples. In the summer of 1825, it joined the Southern Society as the Slavic Council.

Negotiations were also held with the Northern Society of Decembrists on joint actions. The unification agreement was hampered by the radicalism and dictatorial ambitions of Pestel, the leader of the Southerners. However, in the summer of 1825, a decision was made, agreed with the Northern Society, to speak in May 1826.

The plans of the Southern Society were revealed to the government. Even before the departure of Alexander I to Taganrog, in the summer of 1825, Arakcheev received information about the conspiracy. Adjutant General Baron Dibich, as chief of the General Staff, took over the execution of the necessary orders; he sent Adjutant General Chernyshev to Tulchin for arrest key figures Southern society.

Rumors about the disclosure of a secret organization by the government, the death of Emperor Alexander I and the situation of the interregnum made it necessary to speed up the time for the performance, which was supposed to begin with the capture of the headquarters of the 2nd Army, and appoint it for January 1, 1826. But on December 13, Pestel and Yushnevsky were arrested.

Six companies of the Chernigov regiment released the arrested Sergei Muravyov-Apostol, who went with them to Bila Tserkva; but on January 3, 1826, they were overtaken by a detachment of hussars with horse artillery. Muraviev ordered to go to them without a shot, hoping for the transition of government troops to the side of the rebels, but this did not happen. Artillery fired a volley of grapeshot, confusion arose in the ranks of the Chernigov regiment, and the soldiers laid down their arms. The wounded Muraviev was arrested.