Thanks to the efforts of a whole cohort of publicists of a certain persuasion, the concepts of “national” and “patriotic” in relation to a great nation have become derogatory. What were the thoughts of the Russian “nationalists” at the beginning of the century? What goals did you set for yourself? How internationalist was their nationalism itself? The articles of the Russian retired staff captain, famous journalist M. O. Menshikov, who was executed in 1918, will help you understand all this, published for the first time in the years of Soviet power.
FROM THE COMPILER
ABOUT NATIONAL HEALTH
WORLD UNION
CLOSED STATE
ON THE SAME TOPIC
ON THE GREAT GUARD
GRATITUDE
WHERE TO BUILD THE FLEET?
IN MEMORY OF THE HOLY SHEPHERD
TESTAMENT OF FATHER JOHN
YOUTH AND THE ARMY
AIR DEFENSE
CAN RUSSIA GO TO WAR?
MANILOVA IN THE ARMY
DOES THE ARMY SHOOT GOOD?
NATIONAL CONGRESS
THE WRATH OF THE LORD
A TRUE CULTURAL DEPARTMENT
CASE OF THE NATION
BEAUTIFUL LIFE
WAR AND COMMON SENSE
DISABILITY PSYCHOLOGY
DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD
STRONG PEOPLE
WAR MUSEUM
ACCUMULATION AND IMPACT
FROM THE COMPILER
Looking for analogies in history is a difficult task, sometimes dangerous, but absolutely necessary. Well, at least in order not to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. This matter is dangerous because not everyone likes the rejection of previously attached labels, which abounded in what was left to us in return for the true modern history of Russia.
And today there is some hope for the restoration of this history. But history itself is the sum of the destinies of millions and millions of people, many of whom, at one time very famous, have now found themselves forgotten, or even slandered. To restore history means to restore the memory of them.
One of these people was the Russian publicist, retired naval officer Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov. Why does it seem entirely appropriate for us to introduce the modern reader to his creative heritage? Yes, because the beginning of all beginnings for Mikhail Osipovich was statehood, nation, fatherland, that is, those very concepts that are sacred, should be sacred, for every citizen, and above all for warriors, defenders of their land at all times. Those very concepts that are subject to particularly fierce attacks during periods of social instability with the usual goal of disuniting, taking away, and profiting. It seems that today it would be quite appropriate to turn once again to thoughts about the fatherland, the spirituality and morality of the nation and the army.
The compiler and author of the preface, neither a writer nor a historian by profession, allowed himself to rely on the opinions and use articles of specialists in the field of literary criticism and history M. Lobanov, P. Gorelov, A. Gumerov, A. Kaplin and others (of course, with their kind consent ). I hope that this will increase the competence of the assessments and their objectivity, in the absence of which the author of these lines may be accused as a direct descendant of Menshikov. But any descendant is not forbidden, following the call of the revolutionary poet, to “check the floats in dictionaries.” Moreover, when speaking about Menshikov, post-revolutionary dictionaries spoke very abusively and deceitfully, but recently they have completely stopped remembering him. And in the days of upheaval of 1917-1918, after the purely incorrect definition of the label “the faithful dog of the Tsar’s Black Hundred” uttered by one of the leaders of the revolution, the logical and tragic continuation was the lead ellipsis that pierced the heart of the journalist during his execution without trial on September 20, 1918 on the shore of Lake Valdai, in broad daylight, almost in front of the frightened “Valdashi” and six young children of M. O. Menshikov... According to eyewitnesses, Mikhail Osipovich, before his death, prayed at the Iversky Monastery, clearly visible from the scene of the execution.
He very much loved Valdai, Valdai Lake, the marvelous Iversky Monastery beyond the lake, he found peace here, happiness in his selflessly beloved children, the great joy of communicating with his family, neighbors, and friends who visited him in Valdai. Menshikov bought the Valdai house in 1913 as a dacha. He came here with his family every summer.
At the beginning of 1917, Menshikov was actually removed from work at Novoye Vremya. After his death, the heirs of A.S. Suvorin, the publisher of the largest newspaper, began to sell off his inheritance - the newspaper - to random people in Russian journalism. Then for the first time the Menshikovs stayed in Valdai for the winter of 1917/18.
In the 20s, Maria Vladimirovna Menshikova, who was widowed overnight, raised her children with unspeakable difficulties.
M. O. Menshikov was born on September 25, old style (October 6, new style), 1859 in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov province, relatively close to Valdai. His father, Osip Semenovich Menshikov, had the lowest civil rank of collegiate registrar, and came from the family of a rural priest. Mother, Olga Andreevna, nee Shishkina, was the daughter of a hereditary but impoverished nobleman, the owner of the small village of Yushkovo, Opochetsky district. The Menshikovs lived poorly, often lacking the bare necessities. We rented an apartment from the Nikitin homeowners. However, thanks to Olga Andreevna’s thriftiness and remarkable intelligence, they somehow made ends meet. The mother bore all the family burdens and did her best to raise the children. Whether from an excess of worries or by her character, she was a somewhat unsociable woman, but not without sensitivity and poetic taste.
Osip Semenovich, although he was smart and well-read, led a carefree life. He was seven years younger than his wife.
Both parents were religious and loved nature very much.
In 1864, Olga Andreevna bought a peasant hut with a vegetable garden for 40 rubles. It was in this hut with a large Russian stove, earthen floor, chopped walls that Mishino spent his conscious childhood. Until his martyrdom, he retained memories of this time, both joyful and more sad. Adversity did not leave the family; Olga Andreevna had difficulty coping with all the household chores. But there were also good long evenings, when the autumn weather moaned outside the window or a snow blizzard raged, the children climbed onto the warm stove, put out the lamp so as not to waste expensive kerosene, and everyone, together with their father and mother, sang their favorite songs for a long time. These evenings ended with the singing of the prayer “Glory to God in the Highest.”
In his sixth year, Misha began studying. Olga Andreevna taught him herself. The upbringing of the Menshikov children was imbued with extreme religiosity. Later, Misha Menshikov was sent to the Opochetsk district school, from which he graduated in 1873. In the same year, with the help of a distant relative, he entered the Kronstadt Naval Technical School.
After graduating from naval school, a young naval officer writes a letter to his patron. Here is the text of this letter with some abbreviations:
“I consider it my duty to inform you that I completed the course at the Technical School and on April 18 (1878) was promoted to the 1st naval rank in our corps (conductor of the naval navigator corps). I passed the exams fairly well: in 10 subjects I received 12 points. On the 30th I was assigned to the armored frigate "Prince Pozharsky", and on May 2 the frigate said goodbye to Kronstadt and left to no one knows where and no one knows for how long. Secret. We were in Denmark, Norway and now in France. I receive 108 rubles 50 kopecks in gold per month. This gives me the opportunity, in addition to my direct obligations, to spend a few money on exploring other people's cities and landmarks. So I am now in Paris, visiting the world exhibition. So, I have apparently entered a new road... All this was a consequence of your efforts."
M. Menshikov showed a penchant for literature very early. Back in the mid-seventies, on his initiative, the student magazine “Week” was published in Kronstadt. In 1883, after sailing and returning to Kronstadt, Menshikov met and became friends with S. Ya. Nadson, who was three years younger than him. But this was the first professional, by that time already widely known, writer-poet, who highly appreciated the talent of the young officer, a newcomer to literature. Already hopelessly ill, Nadson helped Menshikov with friendly words and kind recommendations. Here is an excerpt from his letter dated 1885: “I am angry with you because you do not believe in yourself, in your talent. Even your letter is artistic. Write - for this is your share on earth. I am waiting for volumes from you.. "
Well-known journalist of the "New Time", Russian thinker, publicist and public figure, one of the ideologists of the Russian nationalist movement. Lived with his family in Tsarskoe Selo, shot
Famous Tsarskoye village Erich Hollerbach will mention it in his “City of Muses”:
“In Sofia, Menshikov wrote endless editorials and feuilletons,
and in his spare time he sat over the chessboard..."
September 25 (October 7) 1859 born in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov province, not far from Valdai Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov(1859-1918). His father, Osip Semenovich Menshikov, had the lowest civil rank of collegiate registrar, and came from the family of a rural priest. 1
Mother, Olga Andreevna, maiden name Shishkina, was the daughter of a hereditary but impoverished nobleman, the owner of the small village of Yushkovo, Opochetsky district. 1
The Menshikovs lived poorly, often lacking the bare necessities. However, thanks to Olga Andreevna’s thriftiness and remarkable intelligence, they somehow made ends meet. In his sixth year, Misha began studying. Olga Andreevna taught him herself. Later he was sent to the Opochetsky district school, which he graduated from 1873 In the same year, with the help of a distant relative, he entered the Kronstadt Naval Technical School.
He took part in several sea expeditions, during which his literary talent emerged. He published in a number of publications essays on foreign voyages on the frigate “Prince Pozharsky”, which were later published as a separate book “Around the Ports of Europe” in 1879 year. After participating in several long-distance sea expeditions, Menshikov received the title of hydrographic engineer .
Menshikov showed a penchant for literature very early. Back in the mid-seventies, on his initiative, the student magazine “Week” was published in Kronstadt. IN 1883 After returning to Kronstadt, Menshikov met and became friends with the poet S. Ya. Nadson, who highly appreciated the talent of the young officer, a newcomer to literature. Already hopelessly ill, Nadson helped Menshikov with friendly words and kind recommendations.
IN 1892 g., having finally realized his literary vocation, Menshikov retired with the rank of staff captain and became a permanent correspondent, then secretary and leading critic and publicist of “The Week” and its supplements, and from September 1900 g. actually runs the newspaper, while actively collaborating in the magazine “Russian Thought”, the newspaper “Rus” and other publications.
WITH 1893 year M.O. Menshikov, repeatedly visited L.N. Tolstoy - both in his Moscow house in Khamovniki and in Yasnaya Polyana. In a diary entry dated January 24 1894 Tolstoy wrote about Menshikov (and Volkenstein): “...both are outward, good, kind, intelligent followers (of Tolstoy’s teachings - editor’s note) - especially Menshikov.” 8
In another letter to L.I. Veselitskaya (more on her later), in the summer of 1893, Tolstoy characterizes Menshikov more specifically: “Menshikov is very smart, warm-hearted and straightforward, but he is very reluctant and difficult to get along with. His soul and heart, it seems to me, are wonderful, but the manner in which he treats many people does not endear him to him.”(Meetings. P.180)
At the turn of the century, “Week” ceased to exist. After some hesitation, Menshikov cast his lot in with A. S. Suvorin’s newspaper “Novoye Vremya,” where A. P. Chekhov, his brother Alexander, V. P. Burenin, V. V. Rozanov and many other famous journalists and writers were published. Menshikov was the newspaper's leading publicist since 1901 By 1917 year. He ran the “Letters to Neighbors” column in the newspaper, publishing two or three articles weekly, not counting the large Sunday feuilletons (the so-called especially sharp, serious materials on the topics of the day). Mikhail Osipovich published his articles and feuilletons from this section in separate monthly journal and diary books, which he later bound into annual volumes.
Menshikov was one of the leading right-wing publicists and acted as an ideologist of Russian nationalism. He initiated the creation of the All-Russian National Union in 1908, which brought together moderate-right politicians with nationalist beliefs. His articles appeared regularly, three to four times a week, in the newspaper Novoye Vremya. Talent, excellent language, erudition and hard work created his fame, circle of friends and admirers, as well as security. True, his sharp articles also provoked many hostile responses.
From his first, civil marriage, he had a son (1888 - 1953), a graduate of 1907. After high school he received a law degree. After 1917 he emigrated to France.
Letter from A.P. Chekhov, from which it is clear that in 1899 year O.M. Menshikov lived in Tsarskoye Selo, in Petrova’s house:
August 22, 1899 Moscow.
Dear Mikhail Osipovich, you wrote your last letter on the way to home, which means you are already in Tsarskoe Selo, in your native tundra. Be that as it may, I am addressing this letter to Tsarskoe.
Apparently, I am no longer a person, but a wandering kidney. Judge for yourself: on July 20th I left for the Caucasus, from there to Crimea, at the beginning of August I returned to Moscow, and on Wednesday I am leaving again for Crimea, where I will probably stay throughout the entire fall and even winter... So, send your letters to Yalta ...
Please send me your autographed photo: Mikhail Menshikov. This is for the Taganrog City Library, which collects portraits of writers. They sent me a list, you and Lydia Ivanovna are listed there...
How are you? Anything new? How is Yasha? Be healthy and prosperous. I shake your hand firmly and wish you all the best.
Yours A. Chekhov.
On the envelope:
Tsarskoye Selo.
Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov.
Magazeynaya, Petrovoy village.
His second, official wife Maria Vladimirovna nee, in Afanasyev’s first marriage (1876-1945). They married in 1907, the year. when Mikhail Osipovich's first son, Yakov, graduated from the Nikolaev gymnasium.
From her first marriage, Maria Vladimirovna had a daughter, Olga Leonidovna (married to Samsonova) (1899-1957).
The first volumes of “Letters to Neighbors” were translated by the writer Lidia Ivanovna Veselitskaya, who became a kind genius for Mikhail Osipovich. As a true friend, she combined in herself an insatiable desire to selflessly help a fellow worker with an ardent maternal feeling for his son from a civil marriage - Yakov. Lawyer, publicist, World War I officer Ya.M. Menshikov, until his death in Paris in 1953, gratefully paid tribute to “dear Lidusa,” a lonely and humiliated old woman who died quietly in her native Tsarskoye Selo in the unkind pre-war times. 3
We found another mention of the Tsarskoe Selo address of M. O. Menshikov: Tsarskoe Selo, Magazeynaya (corner of Gospitalnaya), Petrova village - approx. comp.
Without M.O. Menshikov, it is impossible to fully and objectively imagine the literature and history of Russia in the adjacent regions of two centuries. Never, including our time, has the operational work of the pen achieved such an effective impact on the minds and deeds of contemporaries, has never captured the event layer of time with such a broad wave. Both in the luxurious newspaper office and in the modest house in Tsarskoe Selo, where Mikhail Osipovich lived for many years, he again and again received: workers, merchants, priests, ladies, generals, ministers... They did not consider joining the ranks of those turning to the life-giving source of Russian thought The heads of two Russian governments who wished to get acquainted with Menshikov and involve him in responsible government affairs were also shameful. But if Sergei Yulievich Witte asked to draw up a “draft of the then expected document” (the Tsar’s manifesto of October 17, 1905), then Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin, a little later, almost begged to take the money and head the publication of an all-Russian national newspaper.
“1903. Great need”, excerpt from the publication of M.O. Menshikova:
Living in Tsarskoe Selo, where there is now a proliferation of beggars, apparently and invisibly, I am constantly surrounded by fellow countrymen. Boys, girls, women, men come every now and then under the windows of the small dacha where I live. More and more Vitebsk residents.
- What is your name? - I ask a tiny girl, dark-haired, with blue eyes.
- Mavruy.
- Why did you come here, Mavra? Is it more fun in the countryside?
- At home, yis nekova (that is, there is nothing to eat).
- What are you doing here in the corner?
“I’m watching,” the girl answers seriously.
The verb “shoot” means, in thieves’ jargon, to steal. A six-year-old village girl, drowned in her mother’s jacket, blue from the cold, is already “shooting” in the street. Notice how ominously the concept and sacred meaning of alms have degenerated. The beggars no longer say “ask”, but “shoot”, “shoot for Christ’s sake”! In ancient times, when poverty was the exception, the beggars were not thieves, not criminals, but a pious, even handsome class of people. For a while, a depressed person or a cripple entered, as it were, a special monastic order; he clothed himself with the name of Christ, adopted a special pilgrim language, and sang special, sad and sacred songs. But now - with the decline in the general level - beggary has also degenerated; just outside the village, all these poor people fleeing from hunger directly merge with the city vagabonds, with the proletarians and criminals.
One day a not-old man with four children came up to me under the window. They took off their hats and bowed silently.
- Vitebsk?
- Vitebsk, breadwinner!
Upon questioning, it turned out to be exactly what the teacher was writing about. No land, no feed, no bread. I had to give my neighbor his fraction of the allotment and set off with the whole family on the run, literally on the run from inevitable death. The land on which this man’s ancestors may have lived for more than a thousand years refuses to feed him. 3
Memories of his daughter Olga:
“Having experienced extreme poverty in childhood and youth, dad was modest in his demands on the life around him. In Tsarskoye Selo we had a large and at that time comfortable apartment, but I don’t remember any luxury. Clean, cozy, well and comfortably furnished, but by no means rich... We had books, games, dolls, everything necessary for our growth and development - after all, dad loved us so dearly."
1910. M.O. Menshikov in his office in Tsarskoe Selo
“The library from Tsarskoye Selo will move to their house in Valdai after 1917: “In my father’s office there was a small but carefully selected library brought from Tsarskoye, with a dictionary by Brockhaus and Efron. It contained books that were beloved and needed for dad’s work,” Olga recalled.
“Such a large family had to be served. In Tsarskoe, and then in Valdai, I early and well remember our dear nanny Irina Alekseevna Makarova. Her two sisters Nadya and Polya worked with her and lived with her, and her younger brother Petya lived with her in Valdai. still a young maid Nyusha and a cook, for a very short time (about a year) - governess Nadezhda Karlovna. In 1917, our eldest sister Olechka Afanasyeva lived with us in Valdai, who changed her last name because she married engineer Valentin Grigorievich Samsonov. This year, 1917 ", the year their son Grisha was born. Olechka was very beautiful and kind to us, although she had an uneven character."
The maid and cook of the Menshikovs - the Makarov sisters - with their relatives, 1917.
“Dad, thanks to his tireless literary work, had a fortune, primarily in the money that lay in the bank. Almost simultaneously with the purchase of the Valdai dacha, he bought a plot of land in Sochi, but both of these properties were unprofitable. Dad and his whole family lived on the money that received for his articles in the editorial office of the newspaper where he was published."
The February Revolution of 1917 closed the newspaper “Novoye Vremya” and left Menshikov without his favorite work.
“In 1912, Alexei Sergeevich Suvorin, the main owner of the newspaper, died, his children Mikhail and Boris became the publishers. The strong unrest that began in the capital, endless political murders, workers' uprisings and strikes, attacks from the press on Novoye Vremya - all this forced Boris Suvorin on March 3, 1917, told dad that he was afraid to publish his articles, since they were too bright a banner for the newspaper, and they agreed that dad would go on vacation for two months, “and then we’ll see.” But dad writes in his diary , that I immediately felt that I would not be able to resume work again."
After Mikhail Osipovich was removed from work at Novoye Vremya, the Menshikovs first stayed in Valdai for the winter of 1917/18. Menshikov loved Valdai, Lake Valdai, the marvelous Iversky Monastery, found peace and happiness in his selflessly beloved children, the joy of communicating with his family, his neighbors, with friends who visited him in Valdai. In the revolutionary days of 1917, Prince Lvov, the head of the Provisional Government, invited Menshikov to go abroad, but he did not want to, could not leave Russia.
In search of income, he had to get a job as a clerk.
“After the revolution, all of my father’s fortune was confiscated; in 1917, our family lived in small remnants in Valdai, and the cessation of work immediately affected the budget of such a huge family, where there was always only one worker.”
Lida, Grisha, Olya, Misha and Masha Menshikov. Valdai. 1917
On September 14, 1918, Menshikov was arrested by members of the Cheka at his dacha in Valdai. Daughter Olga remembered this day 60 years later:
It was very early - half past seven. We were just getting up and getting dressed when four armed military men and one citizen in civilian clothes entered the house. They came for dad. Without presenting a warrant or any document, they said that they would conduct a search. They began to look through dad's things: books, papers, pull out dresser drawers, rummage through the suitcase. We, the children, stood in the doorway with our mother while the search was taking place, but when one of the military men told dad to get ready with them, that he had been arrested, when we saw how bitterly our mother was sobbing on her knees in front of these people, we cried loudly and began ask that dad not be taken away.
He tried to calm us down, but it was impossible. Dad was allowed to drink tea. He got dressed. He kissed each of us, crossed him... Surrounded by soldiers, he left his house... Alas, forever! "
He was taken to prison, where he spent a week until his arrest. According to Menshikov’s wife, the judges and organizers of the execution were Yakobson, Davidson, Gilfont and Commissioner Guba. Daughter Olya could not erase this terrible day of September 20, 1918 from her memory until her death:
“We ran to the headquarters - it was located on Torgovaya Street in the house of the merchant Kovalev - and stopped at its wide gates to hide from the rain. We were already cold and shaking very much. And then the nanny learned from people passing by that there was now a fire at the headquarters.” trial" over our dad. Very soon, almost after a few minutes, we heard the noise and tramp of many feet: a whole group of armed young soldiers came out of the house through the gate under which we were standing, laughing and cheerful... and among them... our daddy the usual jacket and gray cap.
He was very pale, but calm and kept looking around, as if he was looking for something... I’ll never forget how he beamed when he saw us! How he rushed to us, to the nanny, grabbed Tanya from her arms, and pressed her tightly to his chest. He kissed and blessed and wanted to kiss Mashenka, but a rude shout was heard - an order to move on. Daddy explained: “These are my children...” and said goodbye to us: “Goodbye, children.” He managed to tell the nanny that he was being taken to be shot.
The nanny was so shocked that she was petrified for a moment, but then, coming to her senses, she ran out of the headquarters gate with us into the square. We saw that dad was being led into a small alley to the very shore of the lake. We rushed after the guards who were already hiding, the nanny tried to gather us all together in a group, and then several shots were heard almost in a row...
Our dad passed away...
We cannot forget this September evening, our screams and tears, the tears of our old grandmother, the nanny, the washerwoman who came running from the yard and finally our unfortunate mother who came home, who had already learned the terrible news at the headquarters and fell unconscious there. She was brought home in a cab by the son of a local priest, Kostya Ptitsyn. It is impossible to describe her horror and sobs at the sight of her orphaned children..."
According to eyewitnesses, before his death, Mikhail Osipovich prayed at the Iversky Monastery, clearly visible from the scene of the execution...
On September 22, 1918, the following message was published in the “News of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Councils of Workers, Soldiers and Cossack Deputies of the Moscow Council of Workers and Red Army Deputies”:
EXECUTING MENSHIKOV
NOVGOROD, September 21. The famous Black Hundred publicist Menshikov was shot by the Emergency Field Headquarters in Valdai. A letter to Prince Lvov was found with him. A monarchist conspiracy was uncovered, headed by Menshikov. An underground Black Hundred newspaper was published calling for the overthrow of Soviet power. (ROSTA)
In 1937, the eldest son of M. O. Menshikov, Grigory Mikhailovich, was arrested. He spent a long time in “Kresty”, as before in Moscow’s Lubyanka, and was released only in 1939.
When the arrests began, Mikhail Osipovich’s papers were hidden as best they could, and many materials disappeared, since they were not always confiscated from hiding places later.
Later, scattered archives flocked to Olga Mikhailovna Menshikova, who in 1927 married Boris Sergeevich Pospelov, the son of a village priest from the Moscow region, and left Leningrad.
During the Great Patriotic War, Olga Mikhailovna and Boris Sergeevich and the institute where he worked went for evacuation. Before leaving, they carefully hid the most valuable papers and photographs. But the Germans came to the house where Boris Sergeevich’s parents, Sergei Dmitrievich and Olga Sergeevna Pospelov, were staying and where the archives were kept. Again there was destruction, scattered books, papers, broken furniture, the roof riddled with shell fragments, the neighboring house burned down. It’s good that the old people remained alive, it’s good that again, miraculously, the archives of M. O. Menshikov remained intact.
On September 20, 1981, Olga Mikhailovna’s son, Mikhail Borisovich Pospelov, her brother and sister were in Valdai at their father’s grave..
Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov was rehabilitated in 1993.
Menshikov Mikhail Osipovich - (September 25, 1859, Novorzhev, Russian Empire - September 20, 1918, near Lake Valdai) - Russian thinker, publicist and public figure, one of the ideologists of Russian nationalism. Mikhail Menshikov was born in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov province, in the family of a collegiate registrar. He received his education at the Opochetsk district school, after which he entered the Kronstadt naval technical school. He took part in several sea expeditions, during which his literary talent emerged. He published essays on foreign voyages on the frigate “Prince Pozharsky” in a number of publications, which were later published as a separate book “Around the Ports of Europe” in 1879.
M. O. Menshikov considered the Russian national Empire to be his political ideal. He characterized imperial statehood itself as the highest form of development of national creativity. It is the combination of nationalism and imperial patriotism that represents, perhaps, the most valuable quality of his political philosophy. After all, quite often we observe a bias in one direction. The empire, according to Menshikov, should be based on the leadership of the Russian nation. He called: “Think about the state! Think about the domination of Russia!.. To think about the state means to think about the domination of your tribe, about its master’s rights, about sovereign advantages within the Russian land.” At the same time, nationalism itself, despite the claims of some critics, did not at all have the character of chauvinism. “We,” Menshikov wrote, “do not rebel against the coming to us and even against the cohabitation of a certain percentage of foreigners, willingly giving them almost all the rights of citizenship among us. We rebel only against their massive invasion, against their infestation of our most important state and cultural positions. We protest against the ongoing conquest of Russia by non-Russian tribes, against the gradual taking away of our land, faith and power. We would like to repel the peaceful influx of alien races, concentrating for this purpose all the energy of our once victorious people...” He declared the nationalism of the Russian people to be rather defensive: “We Russians slept for a long time, lulled by our power and glory, but one heavenly thunder struck after another, and we woke up and saw ourselves under siege - both from the outside and from the inside.” According to Menshikov, the Russian nation must unite in its Empire. And she can only do this around the army and the military idea itself. It is the military spirit that unites the Russian people above all. At the same time, the army itself should be strengthened as much as possible and completely Russified, eliminating almost all foreign elements from it. Menshikov himself was aware of all the army's problems. It is characteristic that he, a staff captain who served in the navy, was the first in the world to put forward the idea of combining the navy itself and aviation. In fact, it was he who came up with the idea of creating aircraft carriers.
Menshikov was generally characterized by a brutal spirit; he viewed life as a constant struggle. “The struggle for existence is a deep philosophical requirement of nature, and there is a struggle not only for life, but for something higher than life: for perfection,” Menshikov argued. – The stronger, the more capable, the more successful survive. Victory is given to the braver, more heroic tribes, to those in whose souls the divine flame of love for the homeland and national honor burns most brightly. Cowardly, drunken, lazy, depraved peoples constitute a crime in the eyes of nature, and she mercilessly sweeps them away like stinking garbage. By the will of God, warlike peoples are the purifiers of the earth.” Some observers even consider it possible to talk about a certain Nietzscheanism of Menshikov. Indeed, some influence of the philosophy of F. Nietzsche can be traced in him. However, Menshikov was a convinced Orthodox Christian. Another thing is that his interpretation of Christianity diverges from the liberal and pacifist interpretation, imposing false humility on Christians. He paid attention to the words of Christ: “I did not bring peace, but a sword”; to the fact that Christianity requires the fight against the enemies of the country, people, and state. Menshikov highly appreciated Fr. John of Kronstadt, including for the call to fight against the revolution and the Christian justification for this call. “As you know,” the publicist recalled, “he courageously opposed our revolution and in church sermons reminded the authorities of their duty to suppress unrest. Not only to the people, but also to the authorities of Fr. John proposed for execution the famous 13th chapter of the Epistle (to the Apostle Peter - A.E.) to the Romans. “The boss does not carry the sword in vain: he is God’s servant, an avenger as punishment for those who do evil.” The Russian authorities learned with amazement that the apostle himself obliges to use the sword.”
Menshikov, like all Russian ideologists, advocated an autocratic monarchy, however, unlike the majority, he recognized the need for the existence of a State Duma and certain constitutional freedoms. But the publicist proposed admitting people with educational qualifications and experience working for the benefit of the Fatherland into the Duma itself. He saw the Duma as an Areopagus of sages, a sort of gathering of highly qualified experts. In his journalism, M. O. Menshikov touched upon issues of the national consciousness of the Russian nation, problems of lack of spirituality, alcoholism, the Jewish question, and public policy. Journalistic heritage of M.O. Menshikova is a rich treasure for everyone who loves Russia, its past and present, and whose soul aches for its future. Why was Menshikov erased from the memory of posterity? First of all, because the label of “Black Hundred” was stuck on him long ago, firmly and for a long time, i.e. “nationalist”, deliberately distorting his Orthodox-Christian, sovereign-patriotic predilections. Recently, we have resurrected in our spiritual memory many bright, significant names of Russian national culture - from Ivan Kireyevsky to Pavel Florensky. But if you ask today’s “educated people” (the expression of A.I. Solzhenitsyn) what they know about Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov, whether they know this name, his works, then even people with academic degrees, I assure you, will find it difficult to answer.
A “simple” journalist and a journalist-thinker, analyst are two significantly different concepts. Anyone who deals with paper and pen knows this. Menshikov thought amazingly clearly, wrote in an accessible language, and at the same time deeply penetrated into the essence of the problems raised. In addition, according to contemporaries, he was distinguished by an enviable energy with which he influenced those around him. His soul exuded a magically delightful, attractive magnetism. High professionalism is demonstrated by his famous “Letters to his neighbors,” recreating the diverse panorama of life in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. The “Letters” contain warnings against the temptations of revolutionary disruption of centuries-old national, cultural, and spiritual traditions, a reminder of the inadmissibility of breaks in our history, national self-humiliation, blind and thoughtless copying of the notorious “Western way of life,” which has completely infected the Russian liberal intelligentsia. It is difficult to overestimate the relevance of these wise warnings in our time. More recently, demagogic formulas like: “We come from October,” “We are the children of the 20th Congress,” etc. were popular. It’s as if centuries-old Russia didn’t exist at all, our great spirituality didn’t exist. In opportunistic “textbooks” we are strenuously forced to imagine our national-state isolation, about evolution in the form of some intermittent, tangled zigzags, cave obscurantism going back centuries, gaping holes and white spots. “And this,” noted the outstanding philosopher and publicist of our time, Vadim Kozhinov, “leads to dire consequences. In particular, when there was deep disappointment in the results of the revolution and socialism, many had the impression that their country (“this country”!) had no right to exist, that it was abnormal, uncivilized, etc. Such a mood led to blind worship of the West." Journalistic heritage of M.O. Menshikov is a rich treasure of wisdom of a Russian patriot, endlessly devoted to the Fatherland. Hence his openly skeptical attitude towards liberal-Western maxims, in which hatred of Russia and the hypocritical preaching of the notorious “democratic values” are hidden. The journalist-thinker clearly and intelligibly explains the essence of democracy in its historical evolution, starting with Ancient Greece. “Who were the barbarians who destroyed the ancient world? I think these were not external barbarians, but internal ones, like those who are now in abundance in Europe. It seems to me that the destroyers were not the Scythians or the Germans, but much earlier than them - gentlemen democrats. Since these days, on the occasion of by-elections to the State Duma, debates about democracy have again begun to boil throughout Russia, it would be useful for many statesmen to look into the textbook and find out more precisely what democracy was like in its classical era, what it was like in its fatherland”, under the blue sky of “native gods?” Menshikov was one of the leading right-wing publicists and acted as an ideologist of Russian nationalism. He initiated the creation of the All-Russian National Union in 1908, which brought together moderate-right politicians with nationalist beliefs.
After the revolution, Menshikov was removed from work at the newspaper, and on September 14, 1918 he was arrested at his dacha in Valdai, and on September 20 he was shot by the Bolsheviks. Rehabilitated in 1993.
Biography
In the article “The End of the Century,” written in December 1899, Menshikov makes a deep generalization of the results of the 19th century, covering with his insightful thought the future of both Russian and all European civilization. It is now obvious: his lines relating to Russia are undoubtedly applicable to today. With the difference that the pain points that Menshikov identified have now grown into huge ulcers that are literally devouring Russia.
Menshikov was one of the leading right-wing publicists and acted as an ideologist of Russian nationalism. He initiated the creation of the All-Russian National Union in 1908, which brought together moderate-right politicians with nationalist beliefs.
After the revolution, Menshikov was removed from work at the newspaper, on September 14, 1918 he was arrested by members of the Cheka at his dacha in Valdai, and on September 20 he was shot on the shore of Lake Valdai in front of his six children. According to Menshikov's wife, the judges and organizers of the execution were Yakobson, Davidson, Gilfont and Commissar Guba.
Rehabilitated in 1993.
Works
- A Guide to Reading Nautical Charts. 1891
- Location of Aboski and the eastern part of the Åland skerries. 1892
- Thoughts about happiness. 1898.
- About writing. 1899.
- About love. 1899.
- Beautiful cynicism. 1900.
- Critical Essays. 1900.
- People's intercessors. 1900.
- Above freedom. 1909.
- Eternal Resurrection. 1912.
- From letters to neighbors. 1915.
- Letters to the Russian nation. 1916.
- If I die, I will die innocent... 1918.
Reissues of works
- Menshikov M. O. National Empire: Collection of articles / Compilation, intro. article, afterword by M. B. Smolin; Orthodox Center for Imperial Political Studies.. - M.: Imperial Tradition, 2004. - 512 p. - 3,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89097-052-6(in translation)
Notes
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- Born on September 25
- Born in 1859
- People born in Novorzhevo
- Died on September 20
- Died in 1918
- Military sailors of the Russian Empire
- Publicists of the Russian Empire
- Employees of the newspaper "Novoye Vremya"
- Members of the All-Russian National Union
- Victims of the Red Terror
- Executed in Russia
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- Menshikov, Gavrila Avdeevich
- Menshov, Denis Nikolaevich
See what “Menshikov, Mikhail Osipovich” is in other dictionaries:
Menshikov Mikhail Osipovich- famous publicist. Born 1859; completed a course at the maritime technical school. He published in Golos, St. Petersburg Gazette and the Kronstadt Bulletin a number of essays on foreign voyages in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea on... ... Biographical Dictionary
MENSHIKOV Mikhail Osipovich- (09/23/1859 09/07/1918), leading publicist of “New Time”, one of the founders and ideologists of the All-Russian National Union (VNS) and the All-Russian National Club (VNK). Born in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov province. in a large family of small... Black Hundred. Historical Encyclopedia 1900–1917
Menshikov, Mikhail Osipovich- famous publicist and hydrographer. Genus. in 1859, completed a course at the maritime technical school. He began writing in 1879, publishing a number of essays on foreign voyages in “Golos”, “SPb. Vedomosti” and “Kronstadt Bulletin”. Large biographical encyclopedia
Menshikov Mikhail Osipovich
Menshikov, Mikhail Osipovich- famous publicist and hydrographer. Genus. in 1859, completed a course at the maritime technical school. He began writing in 1879, posting it in Golos, St. Petersburg. Vedomosti and the Kronstadt Bulletin a series of essays on foreign voyages on the Atlantic Ocean and... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Menshikov, Mikhail Osipovich- MENSHIKOV, Mikhail Osipovich, famous today. publicist; genus. in 1859, he received his education in technology. uchshche mor. ved va. The navigator swam. of rum on various fleet vessels in Europe. seas. He began writing in 1879, publishing it in Golos, St. Petersburg... ... Military encyclopedia
Menshikov Mikhail Osipovich- (1859 1919) journalist, publicist and critic, employee of the newspapers Novoye Vremya and Nedelya, sailor by training. Since 1892, an acquaintance of A.P. Chekhov... Dictionary of literary types
Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov- Date of birth: September 25, 1859 Place of birth: Novorzhev, Russian Empire Date of death: September 20, 1918 Place of death: near Lake Valdai Occupation: publicist, politician Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov (... Wikipedia
09.20.1918. - Murder of writer-publicist Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov in front of his six young children
In memory of M.O. Menshikova
(09/25/1859–09/20/1918) – a talented publicist and public figure. Born in the city of Novorzhev, Pskov province. His father was a collegiate registrar, from a priest's family. Mother is from an impoverished noble family, the owner of the village of Yushkov, Opochetsky district, Pskov province.
He graduated from the Naval Technical School (1873–1878) with the naval rank of conductor in the corps of naval navigators. He began his journalistic career by publishing a number of essays on foreign voyages in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea on the military frigate "" in "Golos", "St. Petersburg Gazette" and "Kronstadt Bulletin" (published as a separate book, "Around the Ports of Europe", 1879). In the early 1880s. wrote a lot in various publications; He also owns original works on hydrography. In 1892 he retired with the rank of staff captain. Acquaintance with and, friendship with S.Ya. Nadson - prompted Menshikov to take up literary work.
In the 1890s. became the main contributor to the "Week", articles from which were collected in the books: "Thoughts on Happiness" (1898), "On Writing" (1899), "On Love" (1899), "Critical Essays" (1900), "People's Intercessors " (1900). During this period, he was primarily occupied with questions of morality, under the noticeable influence of ideas. After the publication of “The Week” ceased, Menshikov became the leading publicist of the patriotic newspaper “Novoe Vremya” and he himself completely changed as a publicist, giving it the authority of the center of national and state thought.
A fierce polemic between Menshikov and the left-wing press ensued, in the heat of which Menshikov turned into a “steep reactionary.” Not a trace remained of Tolstoyism, on the contrary: in Christianity, Menshikov emphasized that Christ brought “not peace, but a sword.” However, the spiritual level of many of his articles left much to be desired, and in general, Mikhail Osipovich’s ideological views were more imperial-nationalist, defending the ethnic interests of the Russian nation, than Orthodox-monarchical, sometimes even advocating for “progressive reforms.” In the issue of “New Time”, published after , he even gave praise to the “freedom fighters” - “the heroes whose pure heart, soul, and life were sacrificed for the fatherland, and whose imprisonment, martyrdom and death were finally appeased , cruel fate and sent us liberation.”
Almost Westernizingly (in the political sense), perceiving the constitution as “liberation,” at the same time, Menshikov actively fought against everyday Westernism. For the leading class, everything Western seems more significant than their own. “We don’t take our eyes off the West, we are fascinated by it, we want to live this way and no worse than how “decent” people live in Europe. Under the fear of the most sincere, acute suffering, under the weight of a felt urgency, we need to furnish ourselves with the same luxury that is available to Western society. We must wear the same clothes, sit on the same furniture, eat the same dishes, drink the same wines, see the same sights that Europeans see.". And such needs of the upper class place an ever-increasing burden on the common people, the decomposition of national economic traditions intensifies and the Western spirit of capitalist profit is increasingly adopted.
Menshikov justifiably called on the Russian people to preserve the role of the power-forming people - opposition to the dominance of foreigners, and Jews in particular, was one of the main themes of his journalism: “We Russians slept for a long time, lulled by our power and glory, but then one heavenly thunder struck after another, and we woke up and saw ourselves under siege - both from the outside and from the inside. We see numerous colonies of Jews and other foreigners, gradually seizing not only equal rights with us, but also dominance over us, and the reward for our submission is their contempt and anger against everything Russian... We do not want someone else's, but ours - Russian - land should be ours". However, the spiritual side of the Jewish question and the role of Satan’s chosen people in the drama of history was not noticeably reflected in the work of Mikhail Osipovich.
Here are the provisions characteristic of Mikhail Osipovich: “As a descendant of Orthodox ancestors, I cannot have other, more familiar and pleasant forms of faith, except those that have entered my consciousness, with my native language and native thought. Nevertheless, it hurts my ear when rallies of extreme monarchists begin with “Heavenly King” and end with “God Bless”... the old culture – “Orthodoxy” – has faded into the background. Now, it seems to me, the third period is coming, the era of the third and final of our culture, where the main principle should be nationality.”. Poor Mikhail Osipovich...
The absence of an Orthodox historiosophical coordinate in Menshikov’s articles became especially obvious during the years of the overthrow of the autocracy. His pragmatic nationalism resulted in a misunderstanding of the spiritual apocalyptic process in the modern world. In particular, after Menshikov wrote: “Should we feel sorry for the past, so disgraced, weakened, mentally rotten, infecting the fresh life of the people... The whole world was amazed by the suddenness of the Russian revolution and was excited with joy, all of Russia was excited with joy...”. In his last article, which appeared in the newspaper on March 19, he wrote like a true liberal: “The tragedy of the monarchy was that, having taken away from the people their will, their soul, the monarchy itself could not discover either a will or a soul in any way corresponding to the enormous and elemental life. The people’s energy had been dying out for centuries... at the center of its power... The great people were doomed to slow degeneration, like their Asian neighbors, from the atrophy of their highest spiritual powers - consciousness and will.”.
Having lost his home and savings (confiscated by the Bolsheviks), the winter of 1917–1918. Menshikov spent time with his family in Valdai, where he had a dacha. The pages of his diary for 1918 are full of bitter notes about the ensuing rampant of Bolshevism: “To kill Russia in the devilish way, that is, with the least means and with the greatest respect for decency, it is enough to leave Russia to its own devices. In Russia itself, a destructive poison has developed, burning it slowly but surely: popular anarchy, isolation from culture, religion and conscience. There is a great self-destruction of the people". Confused Menshikov blamed Russian literature for this, which “There is not so much a cure as the disease itself”. He scolded and very carelessly.
Discussion: 15 comments
“...It’s time to replace those who are tired on the cross...” ironically, these words belong to the assimilated Jew, but to the patriot of Russia Alexander Galich, it is a great honor to someday suffer for the Motherland just like the patriot of our homeland Menshikov. Vasiliev Grigory.
M.O. Menshikov is one of the greatest Russian nationalists of all time. He showed how the empire, sacrificing its state-forming people, gathers foreigners from the outskirts, puts this nomadic scum on its head, after which it stagnates and self-destructs. The life goal of every Russian by blood is the creation of a Russian national state. Only there is honor and glory, duty and inner Freedom. Eternal memory to the hero.
We must devote the next year 2009 to the ideas and work of M.O. Menshikov and widely celebrate the 150th birthday of the glorious son of Russia.
Of course, I feel sorry for Mikhail Menshikov. But judging by the article, there is no visible “courageous struggle” with the enemy of historical Russia. It is difficult to determine his death as a martyr in the Christian tradition, neither spiritually (not a word about a person’s religiosity, churchliness), nor morally (wandering of the mind), nor in deeds. Martyrs (Greek “martis”) are witnesses, witnesses to the Truth that Menshikov passed through his life.
To Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov, our great compatriot, eternal memory.
Very true and correct in my opinion, wrote R.B. Dimitri for 2009-09-21. As a Russian person, I certainly feel sorry for him. The Kingdom of Heaven to Mikhail Osipovich Menshikov and eternal rest.
I agree with Henry, eternal memory to Mikhail Menshikov And the Davidsons and others like them live and fool us, crush us, rob and kill It’s a pity we didn’t understand anything and didn’t draw any conclusions, much less take action
Usefull information
In memory of M.O. Menshikov
Mommy, why did they kill daddy?
Lord, where can I find the answer?
Three-year-old Masha will be dripping
Tears, after many bitter years...
There is no prophet in our native Fatherland,
There's no escape, there's no turning back
On a free and wide land,
Converted to hell overnight.
To be famous throughout Russia.
Where is she? Crucified on the cross!
And his reward is to be killed
In front of my own children.
For service to the Russian people,
For love, for the Word and for honor,
To please bloody Moloch,
Wild, unjust revenge...
Standing at gunpoint, near Valdai,
He prayed to the holy domes,
And the golden autumn prayed
For his Russia next to him.
Alexander Zhou
There are no Prophets in our native Fatherland!? No, because they don't believe it. Thank you for your poignant words Alexander Zhou!
I revere the holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas, and Menshikov is wrong about the Tsar. But there was only one king there and at that time he was normal. Some Grand Dukes fought in 1914-16, the guard, the nobles, honor and glory to them. But in general, the aristocracy has been infected with immorality since the 19th century. The common people were healthier. Menshikov saw the collapse of the elite.
Of course, among the Jews, as in every nation, you can find both decent and vile people. But peoples have to be judged by those special national qualities that distinguish them from others, which are dictated by their culture, religion, rulers and influential circles. For Jews, this, unfortunately, is the morality of the Talmud and the code of the Shulchan Aruch, which prescribe that only Jews should be considered human, and others should be treated like cattle. Therefore, a negative attitude towards Jews in all nations was formed, which was recognized by the most intelligent of them, but they encouraged it as one of the ways to strengthen Jewish solidarity, into which they also drew their decent fellow tribesmen who do not adhere to Judaism, but feel this common Jewish burden of a despised people . In the “Russian” revolution, all this was very clearly manifested - see the book “Russia and the Jews”, published by honest Jewish publicists in 1923.
And the more important reason is that the Jews rejected the true Messiah-Christ and the true God, and are waiting for another messiah-antichrist. Bound by a “blood oath,” they became Satan’s instrument for conquering the world: the Antichrist will establish Jewish power over humanity, but will be defeated by Christ at His Second Coming. This is the meaning of the history of our sinful world.
MVN is a deep thinker, for which I respect him. A worthy conclusion to the discussion of the article about Menshikov. Russians should not forget how many Russian geniuses the Jews killed. This is Yesenin and Talkov and there is no number of them.
Ethnicity is formed by ethnic culture. The Russian ethnic group was formed by Eastern Orthodoxy with the practice of Byzantine worship. In the 17th century The cultural revolution of the unification of the ritual (replacement with the Jerusalem worship) undermined the ethnic health of the people, especially the elite. So the “fish” rotted from the “head”. It’s hard to be without your native ethnic culture, left somewhere in the forests among the Old Believers.