IN Once again we want to invite you to combine business with pleasure and learn a lot of new and interesting things during breaks caused by the most for various reasons. Fill the time of forced waiting by reading information that is easy and at the same time useful for broadening your horizons. This time we bring to your attention the most incredible and little-known facts from world history. Thanks to its convenient design, the book can be used in almost any environment.
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The given introductory fragment of the book Essential Reading. 1000 new interesting facts for the mind and entertainment (E. Mirochnik, 2014) provided by our book partner - the company liters.
Chapter 2. Incredible facts from the lives of great people
Great Losers
Beethoven's teacher considered him a completely untalented student. The great composer never mastered this until the end of his life. mathematical operation, like multiplication.
Darwin, who abandoned medicine, was bitterly reproached by his father: “You are not interested in anything except catching dogs and rats!”
Walt Disney was fired from the newspaper due to a lack of ideas.
Edison's mentor said about him that he was stupid and could not learn anything.
Einstein did not speak until he was four years old. His teacher described him as mentally retarded.
The father of Rodin, the great sculptor, said: “My son is an idiot. He failed to get into art school three times.”
Mozart, one of the most brilliant composers, was told by Emperor Ferdinand that his “Marriage of Figaro” had “too little noise and too many notes.”
Our compatriot Mendeleev had a C in chemistry.
When we look at Ford cars, we think that their creator, Henry Ford, was always rich, successful businessman. We see this a huge empire, which has been living for more than a hundred years. But few of us know that before achieving financial success, Ford declared himself bankrupt several times and went completely bankrupt - the man who changed the course of history by putting the world on wheels.
Henry Ford never had a driver's license.
When Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio and told his friends that he would transmit words over a distance through the air, they thought he was crazy and took him to a psychiatrist. But within a few months his radio saved the lives of many sailors.
Nikolai Gogol, oddly enough, wrote rather mediocre essays at school. He achieved some success only in Russian literature and drawing. In addition, Nikolai Vasilyevich was an extremely shy person: for example, if a stranger appeared in the company, Gogol simply quietly left the room.
The great silent film actor Charlie Chaplin learned to read much later than he received his first theater role. He was terribly afraid that someone would discover his illiteracy, so he in every possible way avoided situations where he could be forced to read excerpts from the role.
The outstanding politician Winston Churchill was an excellent orator. But as a child he stuttered and had a lisp, and only thanks to to a good speech therapist speech defects were corrected.
Besides, Churchill literally hated school. He was worst student in class and often received blows from teachers. When the father noticed that his son was interested in toy soldiers, he suggested that he enroll in military academy. Churchill entered there... on the third attempt.
The famous storyteller Hans Christian Andersen wrote with grammatical and spelling errors. He had particular difficulties with punctuation marks. Therefore, a lot of money was spent on paying for the work of people who rewrote his works before they went to the publishing house.
Alexander Pushkin, as we know, was a graduate of the Lyceum. But he got into it through connections - his uncle placed him there. And that's when graduation party prepared lists of graduates, Pushkin was listed second in his academic performance... from the bottom.
Author of the law universal gravity Isaac Newton was a member of the House of Lords. We must give him his due - he attended all the meetings of the chamber regularly, but for many years he did not utter a word there. And then one day he nevertheless asked to be given the opportunity to speak. Everyone literally froze, waiting. significant speech great scientist. And in absolute silence Newton said: “Gentlemen! I ask you to close the window, otherwise I might catch a cold!” That's all! This was his only performance.
The university graduation certificate of the German philosopher Georg Hegel stated: “A young man with sound judgment, but was not distinguished by eloquence and did not show himself in any way in philosophy.”
Little is known about the biography of Sylvester Stallone by a wide range of viewers who admire their favorite hero on the screen, and meanwhile the future action star was known at the school where he studied as a real bandit! His teachers unanimously insisted that Stallone would definitely kill someone and end his life in prison, with a life sentence or be executed! Probably for this reason, young Sylvester changed several schools every year, which eventually totaled 15!
Colombian singer Shakira was kicked out of her school choir at age 10 because her teacher didn’t like her voice. Then she practically abandoned the dream of a musical career.
A woman with outstanding forms, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, at one time, simply could not pass the very first selection in her life for filming in a television commercial. The fact is that the experts who assessed the candidates for the role of the girl who will advertise the jeans unanimously declared that Lopez simply would not fit into them.
The strangest actions and habits of great people
The 16th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe, whose research helped Sir Isaac Newton create the theory of universal gravitation, died an untimely farewell due to the fact that he did not visit the toilet on time. In those days, leaving the table before the end of the feast meant causing a grave insult to the owner of the house. Being a polite man, Brahe did not dare ask permission to leave the table. His bladder burst, and after suffering for 11 days, the astronomer died.
Jean-Baptiste Lully, 17th-century composer who wrote music on commission French king, died from excess devotion to his work. Once, during a rehearsal for another concert, he got so excited that, hitting his cane on the floor, he pierced his own leg and died from blood poisoning.
The great illusionist Harry Houdini died after a fan punched him in the stomach. Houdini allowed people to hit him, demonstrating the wonders of an impenetrable abs. He died in hospital from internal injuries.
The twelfth President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, ate too much ice cream after a ceremony on a particularly hot day on July 4, 1850, suffered from indigestion and died five days later, having been president for only 16 months.
Jack Daniel, the father of the famous Jack Daniel's whiskey, died of blood poisoning after suffering a leg injury: he broke his finger kicking his safe, to which he forgot the combination.
Vincent van Gogh painted for days, drank buckets of absinthe, cut off his left ear and painted a self-portrait in this form, and at the age of 37 he committed suicide. After his death, by the way, doctors published over 150 medical diagnoses that were given to the great painter during his lifetime.
While working, Gustave Flaubert moaned along with the characters he portrayed, cried and laughed, big steps walked quickly around the office and loudly chanted words.
Honore de Balzac was afraid of getting married more than anything else in the world. Long years he was in love with Countess Evelina Ganskaya. Balzac resisted for another eight years, but still the Countess insisted on the wedding. The writer fell ill from fear and even wrote to his fiancée: they say, my health is such that you would rather accompany me to the cemetery than have time to try on my name. But the wedding took place. True, Honore was taken down the aisle in a chair, since he himself could not go.
The French artist Henri Matisse, before starting to paint, felt a strong desire to strangle someone.
Voltaire drank up to 50 cups of coffee a day.
Ivan Krylov had an inexplicable mania: he loved to look at fires and tried not to miss a single fire in St. Petersburg.
When the blues attacked Ivan Turgenev, he put a high cap on his head and put himself in a corner. And he stood there until the melancholy passed.
Anton Chekhov loved to talk unusual compliments: “dog”, “actress”, “snake”, “crocodile of my soul”.
William Burroughs wanted to surprise the guests at one of the parties. The writer planned to repeat the act of the archer William Tell, who hit an apple standing on the head of his own son. Burroughs placed a glass on his wife Joan Vollmer's head and fired the gun. The wife died from a bullet in the head.
Ivan the Terrible personally rang the bells at the main belfry of the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda in the mornings and evenings. Thus, they say, he tried to drown out mental suffering.
Lord Byron became extremely irritated at the sight of a salt shaker.
Charles Dickens always washed down every 50 lines of what he wrote with a sip of hot water.
Johannes Brahms constantly polished his shoes unnecessarily “for inspiration.”
Isaac Newton once cooked pocket watch holding an egg in his hands and looking at it.
Ludwig van Beethoven always went unshaven, believing that shaving hindered creative inspiration. And before sitting down to write music, the composer poured a bucket on his head cold water: this, in his opinion, should have greatly stimulated the brain.
Alexander Pushkin loved to shoot in the bathhouse. They say that in the village of Mikhailovskoye almost nothing authentic from the time of the poet has been really preserved, but the wall that Pushkin shot at surprisingly remained intact.
Fyodor Dostoevsky could not work without strong tea. When he wrote his novels at night, on his desk There was always a glass of tea, and a samovar was always kept hot in the dining room.
Johann Goethe worked only in a hermetically sealed room, without the slightest access to fresh air.
Commander Alexander Suvorov was famous for his strange antics: his unusual daily routine - he went to bed at six o'clock in the evening and woke up at two o'clock in the morning, his unusual awakening - he wet himself cold water and loudly shouted “ku-ka-re-ku!”, an unusual bed for a commander - with all ranks, he slept on hay. Preferring to wear old boots, he could easily go out to meet high officials in a sleeping cap and underwear.
He also gave the signal for the attack to his loved ones “ku-ka-re-ku!”, and, they say, after he was promoted to field marshal, he began jumping over chairs and saying: “And I jumped over this one, and over that one.” That!"
Suvorov was very fond of marrying his serfs, guided by a very peculiar principle - he lined them up in a row, selected those suitable in height, and then married 20 couples at a time.
Emperor Nicholas I did not like music and, as a punishment for officers, gave them a choice between a guardhouse and listening to Glinka's operas.
Emperor Nicholas I ordered that portraits of his ancestors be hung in the toilet. The Tsar Father justified his action by the fact that Hard time he is pleased to feel the support of his relatives. In addition, Nikolai Pavlovich moved his library to the outhouse.
Arthur Schopenhauer was famous for his excellent appetite and ate for two; if anyone made a remark to him on this score, he replied that he thought for both.
It was his custom to pay for two seats so that no one could join him at the table.
At dinner, he used to talk loudly to his poodle Atman and at the same time addressed him every time as “you” and “sir” if he behaved well, and “you” and “man” if he was the master of something upset.
Sigmund Freud hated music. He threw away his sister's piano and did not visit restaurants with an orchestra.
French writer Guy de Maupassant was one of those who was irritated by the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, he dined at her restaurant every day, explaining that this was the only place in Paris from where the tower was not visible.
Hunter Thompson, before filming the film adaptation of his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, came to film set. The role of Raoul Duke was played by Johnny Depp. The writer, being able alcohol intoxication, personally cut the movie star’s hair, creating a huge bald spot on Depp’s head.
The third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, designed his own tombstone and wrote a text for it that did not indicate that he was president.
The sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, always wore a tall black top hat on his head, inside which he kept letters, financial papers, bills and notes.
The 20th century Chinese statesman and politician Mao Zedong never brushed his teeth. And when he said that it was unhygienic, he replied: “Have you ever seen a tiger brush his teeth?”
English footballer David Beckham can't stand clutter. The objects surrounding it must be carefully selected in color, shape and size, and their number must be a multiple of two.
Funny incidents from the lives of famous people
One day Albert Einstein was riding a tram in Leipzig. And on this very tram there was a conductor. The conductor approached the physicist and asked him to pay the fare. Einstein counted down quite calmly the required amount and handed it to the conductor. He counted the money and said that another 5 pfennigs were missing.
- I counted carefully! This can't be true! - Einstein objected.
Galileo Galilei spent his wedding night reading a book. Noticing that it was already dawn, he went to the bedroom, but immediately came out and asked the servant: “Who is lying in my bed?” “Your wife, sir,” answered the servant. Galileo completely forgot that he got married.
Once Voltaire was invited to dinner party. When everyone was seated, it turned out that the maestro found himself between two grumpy gentlemen. Having drunk well, Voltaire’s neighbors began to argue about how to properly address the servants: “Bring me some water!” or “Give me some water!” Voltaire unwittingly found himself right in the middle of this controversy. Finally, tired of this disgrace, the maestro could not stand it and said:
- Gentlemen, both of these expressions are inapplicable to you! You should both say, “Take me to water!”
Once Vladimir Mayakovsky had to speak in front of a whole hall of writers. This was not uncommon for him, but that speech of the proletarian poet became special. While he was reading his poems on the podium, one of the poet’s ill-wishers, of whom there were plenty in those years, shouted:
– I don’t understand your poems! They're kind of stupid!
“It’s okay, your children will understand,” Vladimir Vladimirovich answered.
- And my children will not understand your poems! – continued the ill-wisher.
“Well, why are you talking about your children so quickly,” the poet answered with a grin. “Maybe their mother is smart, maybe they’ll take after her.”
Once, speaking at Polytechnic Institute at a debate on proletarian internationalism, Vladimir Mayakovsky said:
– Among Russians I feel like a Russian, among Georgians I feel like a Georgian...
- And among fools? – suddenly someone shouted from the hall.
“And this is my first time among fools,” Mayakovsky answered instantly.
While traveling around France, Mark Twain traveled by train to the city of Dijon. The train was passing, and he asked to wake him up on time. At the same time, the writer said to the conductor:
– I sleep very soundly. When you wake me up, maybe I will scream. So ignore it and be sure to drop me off in Dijon.
When Mark Twain woke up, it was already morning and the train was approaching Paris. The writer realized that he had passed through Dijon and became very angry. He ran to the conductor and began to reprimand him.
– I have never been as angry as I am now! - he shouted.
“You are not as angry as the American whom I dropped off in Dijon at night,” answered the guide.
Mark Twain, being a newspaper editor, once published a devastating denunciation of a certain N. It contained the phrase: “Mr. N does not even deserve a spit in the face.” This gentleman filed a lawsuit, which ordered the newspaper to publish a refutation, and Mark Twain showed himself to be a “law-abiding” citizen: in the next issue of his newspaper it was published: “Mr. N deserves a spit in the face.”
End of introductory fragment.
On the night of October 25, 1917 (old style), an armed uprising began in Petrograd. At 2 a.m. on October 26, the Winter Palace was taken, the Provisional Government was arrested, and power passed to the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.
On November 7, 2017, millions of people around the world will remember one of the largest political events of the 20th century, the October Revolution of 1917, the events of which directly influenced the course of world history and the future of many countries as a whole. And now many people associate the red day of the calendar with red carnations, Lenin on an armored car and the statement that “the lower classes do not want the old way, but the upper classes cannot do it in the new way.” For this date we have prepared a selection for you little known facts that are associated with a significant event.
1. Blank, but a legendary shot
Local time, the October Revolution began on October 25 at 21.40. The active actions of the revolutionaries began with a shot from the gun of the cruiser "Aurora" in the direction Winter Palace. Revolutionary salvo turned out to be single.
2. First radio address to the people
On October 26 at 5.10, the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee in its “Address to the People of Russia” announced the transfer of power to the Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies. This was the first political event, information about which was heard on the radio.
3. Who are the real revolutionaries?
According to historians, after the capture of the Winter Palace, the sailors plundered the wine cellar, got drunk and drank everything lower floors drink premises. Such actions were regarded as a military crime.
Reports often contain information that in legendary night some soldier helped local residents get to the house, bypassing those streets of Petrograd where the shootings took place. The ghosts of revolutionaries, they say, still roam the streets of St. Petersburg today.
4. Bolsheviks are not in the majority
At the time of the February bourgeois-democratic revolution, the Bolshevik Party was underground. It had only 24 thousand members and did not play decisive role. By October, the size of the party increased 15 times compared to March. Then the party had about 350 thousand members, of which 60% were advanced workers.
5. Hundreds of nationwide and peasant uprisings 
After the October Revolution in Russia in 1917-1922. There were hundreds of uprisings directed against the red and white authorities. Harsh methods of dictatorship Bolshevik power also caused resistance on the territory of Belarus. For example, in 1920 there were several uprisings in Slutsk district, the largest of which took place in November. Four thousand rebels fought for freedom for about a month. Their slogan was: “Neither Polish lords, nor Moscow communists.” All uprisings in Belarus were brutally suppressed by troops and police.
6. Women could also take part in the elections
Voter in constituent Assembly In 1917, any citizen over 20 years old or a person serving in the army over the age of 18 could become a member. Women could also participate in the elections. At that time it was new and wild not only for Russia, but also for most countries.
7. The CPSU is located at the Institute of Noble Maidens
Bolshevik Main Headquarters - Smolny Palace - common name large complex buildings that create a single architectural ensemble. The Leningrad City Council of Workers' Deputies and the city committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) / CPSU were located here from 1917 to 1990. Before that, from 1774 to 1917. the building housed the first women's educational institution in Russia, which marked the beginning of female education in the empire.
8. Fast and without bloodshed
The seizure of power occurred in just three days, and the seizure of the Provisional Government in 4 hours. And the State Bank, the Central Telegraph Station, the Main Post Office and the central newspapers were completely in the hands of the Bolsheviks even before the cruiser fired. The “stimulus to action” for Lenin and Trotsky was the closure of almost all Bolshevik newspapers by the Provisional Government on the night of October 24.
9. "New Time"
This is an act of Russia's transition to the Gregorian calendar, which ended the century-old practice of “adding 12-13 days” when traveling around Europe. The “Decree on the introduction of the Western European calendar in the Russian Republic” was adopted only on January 26, 1918. Then there were two options. The first is to discard 24 hours every year. By that time, the difference between the calendars was already 13 days. So the whole transition to a new style would take 13 full years. The advantage is that the Orthodox Church could take advantage of it. The second is an immediate transition to a new style of chronology. Lenin himself was a supporter and developer of this option. Thus Russia entered a “new time”.
A small selection of little-known facts that are associated with the revolutionary V.I. Lenin:
1. The main revolutionary has a B in logic
Vladimir Ulyanov graduated from the Simbirsk gymnasium in 1887 with a gold medal. His certificate included only a B in the subject “logic.”
2. No smoking
In his youth, Vladimir Ilyich began smoking several times. His mother repeatedly tried to wean her son from his bad habit. And only the statement that cigarettes were an extra expense for their poor family turned out to be a weighty argument. Lenin gave up the addiction forever.
3. Lenin was a nobleman
In 1877, Vladimir Ilyich received the rank of full state councilor. This civil rank 4th class, which could be compared with the military rank of major general. The rank gave the right to hereditary nobility.
4. How Lenin got into the “Cradle of the Revolution”
On the night of October 25-26, 1917, Lenin reached the Smolny headquarters with a bandaged cheek “ala flux”, a wig on his head and one of the fake passports. On his way there were at least three Cossack and Junker checkpoints. Thanks to the skills of a master of transformation throughout his entire life political career Vladimir Lenin managed to get to the headquarters unnoticed.
5. How many pseudonyms did V. I. Ulyanov have?
V. I. Ulyanov first used the pseudonym “Lenin” in 1901. There is a version that at the beginning of the 20th century he used the passport of the real Nikolai Lenin. In total, the revolutionary had 148 pseudonyms.
6. Is Lenin connected with the Nobel Prize?
In 1917 Nobel Prize Norway offered to present the world with V.I. Lenin. However, the petition was rejected because the application period had expired. The Nobel Committee only stated that it is not against awarding the prize to Vladimir Ilyich if peace is established in Russia. The outbreak of the Civil War did not allow Lenin to become a Nobel laureate.
November 7 is a red day on the calendar. Most Russians associate this day (albeit somewhat vaguely) with red carnations, Lenin on an armored car and the statement that “the lower classes do not want the old way, but the upper classes cannot do it in the new way.” On this “revolutionary” day, we will present just a few facts about the Great October Socialist Revolution or the October Revolution - as you prefer.
During the Soviet years, November 7 was a special holiday and was called the “Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution.” After switching to Gregorian calendar the date of the beginning of the revolution shifted from October 25 to November 7, but they did not rename the event that had already occurred and the revolution remained “October”.
The revolutionary salvo turned out to be empty
The Great October Revolution began on October 25, 1917 at 21:40 local time. Signal to start active actions The revolutionaries were triggered by a shot from the gun of the cruiser Aurora. The shot was fired towards the Winter Palace on the orders of Commissioner A.V. Belyshev, and was fired by Evdokim Pavlovich Ognev. It is noteworthy that the legendary shot at the Winter Palace was fired with a blank charge. Why this happened is still unknown today: either the Bolsheviks were afraid to destroy the palace, or they did not want unnecessary bloodshed, or there were simply no warheads on the cruiser.
The most high-tech revolution
The revolutionary events of October 25 are not much different from most armed riots or insurrections that have occurred in European history. However, the October Revolution became the most “ high-tech revolution"in the history of mankind. The fact is that after the last center of resistance was suppressed in St. Petersburg, and control over the city passed to the revolutionaries, the first revolutionary radio address to the people in history took place. Thus, at 5:10 a.m. on October 26, an “Appeal to the People of Russia” was heard, in which the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee announced the transfer of power to the Soviets.The assault on Zimny is one of the most controversial events in history
The legendary storming of the Winter Palace is covered by historians in different ways. Some depict this event as almost greatest feat revolutionaries, others describe the bloody atrocities of the sailors during the assault. According to the documents of the Military Revolutionary Committee, the losses of the revolutionaries during the assault amounted to only 6 people, and even those were listed as victims of an accident. In the comments to the losses in some lists you can find the following notes: “were blown up by a grenade unknown system due to personal negligence and imprudence.” There is no information at all about the killed defenders of Zimny, but the archives are replete with notes that a cadet, officer or soldier such and such was released to such and such after the capture of Zimny, on his word of honor not to take part in battles against the revolutionaries. However, there were still battles on the streets of Petrograd.
Revolutionaries - lawless people or humanists
Modern historians love to convict revolutionaries of all sorts of crimes. So, for example, one of the most striking episodes is the case of the sailors who, after the capture of Winter Palace, plundered the wine cellar, got drunk and filled all the lower rooms with wine. However, it is not difficult to guess that this incriminating information could only become known from the archives of the revolutionaries themselves, which means that these actions were not only not encouraged, but were also regarded as a military crime.It is worth noting that reports often contain information that on the night of October 25-26, soldier so-and-so helped local residents get home, bypassing the streets of Petrograd on which firefights took place. They say that they still roam the streets of St. Petersburg today.
However, revolutionaries were never soft and sweet people. Rather, predatory, quarrelsome and dishonest. Lenin considered Trotsky a competitor and wrote nasty things about him. Trotsky, in turn, considered Lenin to be a dishonest and unprincipled person by revolutionary standards and also “threw mud” as best he could. Lenin’s trick is well known when he began to publish a newspaper called “Pravda” parallel to Trotsky.
Lenin - bloody dictator or leader of the proletariat
On October 25 at 10 o’clock in the morning, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin addressed the appeal “To the Citizens of Russia”:“The provisional government has been overthrown... The cause for which the people fought: an immediate proposal democratic world, the abolition of landlord ownership of land, workers' control over production, the creation of the Soviet government, this matter is ensured.".
Lenin is one of the most ambiguous and contradictory personalities in the history of the revolution and Russia. Albert Einstein, being a rare humanist, respected Lenin as a man who was able to direct all his strength to achieve the goal of social equality and justice. However, Einstein also wrote that, to his deepest regret and disappointment, he could not approve of the methods by which Vladimir Ilyich achieves this good goal. It is also worth adding that Albert Einstein would later write that the Soviet Union became for him one of his greatest disappointments in world history.
It is worth noting that Vladimir Ilyich is one of the few political figures who did not leave his autobiography. In the archives they found only one piece of paper on which Lenin made an attempt to begin a biography, but there was no continuation.
Modern points of view on revolutionary events vary greatly: some endlessly criticize the actions of revolutionaries, others defend them, while others take a centrist position, some try to get to the bottom of the truth and judge events impartially. In any case, this event once and for all changed the course of Russia's development and left a significant mark on world history. However, it turns out to be in Spain coup d'etat happens every year, though not seriously, but...
Today, November 7 (October 25, old style), the Great October Revolution took place socialist revolution. Bolshevik coup happened in the Russian Empire in 1917, becoming one of the most grandiose events of the 20th century.
Despite the fact that there is a lot of historical evidence about the October Revolution, this stage Russian history is still not fully understood, and there are many mysteries and misconceptions regarding this event. It's no secret that history as a science is constantly under pressure from current political forces, and therefore does not always objectively reflect the facts that took place in reality. After former Soviet idols and leaders left the political arena, information began to surface that caused bewilderment and protest among some, and made others laugh. We will tell you about the most interesting details and myths of the October Revolution, which for a long time were kept silent.
With the collapse of the USSR, a version of the course of the revolution took root in the minds of the majority, which is just as not entirely reliable, just as the facts offered by Soviet propaganda. In particular, it is now said that Germany sent the Bolsheviks to Russia in a sealed carriage. In fact, Lenin and other revolutionaries arrived in the Russian Empire in 1917 from neutral Switzerland. The sealed carriage itself is not something mysterious - even now it is a common occurrence in railway transport.
The proposal to travel through German territory in exchange for the return of interned German military personnel was put forward at a meeting on March 19, 1917, not by Lenin, but by the Menshevik leader Yuli Martov. Lenin, until the last moment, did not know exactly about the decision of the German authorities regarding the planned transfer. The head of the Bolsheviks was ready to enter the country illegally, under the guise of a deaf-mute Swede. Contacts with subjects German Empire were excluded, which is why the carriage was sealed. The only obligation of the emigrants in relation to the German authorities was to agitate in Russia for the exchange and sending of interned Germans to Germany. In addition to the Bolsheviks, the carriage also contained Socialist Revolutionaries and representatives of the Jewish Social Democratic Party “Bund”. Thus, everything that happened was not a special operation to infiltrate a sabotage group of oppositionists into the Russian Empire. Of course, the German side made some kind of bet on the left radicals destabilizing the state of affairs in Russia, but Lenin was not notified about this. Among other things, the Russian state itself at that moment resembled a vivid illustration of the rule “push when you fall.”
It is necessary to talk about the state of the Russian economy at that time in more detail, since this aspect has become the subject of various discussions among historians. IN currently there is a version that Russian empire on the eve of the revolution it was the most industrialized country in the world. Despite certain arguments suggesting the truth of such a statement, there are also compelling reasons to doubt the undeniable well-being Russian state. Thus, the rate of economic growth in the first decade of the 20th century could not be called impressive; during wartime (1914-1918) they became completely modest. Supporters of the Soviet regime insist that two decades after the October coup Soviet Union became the second largest industrial power in the world. Opponents parry this statement, saying that this result was achieved through, among other things, terror and inhumane actions towards the people of the Soviet state.
The same supporters of the anti-Soviet position claim that the Bolsheviks, after coming to power, literally destroyed big country, many territories were lost. However, there is also specific facts, impartially saying that the Russian Empire may be to blame for the loss of so much land. Suffice it to mention that in 1915, Poland was lost during the German and Austro-Hungarian offensive, and in February 1917, Russia lost control over Lithuania and Latvia.
The point of view that Vladimir Lenin directly ordered the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and members of his family also took root in the consciousness of the masses. However, there is information that the destruction of the august persons was an initiative of the Urals Council, which at that time included, in addition to the Bolsheviks, also the Socialist Revolutionaries. It is the data political forces could have wanted to kill the daughters of the Russian Tsar - this measure was a provocation in order to prevent the conclusion of peace with the Germans. Lenin allegedly intended to extradite German princesses German side, this was part of the agreement.
What about Soviet myths, distributed among the population on the initiative of the ruling circles in order to maintain the faith of workers in their bright future? First of all, it becomes unclear why Civil War 1917-1923, the “proletarian” government won, because on the territory modern Russia and some CIS countries had more intellectuals and nobles than proletarians. The character of the novel A.N. expressed this well. Ostrovsky’s “How the Steel Was Tempered” Pavka Korchagin: “there were us, the Reds, and someone else who sympathized with us. And there were whites and those who sympathized with them. And then 80% of the population, which has always been with the winners..."
Soviet historians did not mention the offensive of Denikin’s troops on Moscow and its successful completion for the Whites; they were silent about the help Muslims provided during the defeat of Denikin’s army. The anarchist army of Father Makhno also took part in that battle. Eisenstein’s talented film “October” was commissioned by the “top”, footage from which many still consider to be a reflection of real events. In fact, about two thousand Red Guards and Baltic sailors took part in the “large-scale” assault on the Winter Palace. During the assault, both sides suffered a total loss of seven people.
Another scene from the film, when Lenin, standing on an armored car, addresses the soldiers and workers with a speech that later became the “April Theses”, is real. However, the point of view according to which the “Lenin armored car” was allegedly located near Marble Palace in Leningrad. The October Revolution itself this moment It is considered more of an indicative act, since after the bourgeois-democratic revolution that took place in February, the “bloody tsarist regime” was overthrown. However, controversy on this issue still does not subside.
About February Revolution a lot was put together historical myths. As a rule, they were composed by those politicians who were temporarily thrown to the pinnacle of power by the revolutionary wave, but who were unable to maintain it. The composition of the Provisional Government changed four times (there was already some uncertainty in the name itself) until the Bolsheviks came to power. And they lingered on the crest of the wave for a long time.
The first myth of the “Februaryists,” which again became popular in the 1990s, was to contrast the supposedly “popular” February Revolution with the “anti-democratic” October Revolution. Like, everything would have been fine if not for the Bolsheviks, who dispersed the Constituent Assembly and turned the country to a totalitarian one-party system...
However, official Soviet historiography was, oddly enough, much closer to the truth in its interpretation of the nature of the February Revolution. This revolution had a strong anti-war and socialist charge from the very beginning. The movement that arose in February days, took place under the slogans of “peace, bread, land.” It was obvious that the matter would not be limited to one political coup that after the fall of the throne a social revolution will unfold. Only beautiful-hearted liberals could believe that the Russian people were mainly concerned with issues of political structure.
On the other hand, the February Revolution significantly to a greater extent, than Oktyabrskaya, was in the nature of a military coup. Apart from the widely propagated Petrograd garrison, no military units anywhere else took part in the events of February. The country was simply faced with the fact of a change of power. Another thing is that this change was met with very sympathy almost throughout Russia.
The sovereign was isolated from sources of objective information by his generals, primarily by the chief of staff M.V. Alekseev, who played (together with the commander of the Northern Front N.V. Ruzsky) the main role in the emperor’s decision to abdicate. As it is now becoming known, the plans to carry out a palace coup, in which Alekseev was to become the key coordinator, included the physical elimination of Nicholas II in the event of his refusal to relinquish power. The conspirators considered the movement inspired in Petrograd to be a convenient moment for a change of power.
Most army commanders and corps commanders expressed their readiness to march with their troops to suppress the uprising in Petrograd. But this information was not communicated to the king.
The same promoted St. Petersburg garrison became the main striking force in the October Revolution. In both cases, the legitimate cover for the change of power was the qualifications elective body - at first The State Duma, then the Congress of Soviets. But the latter was still a more democratic institution than the Duma. Therefore, when comparing the nature of both coups, it is necessary to note their significant identity, despite the fact that the movement that accompanied the overthrow of the Provisional Government was more massive.
Another myth concerns the alleged inability of the tsarist regime to effectively govern the country and ensure victory in the war. Here we are faced with a phenomenon that is well known to us from modern history- skillful manipulation of public consciousness. The information capabilities of opponents of the monarchy far exceeded those of the authorities themselves. Meanwhile, history gradually opened its eyes to the background of the political legends that spread then. A thorough study of the events preceding February showed that Rasputin’s undivided influence on the royal couple, the emperor’s lack of will, and the queen’s preparation for a separate peace with Germany had nothing to do with reality. These were deliberate lies and slander aimed at discrediting the authorities.
It is characteristic that the first to expose these information myths was a historian of very leftist views, who was a member of the Labor People's Socialist Party in 1917, Sergei Melgunov. In a number of works published by him in the 20-50s in exile - “On the paths to palace coup"(republished in Moscow in 2002), "The Legend of a Separate Peace" and others - with facts in hand, he proved the complete inconsistency of the Rasputin myth, accusations of the royal couple preparing a separate conspiracy with Germany and the moral and political corruption of the ruling elite.
That is, all those legends that liberal politicians in exile continued to use to justify their actions in those fateful days for Russia. Then other historians - Russian and foreign - confirmed the validity of Melgunov’s conclusions.
It is a fact that during the war years parallel contours of alternative power were created. Its structures were organizations of the liberal public - the Union of Zemstvos and Cities, Military-Industrial Committees, and think tank, as studies have shown Soviet historians 60-80s - N.N. Yakovlev and V.I. Startseva - was Masonic lodge“The Great East of the Peoples of Russia”, which back in 1912 set as its task the elimination of the monarchy and the creation of a federal Russian Republic. This lodge included many prominent Russian politicians, belonging to a wide party spectrum - from Octobrists to Mensheviks. It was, in fact, the coordination headquarters for the preparation of the coup d'etat.
The alternative government ultimately turned out to be stronger than the official one. Here we also see an analogy with the subsequent events of October, as a result of which another alternative structure - the Soviet - overthrew the apparatus of power built by the Provisional Government. But from the fact that royal power collapsed as a result of confrontation with new structures, it does not at all follow that it coped poorly with national tasks current moment. The provisional government turned out to be completely unable to somehow organize the life of the country and defense.
The scale of Russia's military defeats in 1915 was no greater than the defeats of France in 1914 or the defeats of Austria-Hungary by Russian forces throughout the war. The “shell famine” that led to the “great retreat” in the summer of 1915 has long passed. The needs of the Russian army for weapons, equipment and food were satisfied no worse than in the armies of other large warring states, and clearly better than in Germany, where the economic blockade began to be acutely felt from the end of 1915. A general offensive on all fronts was planned for the spring of 1917.
If not in 1917, then in 1918 Russia, together with its allies, would inevitably have come to victory, if not for the Februaryists, who did not want the glory of this victory to go to the monarchical regime. That's why they rushed to stage a coup. W. Churchill wrote about this period: “Of all countries, fate treated Russia most cruelly - its ship sank when the saving harbor was already visible.”
On Churchill's part, these were, of course, crocodile tears. He, who was First Lord of the Admiralty (Naval Minister) during the First World War, and then Minister of War Supply, should have been well aware of the efforts that Great Britain made to change power in Russia and support anti-monarchist conspirators. The British Ambassador in Petrograd, Lord Buchanan, regularly advised the leaders of the “Great East of the Peoples of Russia”, was aware of their plans, and helped with financing. In fact, the post-February government of Russia received recognition as the first power of the then world even before its official creation. The British leadership abandoned its ally - the Russian monarchy - and relied on revolution.
What were they hoping for in London? Did they really believe that Russian liberals would be able to govern a huge country more effectively than the tsarist regime? This is most likely not the case. In Britain they believed that they could win without Russia final victory over Germany. Especially when the question of the United States entering the war had already been actually decided. A year earlier, a year later - what a difference. The main thing is to exclude Russia from the list of winners in advance, otherwise the question of territorial acquisitions would arise, first of all, the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. By promoting the revolution in Russia, the British leadership got rid of a competitor.
But, obviously, those historians who claim that the monarchical system has exhausted the resource of its own modernization are also right. If we try to imagine the conditions under which the monarchy could have survived in Russia in the twentieth century, then an analogy with the system that was established in the country after the revolutionary storms suggests itself.
As experience has shown, Russia of the twentieth century did not need a parliament, it did not need a multi-party system. But Russia was in dire need of social equality, the abolition of class and national restrictions, the influx of fresh popular forces into the apparatus of power, and the modernization of the economy.
It is quite possible to imagine a system in which the tsar would be at the same time the leader of a single, but massive political party(say, the Union of the Russian People; by the way, Nicholas II was offered to officially lead this party). This party would be the main source of personnel for civil service, a mechanism for rotation of the ruling elite. There should not have been any class preferences when joining the party and pursuing a party career. It was also necessary to nationalize the most important industries and eliminate large-scale landownership, which seemed to the majority of the Russian people - the peasantry - to be an extreme form of social injustice. This could be the only one evolutionary path modernization political system Russia in the twentieth century has an original path, not according to Western patterns.
In this case, the historical alternative about which Konstantin Leontyev wrote in 1890 could come true: “The Russian Tsar ... will become the head socialist movement" An attempt to implement a socialist project in Russia was inevitable. The Russian monarchy in late XIX century, she unambiguously associated herself with the capitalist project alien to Russian civilization and, by her inability to abandon it, doomed herself to historical defeat. This was the pattern of the February Revolution. But February turned out to be only a brief interlude on the way to October.