Uniforms of the Russian Imperial Army Which of us now, without hesitation, can name the military ranks of the Russian Imperial Army and the armies of the White movement. Young people won't be able to name anything at all. that “Admiral”, just like that, with a firm sign. The older generation will be given a set: lieutenant (everyone remembers “The White Sun of the Desert and its glamor with a revolver”), staff captain (here, without a doubt, “His Excellency’s Adjutant”, staff captain Koltsov), captain (Captain Ovechkin from counterintelligence “The Elusive Avengers” "), well, the atamans, sergeants and esauls from "Quiet Don" and "Shadows Disappear at Noon" and dozens and hundreds of films and performances in which officer epaulets and ranks are flashed have passed and are not remembered. Most of us are holy I am confident that the shoulder straps and ranks in the Red Army, introduced in 1943, practically completely correspond to the uniform and shoulder straps of the Tsarist army, only some names have changed, instead of, say, second lieutenant, they began to be called lieutenant. in the documentary, the officer ranks and their explanations are so different that you don’t know what to think. For example, who is esaul, what analogue of the military rank does it correspond to. In the end, it became interesting what the similarities are and what the differences are. Introduction to this topic provided such a volume of material that at first it seemed that a lifetime would not be enough to digest and understand it all.
Cossacks
The first information about the Cossacks appeared in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Then the Turkic word “qazaq” was translated as “wanderer”, or “Turkic Cossack”, that is, one warrior, not a people. The first Cossack communities appeared in the 8th mid-15th century. The word “Cossack” then still meant a way of life, and not at all a community of people. In the mid-15th century, the Polish-Lithuanian monarchs and Moscow princes instructed the Cossacks to protect the steppe borders from the Tatars, and then to populate the conquered lands. Such Cossack communities consisted mainly of Russians and Ukrainians; they were soon joined by Tatars who converted to Christianity, the former local population of the occupied lands, as well as some North Caucasian tribes. By the beginning of the First World War, there were 11 Cossack armies. which numbered 4 million 500 thousand people. These troops were scattered between the Black Sea and the Pacific Ocean, along the southern borders of the Russian Empire. Of the 11 Cossack communities, only 4 (Don, Terek Kuban and Ural) were formed as ethno-cultural groups. The rest were social, but all communities were closed hereditary castes. To be considered a Cossack, you had to be born into a Cossack family, and only the tsarist government could make you a Cossack. At first in this war, the Cossacks were used as cavalry, and then they were transferred to the infantry and served in the trenches.
Uniforms of the Red Army
Until 1943, severe asceticism prevailed in the appearance of the Soviet military personnel. In any case, from films about the civil war, it was difficult to understand whether in the Red Army there was any system of external difference between, say, a company commander and a platoon commander. How could a Red Army soldier, say, on leave, understand that in front of him was a commander, and not a courier in a leather jacket on a motorcycle? Probably, most people were not very interested in the details of what the kubari and sleepers on the buttonholes of the Red commanders meant in the pre-war and war periods. It’s not that it wasn’t interesting at all, but somehow in films and books the usual “lieutenant”, “captain” or “colonel” sounded. Of course, there were situations when, while reading a book or story on a military theme, I came across phrases like “judging by the two sleepers on the buttonholes, it was a major...”, the familiar shoulder strap of a Soviet major with one star instantly jumped out of my memory, but the development of the plot was distracting from a question that remained in the subconscious until better times. Let us assume that these better times have come.
Uniforms of the Third Reich “I forged the Wehrmacht for six years,” Hitler once said, referring to the years from 1933 to 1939, that is, from the moment he came to supreme power in Germany until the start of the World War. However, he officially announced the creation of a new army only in March 1935. Often the word “Wehrmacht” means only the Land Forces of Hitler’s Germany, considering the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine to be independent parts of its armed forces. This is fundamentally wrong. The Wehrmacht (Wehrmacht, which means “defense forces”) is the German armed forces of 1935-1945, consisting of the Ground Forces, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. However, the Wehrmacht did not exhaust all the armed forces of the Reich. These include the very numerous German police, which later even included tank regiments. And, of course, the SS troops.
On March 1, the Law “On Police” comes into force. The law, in particular, provides for the renaming of the police into the police, as well as a reduction in personnel by 20%. All employees will be removed from the staff, and after passing an extraordinary recertification they will return to service as police officers.
The word police is traditionally used in Russian in two main meanings: a) an administrative institution in charge of protecting public order, state and other property, the safety of citizens and their property; b) voluntary military squad, people's (zemstvo) militia (obsolete).
Historically the word "police" goes back to the Latin militia - “military service, army”, as well as “military campaign, campaign” (according to the verb milito - “to be a soldier, foot soldier”, the same root as in the word militarism). The word militia came into the Russian literary language, most likely, through French or Polish mediation (see the old French form milicie; Polish milicija).
The term "militia" was used in ancient Rome, where it meant the service of infantry soldiers. In medieval Europe (mid-15th century), militia was the name given to militia units from the local population, convened during war.
In Russia, the militia was the name given to the zemstvo army, which existed in 1806-1807, and at the end of the 19th century - the troops fielded by the indigenous population of the Caucasus and the Trans-Caspian region (permanent mounted militia). The main difference between the militia and the regular troops was that it was recruited not on the basis of conscription, but on a voluntary basis.
The origin of the militia as a public order service is associated with the Paris Commune of 1871, where the prefecture of police was abolished, and the responsibilities of ensuring order and the safety of citizens were assigned to the reserve battalions of the National Guard. In Russia, during the February bourgeois-democratic revolution (1917), the Provisional Government abolished the Police Department and proclaimed the replacement of the police with a “people's militia with elected authorities, subordinate to local governments.” Its legal basis was the government resolution of April 30 (17 old style) “On the establishment of the police” and the Temporary Regulations on the Police. However, these decisions were not fully implemented.
In Soviet Russia, the workers' and peasants' militia (RKM) became the executive body for the protection of revolutionary public order. The foundations of the RKM were laid by the NKVD decree of November 10 (October 28, old style) 1917 “On the Workers’ Militia.”
According to Ozhegov's dictionary, police- “in Tsarist Russia and in some other countries, an administrative body for the protection of state security and public order.”
The word police has been known in Russian since the beginning of the 18th century, and it entered dictionaries in the first third of the century. (Weismann's Dictionary, 1731).
The word “police” directly goes back to the German polizei - “police”, which comes from the Latin politia - “government structure, state”. The Latin word politia itself has its origin in the Greek word politeia - “state affairs, form of government, state” (it is based on the word poliz - originally “city”, and then “state”).
As one of the main instruments of state power, the police appeared along with the formation of the state.
At one time, Karl Marx emphasized that the police are one of the earliest signs of the state: for example, in Ancient Athens “... public power originally existed only as a police force, which is as old as the state.” (K. Marx and F. Engels, Works, 2nd ed., vol. 21, p. 118).
In the Middle Ages, the institution of police received its greatest development: this was the period of its heyday, especially in the conditions of police states of the era of absolute monarchy. The bourgeoisie, having in turn won political power, not only preserved, but also improved the police, which (like the army) became the stronghold of the state.
In Russia, the police were established by Peter the Great in 1718. It was divided into general, which kept order (its detective departments conducted investigations of criminal cases), and political (information and security departments, later - the gendarmerie, etc.). There were also special police services - palace, port, fair, etc. City police departments were headed by police chiefs; there were also local police officers (supervisors) and police officers (police guards). (Military Encyclopedia. Military Publishing House. Moscow, 8 vols., 2004)
In Russia, the police were abolished on March 23 (10 according to the old style) March 1917.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
Today the professional holiday is celebrated by the Special Purpose Mobile Detachment (OMON). More recently, it became part of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, but before that, throughout its existence it was part of the police structure. Today we decided to remember what the police were called and what their employees looked like in the past.
16th century - Mayor
Although mayors were employees of the regional administration, they were the ones who performed police functions in the 16th century: they monitored the safety of the city from fire, protected public peace and tranquility, and persecuted kormovstvo (secret sale of alcoholic beverages).
XVII century - Zemsky yaryzki
Zemstvo yaryshkas were the name given to police officers in big cities. They were subordinate to the Zemsky Prikaz (the central government body of that time). They dressed in red and green clothes, carried spears and axes and monitored order and fire safety.
18th century - Main Police
The main police force appeared thanks to the decree of Peter I. The police not only kept order in the city, but also performed a number of economic functions, engaged in the improvement of the city - paving streets, draining swampy areas, collecting garbage, etc.
XIX century - Detective police and Zemstvo police
After the abolition of the mayors, the Zemstvo police began to monitor order in the province. But the most important achievement of this century for this structure was the creation of specialized units for solving crimes and conducting inquiries. For the first time such an organ appeared in St. Petersburg.
20th century - People's and workers' militia
The establishment of a public militia went through the stages of people's and workers' militia, which consisted of volunteers. Over the past century, it has at times served not only to maintain public order, but also to protect state security.
XXI century - Police
In 2011, the bill “On the Police” was adopted. According to him, the basic set of tasks facing the police has remained virtually unchanged. The police, like the police, protect the life and health of citizens, their fundamental rights and freedoms, as well as property. Having eliminated the uncertainty that exists in the law on the police, the legislator added that both Russians and foreign citizens and stateless persons are subject to protection.
The Law “On the Police” reflects two significantly new principles: impartiality and the use of advances in science and technology, modern technologies and information systems.
P.S. The title illustration uses a photo from yarodom.livejournal.com
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In 2011, a significant event occurred in the Russian police - a new uniform was adopted for employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the Government Decree, the old uniform, which had outlived its useful life and no longer met modern requirements, began to be replaced. This also affected the shoulder straps. When creating new models, the comments of both current employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and police veterans, who determined what Russian police shoulder straps look like at the present time, were taken into account.
Police history and insignia
First shoulder straps
The first shoulder straps are mentioned in the second half of the 17th century. More precisely, under Peter I in 1680-1690, a certain semblance of shoulder straps appeared on soldiers’ uniforms to support bags and guns.
years, a kind of shoulder straps appeared on the soldier’s uniform to support bags and guns
The primary purpose is to keep the straps and straps of equipment from slipping, and to protect clothing from being abraded by the straps.
Subsequently, shoulder straps acquired an additional function, which eventually became the main one - to provide the wearer with distinctive signs of belonging to a certain structure (power structure, as a rule) and show his rank in it.
Shoulder straps of Tsarist Russia
Epaulets began to be used as insignia of military from one regiment to another and soldiers from officers in 1762. There was no single standard then; soldiers' and officers' shoulder straps were not very different from each other, so they did their job poorly. Only in 1855 were the names of the military unit, weapon emblems, stars and monograms attached to shoulder straps. They begin to fulfill their function.
The civil ranks of Imperial Russia (for example, titular councilor, collegiate assessor) corresponded to the ranks of the tsarist police.
The police's shoulder straps were similar to military ones.
If an officer transferred to the police from military service, then he retained the same rank and army-style shoulder straps. The lower ranks of the police retained the rank assigned to them in the army. Additionally, they were assigned a police rank.
Corporals and privates became low-paid policemen, junior non-commissioned officers became medium-paid policemen, and senior non-commissioned officers became high-paid policemen. Military rank was marked by the number of stripes, and his rank - by the number of stripes on the shoulder twisted cord.
In the last days of February 1917, the Russian imperial police ceased to exist along with the dynasty. In Soviet Russia, shoulder straps were abolished as a relic of the Tsarist satrapy and were revived again in the USSR, both in the army and in the police, in February 1943. The scale of ranks in the police began to almost completely correspond to the army. The uniform and shoulder straps were also a copy of the army ones, differing in color and minor details.
The shoulder straps of junior commanding officers had silver braided stripes in accordance with their rank. The number or name of the police department is stenciled on the shoulder straps with yellow paint.
Shoulder straps of the USSR
The shoulder straps of middle and senior command personnel are pentagonal; The field of the shoulder strap is made of silver braid or light gray silk basson.
Russian police insignia, photo sequentially: colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, senior police lieutenant, police lieutenant, ml. lieutenant. 
Shoulder straps and ranks. Photo in good quality, sequentially: police commissioner of the third rank, police commissioner of the second rank, police commissioner of the first rank. 
The photo shows a police lieutenant in an overcoat and a hat. Uniform sample 1943-1947. In 1947, the uniform of police officers was changed, including shoulder straps.
Shoulder straps ml. commanders and privates are pentagonal. The field of shoulder straps is red and has a dark blue border. A metal encryption corresponding to the number of the police department was attached to the shoulder straps.
In the figure, sequentially: sergeant major, senior sergeant, sergeant, junior. sergeant, senior policeman, policeman, cadet The shoulder straps of middle and senior command personnel are hexagonal. The shoulder strap has a silver galloon field.
In the figure, sequentially: colonel, lieutenant colonel, captain and senior lieutenant
The shoulder straps of the highest command personnel are hexagonal. The shoulder strap has a silver galloon field. The shoulder straps are golden with an embossed emblem of the USSR (as on army general's shoulder straps), and all other categories have a hammer and sickle on the buttons.
In the figure, sequentially: 1-police commissioner of the third rank, 2-police commissioner of the second rank, 3-police commissioner of the first rank 1958 brought a new design.
For employees of all trains, shoulder straps became quadrangular.
And soft hexagonal shoulder straps were fastened to the shirt.
And finally, in 1969, according to Order of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 230, the shoulder straps of the Soviet police changed for the last time:
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Policeman |
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Jr. sergeant |
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Sergeant |
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Staff Sergeant |
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Sergeant's shoulder straps on a police shirt. |
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Jr. lieutenant |
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Fastening the stars on the lieutenant's shoulder straps |
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Senior Lieutenant |
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Captain |
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Major |
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Lieutenant colonel |
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Colonel |
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Commissioner of the third rank |
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Commissioner of the second rank |
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Commissioner of the first rank |
The rank of police commissars was abolished by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 23, 1973 and replaced by the ranks of major general and lieutenant general.
The principle of constructing a scale of ranks in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and compliance with the army structure has been preserved to this day.
What do Russian police shoulder straps look like?
All ranks in the police of the Russian Federation from cadet to police general of the Russian Federation have their own insignia and shoulder straps. And these titles are distributed into four groups, or compositions.
- private and junior command personnel - warrant officers, foreman and sergeants, privates;
- average command staff - captain and lieutenants;
- senior command personnel - colonel, lieutenant colonel and major;
- highest command staff - colonel general, lieutenant general, major general.
Outdated samples
Until 2013, police officers were equipped with removable and sewn shoulder straps with an upper rounded edge (for higher command personnel - with an upper trapezoidal edge) and a dark gray field of special weaving.
Private and junior commander compound
- Rank and file did not have any insignia on his shoulder straps;
- Jr. command staff The sergeants had insignia in the form of rectangular golden stripes;
- Ensigns(how many stars are on the shoulder straps, see the photo) had insignia in the form of vertically located small stars. The shoulder straps were similar to those of sergeants and privates; the color of the stars was determined in the same way as the color of the stripes.
| Police Private | Junior Police Sergeant | Police Sergeant | Senior Police Sergeant | Police sergeant | Police ensign | Senior Police Warrant Officer |
Mid-level commanders
One vertical stripe - (clearance). The distance between the stars on Russian police uniforms is 25 mm.
Ranks in traffic police by stars:
| Ensign | Lieutenant | Senior Lieutenant | Captain |
Senior com. compound
Two gaps and large stars.
Generality
Vertically located large stars, no gaps.
Modern police shoulder straps
| After 2013, sewn-on and removable shoulder straps with a trapezoidal upper edge for senior command personnel were abolished -> |  |
Now shoulder straps for all internal affairs bodies have a single rounded shape. | ||
| In addition, the color of the special weaving of the shoulder strap field was changed - from dark gray -> | to dark blue |
A special rank of police general of the Russian Federation was introduced:
As you can see, the “police” emblem appeared on the shoulder straps of a private and on other shoulder straps, and on the shoulder straps of a sergeant major, the entire length of the longitudinal wide stripe was replaced by a stripe that was also longitudinal and wide, but short.
Officer and sergeant shoulder straps for office uniforms (sizes). Insignia
The new police uniform provides, as before, the presence of emblems on chevrons indicating a particular unit. For example, the emblem of riot police officers is a sword and wings, emphasizing the functions of this special unit. The emblem of the traffic cops is, of course, a car. Fortress bastions with a planted key are on the chevron of private security fighters.
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for employees of the central office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia |
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for heads of territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia |
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for employees of public order units, operational units |
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for special forces officers |
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for employees of traffic police departments |
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for employees of internal affairs departments in transport |
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for employees of private security units |
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for teachers of educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs |
How to sew stars
Depending on how to sew stars on the shoulder straps of a lieutenant or colonel, the attitude of colleagues and command staff towards a subordinate or colleague depends. This task is actually quite responsible. After all, neglecting it can cause the righteous anger of your superiors and the kind smiles of your fellow employees. It is imperative to know, for example, how many stars a senior lieutenant has on his shoulder straps, so as not to sew on an extra one and become a captain.
The general principles are:
- for shoulder straps of middle, senior and senior command personnel, as well as warrant officers, the distance between the rows of stars, as well as the distance from the lower edge of the shoulder strap, is 25 mm. An exception is made for holders of one-star shoulder straps (junior lieutenant, major, major general) - 50 mm from the edge.
An example is the captain's shoulder strap - the highest rank of junior command among officers. - for shoulder straps of junior command personnel, the distance from the lower edge of the shoulder strap to the lower edge of the stripe is 40 mm, the distance from the lower edge of the uniform button of the shoulder strap to the upper edge of the emblem is 5 mm.
A police officer is a low-level official in the city police. This position arose back in 1867 and was abolished in 1917, with the Bolsheviks coming to power.
There were police officers only in large cities, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, etc. They reported directly to the local police officer, and they also had policemen subordinate to them.
Requirements for candidates for district office
Persons aged 21-40 were accepted into the civil service as a police officer. Applicants must have previously served in the army or have experience in civilian work.
The future police officer must have a good education, be physically developed and, above all, have a good appearance.
Candidates who were suitable in all respects were enrolled in the super-reserve, where they underwent training and, upon completion, took an exam. After successfully passing the commission, the district guards were transferred to the main staff and received a supervised territory (district).
Salary
The district warden of the capital police, while in reserve, received a salary of 20 rubles. When he moved to an open vacancy at the police station, the annual income was calculated according to three categories and amounted to 600, 660 and 720 rubles, respectively.
For a better understanding of the salary level of this official, you can convert tsarist rubles into the equivalent of modern Russian currency. Thus, a permanent police officer of the lowest category received 59,431 rubles. monthly.
Responsibilities of a Warden
A minor official of the city police, which was considered a police officer, performed a whole range of different duties. He had to go around the area entrusted to him, within which 3,000-4,000 townspeople lived, and monitor compliance with the rules of public behavior. Detailed instructions developed by the capital authorities totaled more than 300 pages.
The policeman had to know everything about his site. His job was to identify “foreign” citizens on the territory and draw up protocols in case of various types of offenses.
Just like the modern precinct police officer, the police officer has received complaints from all and sundry. The janitor does not remove the snow well - the supervisor is to blame (he didn’t notice). Someone was bitten by a dog - the police officer must find out whose dog it is and take action against its owners.
The police officer did not have the right to call the population to his station or apartment. All inquiries, drawing up the necessary papers, serving subpoenas, took place, as they say, “in the fields.”
Uniform of a police officer in Tsarist Russia
The police officer was entitled to the uniform worn by class ranks. If he had an officer rank, then his uniform was appropriate. However, he usually held the rank of sergeant major or senior non-commissioned officer, in which case his uniform was different.
The police of the Russian Empire, represented by the police officer, wore black trousers with red trim and a double-breasted uniform of the same color, fastened with hooks. The collar, cuffs and side were also decorated with red trim.
The ceremonial version was completely similar to the everyday one, except for the columns of silver galloon on the cuffs.
The shoes were, but also it was the policemen who were allowed to wear galoshes, on the backs of which there were holes for spurs, lined with copper plates.
The police officer wore green shoulder straps, decorated in the center with a wide silver stripe.
Weapons and other paraphernalia
As a servant of the law, a member of the tsarist police was required to carry weapons. They wore an officer's saber with a silver belt, a revolver in a black lacquered holster, or a Smith & Wesson revolver.
It is impossible to imagine a police officer without his famous whistle. It was attached to the right side of the uniform and had a long metal chain. With the help of a long whistle, a peace officer could call for reinforcements and call for calm among riotous citizens.
The briefcase is also an integral part of the image of this official. All kinds of subpoenas and protocols, which were written with or without any reason, implied the constant wearing of this accessory. Sometimes he didn’t have enough workday to deliver all these papers to their recipients.
The district warden did not have the right to attend public festivities and celebrations as a private person. He was forbidden to go to taverns and restaurants in his free time from work and to relax at the tables of drinking establishments with friends.
He could even get married only with the permission of the mayor; this rule, by the way, also applied to policemen.
Every time he left the police station, the police officer had to inform his superiors where he was going and where he could be quickly found if necessary.
Until 1907, the policeman moved only on foot, and after the highest decree of the mayor, police officers could use bicycles, which greatly facilitated their difficult official life.
Police officials, among other things, had to attend the theater and understand fiction. Since 1876, a police officer was required to attend each performance, sitting in a chair specially reserved for him. He not only kept order during the performance, but also acted as a censor.
The image of a corrupt official
Being the link between the population and the state machine, the police officer was highly respected. Traders from numerous shops, holders of state-owned houses, and ordinary townspeople fawned on him.
This attitude is provoked by bribery on the part of these government officials. While conducting inquiries, many police officers gently hinted that in case of financial gratitude from the suspect, the policeman could turn a blind eye to many undesirable facts and details.
The introduction of Prohibition during the First World War served as another reason for accepting bribes. By covering the underground activities of the shinkars, the police officers had a stable additional source of income, albeit not a very legal one.
In fiction, this petty official is often presented as narrow-minded, lazy and prejudiced. This stereotype is relatively alive to this day. Although, if you think about it, working in law enforcement agencies, both under the Tsar and today, is a colossal work that is rarely appreciated.