Southern Society Document. Secret "Southern Society" of the Decembrists: program document, goals and participants

Southern Society

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

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

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

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

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

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

The highest control power was vested in the Supreme Council of 120 people, to which the most respected people from all over the country were elected for life.

Regional, district, district and volost local assemblies received administrative power at the local level.

Local executive power was exercised by the corresponding local authorities.

“Russian Truth” proposed the complete abolition of serfdom.

The main immediate goal of the Southern Society is the creation of a strong secret organization, which, through a military revolution in the South and in St. Petersburg, should overthrow the autocracy, exterminate the royal family and transfer power to the “Provisional Supreme Board” of the “directors” of the society, which, as an organ of the revolutionary dictatorship, will introduce within a series of years of the new government structure.

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

Negotiations were also conducted with the Northern Society of Decembrists about joint actions. The unification agreement was hampered by the radicalism and dictatorial ambitions of the leader of the “southerners” Pestel. However, in the summer of 1825, a decision was made, agreed with the Northern Society, to perform in May 1826.

The plans of Southern society were revealed to the government. Even before Alexander I left for Taganrog, in the summer of 1825, Arakcheev received information about the conspiracy. Adjutant General Baron Dibich, as Chief of the General Staff, took upon himself the execution of the necessary orders; he sent Adjutant General Chernyshev to Tulchin to arrest the most important figures of Southern society.

Rumors about the government's disclosure of a secret organization, the death of Emperor Alexander I and the interregnum forced the acceleration of the timing of the action, which was supposed to begin with the capture of the headquarters of the 2nd Army, and set it for January 1, 1826. But on December 13, Pestel and Yushnevsky were arrested.

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

43. Political program of the Decembrists (Northern society, Southern society)

The noble revolutionaries - the Decembrists - took a step forward in the development of the liberation movement and political and legal thought.

In 1821 - 1825 program documents for the movement were developed. The main representatives are P.I. Pestel (1793 – 1826) and N.I. Muravyov.

P. I. Pestel (1793–1826) – representative of southern society, main documents: “Russian Truth”, “Order to the Temporary Supreme Government”, “The Constitution of Russia is a State Testament”.

Positions of P. Pestel:

1. Agricultural program

· immediate liberation of serfs with land;

· restriction of landownership to a minimum;

· creation of two land funds: public and private.

2. Political program:

· eliminate class privileges;

· provide political rights to men from 20 years of age;

· physically destroy all members of the royal family, so that there are no calls for the revival of the royal dynasty;

· introduce equality of all citizens before the law;

· autocracy can be overthrown by a military coup with the establishment of a dictatorship of a temporary supreme government;

· introduction of universal suffrage.

3. Government program:

· the ideal is a centralized republic;

· legitimate power should be exercised by a unicameral People's Assembly, executive power by the Sovereign Duma, and supervisory power by the Supreme Council.

The zemstvo administration consists of a district, volost, provincial or district assembly. Elections are held simultaneously for all assemblies of all officers.

N. M. Muravyov (1796–1843) – head of the Northern Society, member of several opposition organizations of the Masonic lodge “Three Virtues”, “Union of Salvation”, “Union of Prosperity”.

Positions of N.M. Muravyova:

1. Condemned absolute monarchy, considering this form of government unnatural. Autocracy is incompatible with common sense, for any obedience based on fear is not worthy of either a reasonable ruler or reasonable executors.

2. The source of power is the people, who have the exclusive right to make basic regulations for themselves. Each people forms its own state by agreement, but at the same time retains its sovereignty and does not lose its natural rights.

3. Serfdom must be abolished. In case of successful farming, peasants have the right to acquire land for hereditary ownership.

The best form of government for Russia is a constitutional monarchy, based on the principle of separation of powers, which creates the necessary guarantees for mutual control of the highest authorities in the state:

· legislative power is vested in the People's Council, consisting of two chambers: the Supreme Duma and the House of Representatives;

· the monarch, as the head of the executive branch, cannot change or repeal laws, nor can he assume the functions of the legislative branch;

· Judicial power is separated from administrative power and is exercised by a centralized system of judicial bodies. There are conscientious courts in the counties. In the regions there are regional courts, the composition of which is elected by the regional chambers from among persons with an annual income of at least three thousand silver rubles. The highest judicial body is the Judiciary, consisting of 5–7 judges appointed for life by the people's veche.

Muravyov's constitution also provides for the organization of local self-government on an elective basis. Pestel's plan was condemned and he criticized the organization of the Provisional Supreme Government, in which he saw the danger of establishing a military dictatorship. In Pestel's plan, he found provisions that provoked arbitrariness and lawlessness.

Origins of the movement

In the first decades of the 19th century, some representatives of the Russian nobility understood the destructiveness of autocracy and serfdom for the further development of the country. Among them, a system of views is emerging, the implementation of which should change the foundations of Russian life. The formation of the ideology of the future Decembrists was facilitated by:

  • Russian reality with its inhuman serfdom;
  • Patriotic upsurge caused by the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812;
  • Influence of the works of Western educators: Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu;
  • The reluctance of the government of Alexander I to carry out consistent reforms.

At the same time, it should be noted that the ideas and worldview of the Decembrists were not united, but they were all aimed at reform and were opposed to the autocratic regime and serfdom.

"Union of Salvation" (1816-1818)

The charter of the society, the so-called “Green Book” (more precisely, its first, legal part, provided by A.I. Chernyshev) was known to Emperor Alexander himself, who gave it to Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich to read. At first, the sovereign did not recognize political significance in this society. But his view changed after the news of the revolutions in Spain, Naples, Portugal and the revolt of the Semenovsky regiment ().

The political program of the Southern Society was Pestel’s “Russian Truth”, adopted at a congress in Kyiv in 1823. P.I. Pestel was a supporter of the idea of ​​the supreme power of the people, revolutionary for that time. In Russkaya Pravda, Pestel described the new Russia - a single and indivisible republic with a strong centralized government.

He wanted to divide Russia into regions, regions into provinces, provinces into districts, and the smallest administrative unit would be the volost. All adult (from 20 years old) male citizens received the right to vote and could participate in the annual volost "people's assembly", where they would elect delegates to the "local people's assemblies", that is, local authorities. Each volost, district, province and region had to have its own local people's assembly. The head of the local volost assembly was an elected “volost leader,” and the heads of the district and provincial assemblies were elected “mayors.” All citizens had the right to elect and be elected to any government body. authorities. Pestel proposed not direct, but two-stage elections: first, volost people's assemblies elected deputies to district and provincial assemblies, and the latter from their midst elected representatives to the highest bodies of the state. The supreme legislative body of the future Russia - the People's Assembly - was elected for a period of 5 years. Only the People's Council could make laws, declare war and make peace. No one had the right to dissolve it, since it represented, according to Pestel’s definition, the “will” and “soul” of the people in the state. The supreme executive body was the State Duma, which consisted of five people and was also elected for 5 years from members of the People's Council.

In addition to the legislative and executive powers, the state must also have a “vigilant” power, which would control the exact implementation of laws in the country and ensure that the People’s Assembly and the State Duma do not go beyond the limits established by law. The central body of supervisory power - the Supreme Council - consisted of 120 “boyars” elected for life.

The head of the Southern Society intended to free the peasants with the land and secure for them all the rights of citizenship. He also intended to destroy military settlements and transfer this land for free use to the peasants. Pestel believed that all the lands of the volost should be divided into 2 equal halves: “public land”, which will belong to the entire volost society and can neither be sold nor mortgaged, and “private” land.

The government in the new Russia must fully support entrepreneurship. Pestel also proposed a new tax system. He proceeded from the fact that all kinds of natural and personal duties should be replaced with money. Taxes should be “levied on the property of citizens, and not on their persons.”

Pestel emphasized that people, completely regardless of their race and nationality, are equal by nature, therefore a great people who have subjugated small ones cannot and should not use their superiority to oppress them.

Southern society recognized the army as the support of the movement, considering it the decisive force of the revolutionary coup. Members of the society intended to take power in the capital, forcing the king to abdicate. The Society's new tactics required organizational changes: only military personnel associated primarily with regular army units were accepted into it; discipline within the Society was tightened; All members were required to submit unconditionally to the leadership center - the Directory.

In the 2nd Army, regardless of the activities of the Vasilkovsky council, another society arose - Slavic Union, better known as Society of United Slavs. It arose in 1823 among army officers and had 52 members, advocating a democratic federation of all Slavic peoples. Having finally taken shape at the beginning of 1825, it already in the summer of 1825 joined the Southern Society as the Slavic Council (mainly through the efforts of M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin). Among the members of this society there were many enterprising people and opponents of the rule do not hurry. Sergei Muravyov-Apostol called them “chained mad dogs.”

All that remained before the start of decisive action was to enter into relations with Polish secret societies. The details of these relations and the subsequent agreement are not as clear as possible. Negotiations with a representative of the Polish Patriotic Society(otherwise Patriotic Union) Prince Yablonovsky was led personally by Pestel. Negotiations were held with the Northern Society of Decembrists about joint actions. The unification agreement was hampered by the radicalism and dictatorial ambitions of the leader of the “southerners” Pestel, whom the “northerners” feared).

Pestel developed a program document for the “southerners,” which he called “Russian Truth.” Pestel intended to carry out the planned reorganization of Russia with the assistance of the indignation of the troops. The death of Emperor Alexander and the extermination of the entire royal family were considered necessary by members of Southern society for the successful outcome of the entire enterprise. At the very least, there is no doubt that there were conversations in this sense between members of secret societies.

While Southern society was preparing for decisive action in 1826, its plans were revealed to the government. Even before Alexander I left for Taganrog, in the summer of 1825, Arakcheev received information about the conspiracy sent by the non-commissioned officer of the 3rd Bug Uhlan Regiment Sherwood (who was later given the surname Sherwood-Verny by Emperor Nicholas). He was summoned to Gruzino and personally reported to Alexander I all the details of the conspiracy. After listening to him, the sovereign said to Count Arakcheev: “let him go to the place and give him all the means to discover the intruders.” On November 25, 1825, Mayboroda, captain of the Vyatka infantry regiment, commanded by Colonel Pestel, reported in a most loyal letter various revelations regarding secret societies.

Northern Society (1822-1825)

Northern society was formed in St. Petersburg in two Decembrist groups led by N. M. Muravyov and N. I. Turgenev. It was composed of several councils in St. Petersburg (in the guards regiments) and one in Moscow. The governing body was the Supreme Duma of three people (initially N. M. Muravyov, N. I. Turgenev and E. P. Obolensky, later - S. P. Trubetskoy, K. F. Ryleev and A. A. Bestuzhev (Marlinsky) ).

Northern society was more moderate in goals than the Southern one, but the influential radical wing (K.F. Ryleev, A.A. Bestuzhev, E.P. Obolensky, I.I. Pushchin) shared the provisions of P.I. Pestel’s “Russian Truth”.

The program document of the “northerners” was the “Constitution” of N. M. Muravyov. It envisioned a constitutional monarchy based on the principle of separation of powers. Legislative power belonged to the bicameral People's Assembly, executive power belonged to the emperor.

Insurrection

Among these alarming circumstances, the threads of a conspiracy began to emerge more and more clearly, covering, like a network, almost the entire Russian Empire. Adjutant General Baron Dibich, as Chief of the General Staff, took upon himself the execution of the necessary orders; he sent Adjutant General Chernyshev to Tulchin to arrest the most important figures of Southern society. Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, members of the Northern Society decided to take advantage of the interregnum to achieve their goal of establishing a republic through a military rebellion.

Execution

More than 500 people were brought to justice as a result of the investigation. The result of the court's work was a list of 121 “state criminals”, divided into 11 categories according to the degree of offense. Outside the ranks were P. I. Pestel, K. F. Ryleev, S. I. Muravyov-Apostol, M. P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and P. G. Kakhovsky, sentenced to death by quartering. Among the thirty-one state criminals of the first category sentenced to death by beheading were members of secret societies who gave personal consent to the regicide. The rest were sentenced to various terms of hard labor. Later, for the “first-class men” the death penalty was replaced with eternal hard labor, and for the five leaders of the uprising, quartering was replaced with death by hanging.

Notes

Literature

  • Henri Troyat (literary pseudonym of Lev Tarasov) (b. 1911), French writer. Fictionalized biographies of F. M. Dostoevsky, A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, L. N. Tolstoy, N. V. Gogol. A series of historical novels (“Light of the Righteous,” 1959-63) about the Decembrists. The novel-trilogy “The Egletiere Family” (1965-67); novellas; plays on it. language: Vincey “Brothers of Christ in Russia” (2004) ISBN 978-3-8334-1061-1
  • E. Tumanik. Early Decembrism and Freemasonry // Tumanik E. N. Alexander Nikolaevich Muravyov: the beginning of a political biography and the foundation of the first Decembrist organizations. - Novosibirsk: Institute of History SB RAS, 2006, p. 172-179.

Sources on the history of the Decembrists

  • “Report of the investigative commission of the city.”
  • “Report of the Warsaw Investigative Committee.”
  • M. Bogdanovich, “History of the reign of Emperor Alexander I” (volume six).
  • A. Pypin, “The Social Movement in Russia under Alexander I.”
  • bar. M. A. Korf, “The accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas I.”
  • N. Schilder, “The Interregnum in Russia from November 19 to December 14” (“Russian Starina”, city, vol. 35).
  • S. Maksimov, “Siberia and hard labor” (St. Petersburg,).
  • “Notes of the Decembrists”, published in London by A. Herzen.
  • L.K. Chukovskaya “Decembrists - explorers of Siberia”.

Notes of the Decembrists

  • “Notes of Ivan Dmitrievich Yakushkin” (London,; the second part is placed in the “Russian Archive”);
  • “Notes of the book. Trubetskoy" (L.,);
  • “The Fourteenth of December” by N. Pushchin (L.,);
  • “Mon exil en Siberie. - Souvenirs du prince Eugène Obolenski" (Lpc.,);
  • “Notes of von Wisin” (LPts., , in an abbreviated form published in “Russian Antiquity”);
  • Nikita Muravyov, “Analysis of the report of the investigative commission in the city”;
  • Lunin, “A Look at the Secret Society in Russia 1816-1826”;
  • “Notes of I. I. Gorbachevsky” (“Russian Archive”);
  • “Notes of N.V. Basargin” (“Nineteenth Century”, 1st part);
  • “Memoirs of the Decembrist A. S. Gangeblov” (M.,);
  • “Notes of the Decembrist” (Baron Rosen, Lpts.,);
  • “Memoirs of the Decembrist (A. Belyaev) about what he experienced and felt, 1805-1850.” (SPb.,).

Links

  • Draft constitutions of P. I. Pestel and N. Muravyov
  • Summary (synopsis) of Shaporin’s opera “Decembrists” on the “100 Operas” website
  • Nikolai Troitsky Decembrists // Russia in the 19th century. Lecture course. M., 1997.

Decembrists- participants in the Russian opposition movement, members of various secret societies of the second half of the 1810s - the first half of the 1820s, who organized an anti-government uprising on December 14, 1825 and were named after the month of the uprising.

Starting from the second half of the 1810s, some representatives of the Russian intelligentsia, military men and nobles considered autocracy and serfdom to be detrimental to the further development of the country. Among them there was a system of views, the implementation of which was supposed to change the structure of Russian life. The formation of the ideology of the future Decembrists was facilitated by:

· acquaintance of many officers who participated in the Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army to defeat Napoleon with political and social life in the states of Western Europe;

· the influence of the works of Western writers of the Enlightenment: Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, F. R. Weiss;

· disagreement with the policies of the government of Emperor Alexander I.

The ideology of the Decembrists was not uniform, but was mainly directed against autocracy and serfdom. At the same time, the December Movement was closely connected with Polish secret societies, with which it had an agreement on a joint uprising since 1824.

Southern Society (1821-1825)

On the basis of the “Union of Welfare” of 1821, two large revolutionary organizations arose at once: the Southern Society in Kyiv and the Northern Society in St. Petersburg. The more revolutionary and decisive Southern society was headed by P.I. Pestel, the Northern, whose attitudes were considered more moderate, was headed by Nikita Muravyov.

In March 1821, on the initiative of P.I. Pestel, the Tulchinskaya government “Union of Prosperity” restored a secret society called “Southern Society”. The structure of society repeated the structure of the Union of Salvation. Only officers were involved in the society, and strict discipline was observed. It was supposed to establish a republican system through regicide and a “military revolution,” that is, a military coup. Pestel’s “Russian Truth”, adopted at a congress in Kyiv in 1823, became the political program of the Southern Society.

Southern society recognized the army as the support of the movement, considering it the decisive force of the revolutionary coup. Members of the society intended to take power in the capital, forcing the emperor to abdicate. The Society's new tactics required organizational changes: only military personnel associated primarily with regular army units were accepted into it; discipline within the Society was tightened; All members were required to submit unconditionally to the leadership center - the Directory.

The society was headed by the Root Duma (chairman P.I. Pestel, guardian A.P. Yushnevsky). By 1823, the society included three councils - Tulchinskaya (under the leadership of P.I. Pestel and A.P. Yushnevsky), Vasilkovskaya (under the leadership of S.I. Muravyov-Apostol and M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin) and Kamenskaya (under the leadership leadership of V.L. Davydov and S.G. Volkonsky).



In the 2nd Army, independently of the activities of the Vasilkovsky government, another society arose - the Slavic Union, better known as the Society of United Slavs. It arose in 1823 among army officers and had 52 members, advocating a democratic federation of all Slavic peoples. Having finally taken shape at the beginning of 1825, it already in the summer of 1825 joined the Southern Society as the Slavic Council (mainly through the efforts of M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin). Among the members of this society there were many enterprising people and opponents of the rule of not rushing. Sergei Muravyov-Apostol called them “chained mad dogs.”

All that remained before the start of decisive action was to enter into relations with Polish secret societies. Pestel personally conducted negotiations with the representative of the Polish Patriotic Society (otherwise the Patriotic Union), Prince Yablonovsky. The purpose of the negotiations was to recognize the independence of Poland and transfer to it from Russia the provinces of Lithuania, Podolia and Volyn, as well as the annexation of Little Russia to Poland.

Negotiations were also conducted with the Northern Society of Decembrists about joint actions. The unification agreement was hampered by the radicalism and dictatorial ambitions of the leader of the “southerners” Pestel, whom the “northerners” feared.

While Southern society was preparing for decisive action in 1826, its plans were revealed to the government. Even before Emperor Alexander I left for Taganrog, in the summer of 1825, Count Arakcheev received information about the conspiracy sent by the non-commissioned officer of the 3rd Bug Uhlan Regiment Sherwood (who was later given the surname Sherwood-Verny by Emperor Nicholas). He was summoned to Gruzino and personally reported to Alexander I all the details of the conspiracy. After listening to him, the sovereign said to Arakcheev: “Let him go to the place and give him all the means to discover the intruders.” On November 25, 1825, A.I. Mayboroda, captain of the Vyatka infantry regiment, commanded by Colonel Pestel, reported in a letter revealing information about secret societies. A.K. Boshnyak, who served as an official under the head of the Southern Military Settlements, Count I.O. Vip, also took part in exposing the society’s plans.



Even earlier, in 1822, a member of the Union of Welfare, officer V.F. Raevsky, was arrested in Chisinau.

Northern Society (1822-1825)

The Northern Society was formed in St. Petersburg in 1822 from two Decembrist groups led by N. M. Muravyov and N. I. Turgenev. It was composed of several councils in St. Petersburg (in the guards regiments) and one in Moscow. The governing body was the Supreme Duma of three people (initially N. M. Muravyov, N. I. Turgenev and E. P. Obolensky, later - S. P. Trubetskoy, K. F. Ryleev and A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky) .

The program document of the “northerners” was the Constitution of N. M. Muravyov. Northern society was more moderate in goals than the Southern one, but the influential radical wing (K.F. Ryleev, A.A. Bestuzhev, E.P. Obolensky, I.I. Pushchin) shared the provisions of P.I. Pestel’s “Russian Truth”.

Local historian of Yakutia N.S. Shchukin, in his essay “Alexander Bestuzhev in Yakutsk,” cites the latter’s statement: “... the goal of our conspiracy was to change the government, some wanted a republic in the image of the United States; others are constitutional kings, as in England; still others wanted, without knowing what, but propagated other people's thoughts. We called these people hands, soldiers, and accepted them into society only for the sake of numbers. The head of the St. Petersburg conspiracy was Ryleev.”

Academician N.M. Druzhinin in the book “Decembrist Nikita Muravyov” points to the existing disagreements in Northern society between N. Muravyov and K. Ryleev and speaks of the emergence in Northern society of a militant movement grouped around Ryleev. About the political views of the participants in this movement, N. M. Druzhinin writes that it “stands on different socio-political positions than Nikita Muravyov. These are, first of all, staunch Republicans.”

Academician M.V. Nechkina speaks about the presence of the “Ryleev group” and makes the following conclusion: “The Ryleev-Bestuzhev-Obolensky group suffered the uprising on December 14: it was the group of people without whose activity the performance on Senate Square simply would not have happened...”

In 1823-1825 K. Ryleev and A. Bestuzhev published three issues of the literary almanac “Polar Star”, which contained some revolutionary calls and ideas (for example, in “Confession of Nalivaika” by Ryleev), which caused problems with censorship. The almanac published short works by A. Pushkin, E. Baratynsky, F. Glinka, I. Krylov, A. Griboedov, A. Khomyakov, P. Pletnev, Senkovsky, V. Zhukovsky and others. Many of the authors were in one way or another connected with the Decembrists. The question of the role in the activities of the Northern SocietyA. S. Griboyedov and A. S. Pushkin, who closely communicated with its leaders and enjoyed great authority among freethinkers, still causes discussions in scientific circles.

Uprising on Senate Square.

Among these alarming circumstances, the threads of a conspiracy began to emerge more and more clearly, covering, like a network, almost the entire Russian Empire. Adjutant General Baron Dibich, as Chief of the General Staff, took upon himself the execution of the necessary orders; he sent Adjutant General Chernyshev to Tulchin to arrest the most important figures of Southern society. Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, members of the Northern Society decided to take advantage of the interregnum to achieve their goal of establishing a republic through a military rebellion.

The abdication of the throne by Tsarevich Constantine and the new oath upon the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas were recognized by the conspirators as a convenient opportunity for an open uprising. To avoid differences of opinion, which constantly slowed down the actions of society, Ryleev, Prince Obolensky, Alexander Bestuzhev and others appointed Prince Trubetskoy as dictator. Trubetskoy’s plan, drawn up by him together with Batenkov, was to instill doubt in the guards about the abdication of the Tsarevich and lead the first regiment that refused the oath to another regiment, gradually dragging the troops along with him, and then, having gathered them together, announce to the soldiers that there was the will of the deceased emperor is to reduce the service life of the lower ranks and that it is necessary to demand that this will be fulfilled, but not to rely on words alone, but to firmly establish yourself and not diverge. Thus, the rebels were convinced that if the soldiers were honestly told about the goals of the uprising, then no one would support them. Trubetskoy was sure that the regiments would not go to the shelves, that civil strife could not flare up in Russia, and that the sovereign himself would not want bloodshed and would agree to renounce autocratic power.

The day came December 14 (26), 1825; An uprising began, which was suppressed on the same day (shot with grapeshot). According to official S.N. Korsakov, 1,271 people died that day.

Uprising of the Chernigov Regiment

In the south, things also did not happen without an armed uprising. Six companies of the Chernigov regiment freed the arrested Sergei Muravyov-Apostol, who marched with them to Bila Tserkva; but on January 3, 1826, they were overtaken by a detachment of hussars with horse artillery. Muravyov ordered to attack them without firing a shot, hoping that the government troops would go over to the side of the rebels, but this did not happen. The artillery fired a volley of grapeshot, confusion arose in the ranks of the Chernigov regiment, and the soldiers laid down their arms. The wounded Muravyov was arrested.

War is such an unjust and bad thing that those who fight try to drown out the voice of conscience within themselves.

L.N. Tolstoy

The secret societies of the Decembrists originate in the “Union of Salvation” and the “Union of Welfare”. Each union developed ideas for the liberal development of Russia, and every year the organizations penetrated deeper into the governance of the country. It is especially necessary to note the “Union of Welfare,” which existed from 1818 to 1821. He promoted the ideas of reforms while preserving autocracy. everything was changed by the events of 1820-1821. At this time, revolutions took place in Spain, and then in Portugal and Italy. They were practically without bloodshed and the revolutionaries succeeded in the main thing - they achieved the adoption of a liberal constitution. The leaders of secret societies expected that a similar scenario of a bloodless revolution was possible in Russia, but the leaders had different views on methods of achieving this. As a result, the Union of Welfare disintegrated:

  • Southern secret society with its center in Ukraine, in Tulchin.
  • Northern secret society with its center in St. Petersburg.

Southern Secret Society

The Southern Secret Society of Future Decembrists was formed in 1821. It was based in Ukraine in 3 centers:

  • In Tulchin. Here was the headquarters of the society, which was called the “Indigenous Council”. This city was chosen as the main one, since the 2nd Ukrainian Army was stationed here, on the basis of which the society functioned. Its leaders were Pestel and Yushnevsky.
  • In Kamenka. The heads of the department were Davydov and Volkonsky.
  • In Vasilkov. Leaders: Muravyov-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin.

The secret society of Decembrists in the south made all decisions at congresses. These congresses were held annually in Kyiv. The first congress took place in January 1822. At this congress, Pestel first formulated his program for reforming Russia, which he called “Russian Truth”.

Pestel's Russian Truth

Pavel Ivanovich Pestel called his document on the creation of the Constitution “Russian truth” because he wanted to emphasize the connection of his secret society with ancient Russia. Let us recall that in 1047 Yaroslav the Wise adopted the “Russian Truth”, which set out the code of laws of Kievan Rus. Then this was necessary, since the country could not be governed without laws. Calling his document “Russian Truth,” Pestel emphasized that the Russian Empire, as of 1822, also had no laws, was powerless, and needed a strong hand to restore order. Moreover, the order, as assumed by this secret society of the Decembrists, was supposed to be more liberal than the post-war policy of Alexander 1.

Pestel's Russian Truth suggested the following:

  • Russia must change from an Empire to a Republic, where the people's parliament will play a decisive role. The parliament is elected.
  • Executive power belongs to the Sovereign Duma, which consists of 5 people. Every year, 1 out of 5 people change. The Duma is elective.
  • Only men over 20 years of age were allowed to vote.
  • The Supreme Council was supposed to monitor compliance with laws in the country. The council was supposed to consist of 120 people who would hold their position for life.
  • The country proclaims freedom of religious views and beliefs, press, movement and speech. All categories of the population must be equal before the judiciary.
  • Complete abolition of serfdom. It was proposed to divide the lands into 2 large groups: public and private. As much land as should be enough for a peasant was transferred to private land ownership. The rest went to public use.
  • Poland should receive independent status. Pestel believed that after this Poland would be an ally of Russia.

As you can see, the main program document of the Southern Secret Society of the Decembrists envisaged the complete abolition of the monarchy. All power was planned to be concentrated in the hands of Parliament, which operates from a single center. The program did not indicate in which center the Parliament would work: in St. Petersburg or Moscow. At its core, it was a radical document, which, although it tried to create liberal paths of development for the Russian Empire, required for this the complete overthrow of the power of the monarch.

Northern Secret Society

The Northern Secret Society was formed in 1822 in St. Petersburg. The society worked only in the capital of the Russian Empire, without forming a representative office in other cities. The leaders of this secret union of future Decembrists were Muravyov, Pushchin, Lunin, Turgenev, Obolensky and Trubetskoy. Northern society was less radical than Southern society. It did not demand the destruction of the monarchy, but spoke about the creation of restrictive conditions in the form of the Constitution. Ultimately, the Muravyov Constitution was adopted, which was actually the statutory documents for the society.

Muravyov's Constitution

The “Constitution” that Muravyov developed, and which the Northern Secret Society of Decembrists strived for, assumed the following:

  • The Russian Empire becomes a constitutional monarchy. The power still rests with the Emperor, but it must now be limited by the Constitution. Mainly, the emperor was deprived of legislative power.
  • Legislative power was transferred to the Parliament. The parliament was elected, but not everyone was allowed to vote. Unlike Southern society, people were allowed to vote not on the basis of reaching a certain age, but on the basis of achieving certain property. In fact, only the rich were allowed to vote.
  • All government positions in Russia were to be elected. Thus, the Table of Ranks, introduced by Peter 1, was destroyed.
  • Universal equality of sections of the population before the law was affirmed. Freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press were also secured.
  • Abolition of serfdom. The document provided for the redistribution of land. Most of it was to go into permanent use by the landowners. The peasants were supposed to be allocated 2 dessiatines of land. This was not enough to feed a peasant family, so the document seemed to assume that the peasants would voluntarily be hired to work for the landowners.
  • The Russian Empire was to be transformed into a Federation form. It was planned to introduce 13 federal districts, each of which should have its own center. I note that Kyiv was supposed to act as the center of Chernomorsk.

This Constitution was not an attempt to change the country for the better, but an attempt to redistribute resources. Yes, the document provided for the abolition of serfdom, but in fact the peasants did not become free. The entire program of the Northern Secret Society was based on the fact that landowners, as a class, were to receive a more significant role in governing the country.

Commonalities and differences in societies

The secret societies of the Decembrists set themselves a single goal - the abolition of serfdom and reform of the country's governance system. Another thing is that the reform paths were different. Traditionally, in the south, it was not about attempts to change power, but about a full-scale revolution, during which the emperor had to be arrested or executed. The Northern society adhered to the principles of introducing the Constitution, since this society was closer to the circles of government of the country, and therefore was located in St. Petersburg. Since this society was close to governance, it could not consider options for destroying imperial power. Therefore, a Constitution was chosen, but the Constitution was aimed at ordinary people, but at the wealthy.

Ultimately, despite differences in the principles of conducting their activities, the development of the Northern and Southern secret societies led to the uprising on Senate Square in December 1825. The uprising was spontaneous, but it was the first prepared and relatively large-scale attempt to overthrow the government.



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