Southern Society (1821-1825). Southern Society of Decembrists Secret Society 1821

The history of Russia in the 19th century is incredibly rich in various events. However, the Decembrist uprising on Senate Square occupies a very special place among them. After all, if the goal of all previous successful and unsuccessful attempts to seize power in the country was to replace one autocrat with another, then this time it was about a change in the social system and the transition to a republican method of governing the state. The initiators of the December Uprising were members of the “Southern” and “Northern” secret societies, led by N. Muravyov, S. Trubetskoy and P. Pestel.

Background

It is usually customary to begin the story of the Decembrist Uprising with the founding of the “Union of Salvation” in St. Petersburg, a secret society that declared its goal to liberate the peasants and carry out fundamental reforms in the sphere of government. This organization existed for only one year, and was dissolved due to differences in the views of the participants on the possibility of regicide. However, many of its participants continued their activities, now as part of the Union of Welfare. After the conspirators learned that the authorities were going to introduce their spies into the ranks of the rebels, the “Northern” (at the beginning of 1822) and “Southern” (in 1821) secret societies were formed instead. The first of them operated in the Northern capital, and the second in Kyiv.

Southern Society

Despite the somewhat provincial status of the organization of conspirators operating in Ukraine, its members were much more radical than the “northerners.” First of all, this was due to the fact that the “Southern Society” consisted exclusively of officers, most of whom had experience in participating in battles, and its members sought to change the political structure of the country through regicide and a military coup. The turning point in his activities came in 1823. It was then that a congress took place in Kyiv, which adopted the program document of the “Southern Society” authored by Pavel Pestel, called “Russian Truth”. This work, along with the draft constitution of N. Muravyov, on which members of the “Northern Society” relied, played a large role in the formation of progressive views among the Russian aristocracy of the 19th century, which, by the way, led to the abolition of serfdom.

Policy document

Pestel's "Russian Truth" was presented to the members of the "Southern Society" in 1823. However, he began working on it back in 1819. A total of 5 chapters were written concerning land, class and national issues. Pestel proposed renaming Nizhny Novgorod Vladimir and moving there the capital of the new Russian unified state. In addition, the Russian Pravda raised the issue of immediate abolition. The program of the “Southern Society” of the Decembrists also provided for:

• equality before the law of every citizen;
• the right to elect a “People's Assembly” for all men over twenty years of age;
• freedom of speech, religion, occupation, assembly, movement and press;
• inviolability of home and person;
• equality before justice.

Goals

As has already been said, "Southern Society" was more radical than "Northern" society. His main goal was:

• the liquidation of the autocracy, including the physical destruction of all representatives of the reigning house of Romanov;
• abolition of serfdom, but without granting land to the ownership of peasants;
• introduction of the constitution;
• destruction of class differences;
• establishment of representative government.

P. Pestel: a short biographical sketch

So who was at the helm of the “Southern Society” and created one of the most significant documents concerning the development of Russia, based on the principles of the Age of Enlightenment? This man was Pavel Ivanovich Pestel, who was born in 1793 in Moscow, into a German family that professed Lutheranism. At the age of 12, the boy was sent to Dresden, where he studied at one of the closed educational institutions. Pavel Pestel received further education in the Corps of Pages, and upon graduation, the young man was assigned to the Lithuanian regiment. The military career of the future conspirator was more than successful. In particular, Pestel showed miracles of courage during the Battle of Borodino and in other battles of the Patriotic War of 1812, and was awarded many Russian and allied awards.

Pavel Pestel

After the victory over Napoleon, political organizations arose among the Russian officers that set themselves the goal of improving the situation of the peasants and limiting or even destroying the autocracy. One of these military men was Pavel Pestel, who became a member of the Union of Salvation, later the Union of Welfare, and finally, in 1821, headed the Southern Secret Society. The main miscalculation that Pavel Ivanovich Pestel made was his proposal that in the event of the victory of the uprising, the country would be ruled by the Provisional Government for an unlimited time. This idea caused concern among members of the Northern Society, since among the rebels there were many who saw in his actions both the desire to become a dictator and Napoleonic ambitions. That is why the “northerners” were in no hurry to unite with the “southerners,” which ultimately weakened their common potential. Judging by the surviving documents, during 1824 Pestel, considering himself misunderstood by his comrades, experienced severe depression and even lost interest in the activities of the “Southern Society” for some time.

"Southern Society": participants

In addition to P. Pestel, several dozen famous military men of that time were members of the secret society organized among officers of military units stationed on the territory of modern Ukraine. In particular, among the leaders of the “southerners” S. Muravyov-Apostol, M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, V. Davydov and the hero of the year S. Volkonsky enjoyed special authority. A Directory was elected to manage the organization, which, in addition to Pestel, also included Quartermaster General A.P. Yushnevsky.

Actions of the authorities to expose the activities of secret societies

In history, as in the case of any other conspiratorial societies, there were traitors and provocateurs. In particular, the most fatal mistake was made by Pestel himself, who introduced his subordinate, Captain Arkady Mayboroda, into the secret “Southern Society”. The latter did not have any education, as evidenced by the numerous grammatical errors that are present in the denunciation he wrote against Pestel, and was dishonest. In the fall of 1825, Mayboroda committed a large embezzlement of soldiers' money. Fearing the consequences, he informed the authorities about the impending rebellion. Even earlier, a denunciation of the conspirators was made by non-commissioned officer Sherwood, who was even summoned to Alexander the First to testify and sent to his place of service, the Third Bug Regiment, so that he could continue to report on the goals and intentions of the rebels.

Preparing for the uprising

Back in the fall of 1825, at a meeting with General S. Volkonsky, Pestel, the goals of the “Southern Society” for the coming months were determined, the main of which was the preparation of an uprising scheduled for January 1, 1826. The fact is that on this day the Vyatka regiment led by him was supposed to serve as a guard at the headquarters of the 2nd Army in Tulchin. The conspirators developed a forced march route to St. Petersburg and stockpiled the necessary food. It was assumed that they would arrest the commander and chief of staff of the army and move to St. Petersburg, where they would be supported by army units led by officers who were members of the Northern Society.

Consequences of the Decembrist uprising for members of the "Southern Society"

Few people know that Pavel Ivanovich Pestel was arrested even before the events on Senate Square, and more specifically, on December 13, 1825, as a result of Mayboroda’s denunciation. Later, 37 members of the “Southern Society” were detained and brought to trial, as well as 61 members of the “Northern Society” and 26 people related to the “South Slavs Society”. Many of them were sentenced to various types of death penalty, but then pardoned, with the exception of five: Pestel, Ryleev, Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Kakhovsky and Muravyov-Apostol.

Uprising of the Chernigov Regiment

After the events on Senate Square became known, and many of the leaders of the “Southern Society” were arrested, their comrades who remained at large decided to take retaliatory measures. In particular, on December 29, officers of the Chernigov regiment Kuzmin, Sukhinov, Soloviev and Shchepillo attacked their regimental commanders and freed Muravyov-Apostol, who was under lock and key in the village of Trilesy. The next day, the rebels captured the city of Vasilkov and Motovilovka, where they announced the “Orthodox Catechism”, in which, appealing to the religious feelings of the soldiers, they tried to explain to them that statements about the divinity of the tsarist power were fiction, and the Russian people should submit only to the will of the Lord, and not autocrat.

A few days later, a clash took place between the rebels and government troops near the village of Ustimovka. Moreover, S. Muravyov-Apostol forbade the soldiers to shoot, hoping that the commanders who found themselves on the other side of the barricades would do the same. As a result of the massacre, he himself was wounded, his brother shot himself, and 6 officers and 895 soldiers were arrested. Thus, the “Southern Society” ceased to exist, and its members were either physically destroyed, or demoted and exiled to hard labor or to the troops fighting in the Caucasus.

Despite the fact that the Decembrist uprising was not successful, it pointed out to the Russian autocrats the need for reforms, which, however, were not carried out under the reactionary rule of Nicholas II. At the same time, the program of the “Southern Society” and Muravyov’s “Constitution” gave impetus to the development of plans for the transformation of Russia by revolutionary organizations, which, in principle, led to the revolution of 1917.

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.

Development of opposition ideas in Tsarist Russia XIX - early XX centuries
1810s-1826	Decembrist movement Bestuzhev (Marlinsky) A. A. | Bestuzhev-Ryumin M. P. | Volkonsky S. G. | Glinka F.N. | Davydov V.L. | Dolgorukov I. A. | Kakhovsky P. G. | Lunin M. S. | Muravyov N. M. | Muravyov-Apostol M.I. | Muravyov-Apostol S.I. | Obolensky E. P. | Pestel P.I. | Pushchin I. I. | Ryleev K. F. | Trubetskoy S. P. | Turgenev N. I. | Yushnevsky A. P. | Yakubovich A. I. | Yakushkin I. D. | List of Decembrists "Union of Salvation" | "Union of Welfare" | Northern Society | Southern Society | Society of United Slavs | Decembrist revolt “Constitution” by N. M. Muravyov | “Russian Truth” by P. I. Pestel
1826-1850s	Bakunin M. A. | Belinsky V. G. | Butashevich-Petrashevsky M. V. | Herzen A.I. | Kostenetsky, Ya. I. | Kritsky P., M. and V. |

On the basis of the Union of Welfare, in the spring of 1821, 2 large revolutionary organizations arose at once: the Southern Society in Ukraine 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.

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 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 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,” i.e., a military coup.

The Southern 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 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. The details of these relations and the subsequent agreement are not as clear as possible. Pestel personally conducted negotiations with the representative of the Polish Patriotic Society (otherwise the Patriotic Union), Prince Yablonovsky. 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).

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.

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Northern Society (1822-1825)

Main article: Northern secret society

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] ).

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.

K. Kolman "Revolt of the Decembrists"

The Decembrists were “children of 1812”, that’s what they called themselves.

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

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

Thus, an understanding gradually developed of the need to fight serfdom and autocracy, which did not seek to change the lot of the peasants. The Decembrist movement was not some outstanding phenomenon; it took place in the general mainstream of the world revolutionary movement. P. Pestel also wrote about this in his testimony: “The present century is marked by revolutionary thoughts. From one end of Europe to the other one can see the same thing, from Portugal to Russia, without excluding a single state, even England and Turkey, these two opposites. All of America presents the same spectacle. The spirit of transformation makes, so to speak, minds bubble everywhere... These are the reasons, I believe, that gave rise to revolutionary thoughts and rules and rooted them in the minds.”

Early secret societies

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

F. Tulov "Alexander Nikolaevich Muravyov"

Salvation Union

It was a small, closed group of like-minded people, numbering only 10-12 people. At the end of its existence it grew to 30 people. The main members of the Union of Salvation were the prince, Art. General Staff officer S.P. Trubetskoy; Matvey and Sergey Muravyov-Apostles; Second Lieutenant of the General Staff Nikita Muravyov; I.D. Yakushkin, second lieutenant of the Semenovsky regiment; M.N. Novikov, nephew of the famous educator of the 18th century, and Pavel Ivanovich Pestel.

The main goals of their struggle:

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

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

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

Welfare Union

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

Main goals of the organization:

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

But the charter of the Union of Welfare consisted of two parts: the main part and the “secret” part, which was drawn up later.

His program:

• abolition of slavery;
• equality of citizens before the law;
• transparency in government affairs;
• publicity of legal proceedings;
• destruction of the wine monopoly;
• destruction of military settlements;
• improving the lot of defenders of the Fatherland, establishing a limit for their service, reduced from 25 years;
• improving the lot of clergy members;
• in peacetime, a reduction in the size of the army.

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

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

New secret societies

Southern Society of Decembrists

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

Political program of Southern society

"Russian Truth" P.I. Pestel

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

— about land space;

- about the tribes inhabiting Russia;

- about the classes found in Russia;

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

— about the structure and formation of the supreme power;

— about the structure and formation of local authorities;

— about the security structure in the state;

— about the government;

- an order for the compilation of a state code of laws.

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

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

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

With the proclamation of a republic, all classes should be destroyed, no class should differ from another in any social privileges, the nobility should be destroyed, all people should be equal citizens. Everyone was supposed to be equal before the law, everyone could participate in government affairs.

According to Pestel's constitution, adulthood was reached at the age of 20. Pestel was a supporter of a federal structure with strong centralized power. The republic was to be divided into provinces or regions, regions into districts, districts into volosts. Chapters are only elective. Higher legislative body- People's Assembly, which should be elected for 5 years. No one had the right to dissolve the veche. The veche was supposed to be unicameral. Executive agency- State Duma.

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

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

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

This was the most radical constitutional project that existed at that time.

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

Northern society

P. Sokolov "Nikita Muravyov"

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

The society was headed by the Supreme Duma. N. Muravyov’s deputies were Princes Trubetskoy and Obolensky, then, in connection with Trubetskoy’s departure to Tver, Kondraty Ryleev. I. Pushchin played a significant role in society.

Political program of the Nordic society

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

He proposed to solve the peasant question in the following way: free them from serfdom, but leave the lands of the landowners for the landowners. The peasants were to receive estate plots and two tithes per yard.

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

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

Military settlements had to be destroyed, appanage lands (those whose income went to the maintenance of the reigning house) were confiscated and transferred to the peasants.

All class titles were abolished and replaced with the title citizen. The concept “Russian” had meaning only in relation to Russian citizenship, and not national.

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

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

The emperor was supposed to represent the executive branch, he was supposed to be the commander-in-chief, but he did not have the right to start or cancel wars.

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

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

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

Each power also had a bicameral system: the Chamber of Electors and the State Duma. Legislative power in the state belonged to the legislative assembly.

The Constitution of N. Muravyov, if it had been introduced, would have broken all the foundations of the old system, it would certainly have met with resistance, so he provided for the use of weapons.

The question of the unification of Southern and Northern societies

The need for this was understood by members of both societies. But it was not easy for them to come to a common opinion. Each society had its own doubts about certain constitutional issues. In addition, even the very personality of P. Pestel raised doubts among members of the Northern society. K. Ryleev even found that Pestel was “a dangerous man for Russia.” In the spring of 1824, Pestel himself came to the members of the Northern Society with a proposal to accept the “Russian Truth”. There were passionate debates at the meeting, but at the same time, this visit pushed the Northern Society to more decisive action. They discussed the issue of preparing a performance in Bila Tserkva, where the royal review was planned in 1825. But the performance could only be joint: the Northern and Southern societies. Everyone agreed that it was necessary to develop a common program: the idea of ​​a republic (instead of a constitutional monarchy) and a Constituent Assembly (instead of the dictatorship of the Provisional Revolutionary Government) were more acceptable to the majority. These issues should finally be resolved by the 1826 congress.

But events began to develop according to an unforeseen plan: in November 1825, Emperor Alexander I suddenly died. The heir to the throne was Alexander’s brother Constantine, who had renounced rule even earlier, but his decision was not made public, and on November 27 the population swore allegiance to Constantine. However, he did not accept the throne, but also did not formally renounce the imperial throne. Nicholas did not wait for his brother to formally abdicate and declared himself emperor. The re-oath was to take place on December 14, 1825.

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

In 1821, the Decembrist movement entered a new phase: in the north and south of the country, fully mature revolutionary organizations were created in parallel, which developed programs for the comprehensive transformation of Russia and specific plans for their implementation.

Southern Society

Earlier, already in February 1821, in the south, in Tulchin, the Southern Society took shape. It included three councils in small Ukrainian towns. The Tulchin government was central, since the headquarters of the 2nd Army stationed in Ukraine was located in Tulchin. The council was headed by P.I. Pestel. The Vasilkovskaya council was headed by S.I. Muravyov-Apostol and M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, and the Kamensk council was headed by V.L. Davydov and General Prince S.G. Volkonsky.

Pavel Ivanovich Pestel became the de facto leader of Southern society

Pestel compiled the program of the Southern Society - the famous “Russian Truth”, the most outstanding monument to the ideology of Decembrism.

“Russian Truth” set two main goals for the Decembrists: firstly, to overthrow the autocracy and establish a republic in Russia, and secondly, to abolish serfdom. In order to prevent the restoration of the old regime immediately after the revolution, Pestel proposed, for a time, until the new order was strengthened, to entrust power to the Provisional Supreme Board with dictatorial powers, and then the Provisional Board was to transfer all power to elected bodies. The highest legislative body was supposed to be the unicameral People's Assembly, the executive body was the Sovereign Duma, and the supervisory body was the Supreme Council. Nizhny Novgorod was to become the capital of the Russian Republic - taking into account its geographical advantages and as a sign of respect for the “antiquity of Nizhny Novgorod”.

Class privileges according to“Russian Truth” was destroyed and all classes merged “into a single class - the civil one.” Voting rights were granted to all Russian males from the age of 20, without property or educational qualifications. They were guaranteed freedom of speech, occupation, and religion. Instead of class courts (separately for nobles, townspeople, peasants, and clergy), a common and equal jury trial was introduced for all citizens. Serfdom was abolished unconditionally. “The nobility must certainly forever renounce the vile advantage of possessing other people,” said Russkaya Pravda. The peasants were freed with land without ransom and received 10-12 acres per family, for which Pestel cut in half (although did not destroy) landownership.

Author“Russkaya Pravda” believed that “the land is the property of the entire human race,” and not of private individuals, but, on the other hand, “labor and work are the sources of property” and, therefore, “those who cultivate the land have the right to own it.” . There are two mutually exclusive principles here. Pestel, however, did not exclude one of them from Russian Pravda, but combined both. Here's how he did it. All land in each volost was divided into two funds - public and private. The lands of the public fund were intended for the production of “necessary products” and could neither be sold nor mortgaged. Of these, each citizen of the future republic would receive an allotment. This fund was created through the alienation of half of all landowners' lands in the country. In large landowner estates (more than 10 thousand dessiatines), half of the land was confiscated free of charge, and in estates up to 10 thousand dessiatines were taken away for compensation in money or land plots in other places. As for the lands of the private fund (state and remaining privately owned), they were intended for the production of “abundance” and were subject to free purchase and sale.

Pestel's project was more radical than the reform of 1861, carried out almost half a century later at a higher level of economic and political development of Russia, in a revolutionary situation. Here's a concrete example. By 1861, peasants owned 1/3 of all cultivated land, and as a result of the reform, landowners cut off 1/5 of the peasant plots for themselves. Pestel intended to give the peasants 1/2 of the land suitable for cultivation.

The solution to this was also progressive for its time."Russian Truth" of the national issue. Although Pestel did not recognize the right of the peoples of Russia to secede, he equalized their rights with the Russian people as citizens of a single (by the way, not a federal, but a unitary) republic.

Generally Pestel’s “Russian Truth” opened up wide opportunities for Russia to transition to the principles of democracy and the rule of law. But even if it remains unrealized, it retains historical significance as the first draft of a republican constitution in Russia.

As a program of the Southern Society“Russian Truth” was adopted in January 1823. After this, Pestel and his associates began developing tactical plans, primarily coordinating the actions of the Southern and Northern societies with the aim of uniting them. To do this, during 1823 the South sent five commissioners to the North, who, however, were not successful. Then, in March 1824, Pestel himself went to St. Petersburg.