Zubatov Sergey Vasilievich (1864-1917) is the creator of the political investigation system in pre-revolutionary Russia. As an officer in the police department, he created legal workers' organizations, which received a name from his last name. His activity occupies an important place in the social history of our country at the beginning of the century. The measures taken by him somewhat softened the social intensity on the eve of the revolution, however, unfortunately, they could not prevent its beginning.
Years of study
Zubatov Sergey Vasilievich was born in the family of the chief officer. His father held a prominent position in the Moscow administration. The young man studied in gymnasiums, where he became interested in revolutionary ideas and even created his own circle of nihilists. He was actively engaged in self-education, being carried away mainly by the works of socialist authors. In addition, the young man promoted nihilistic ideas among students, for which he was expelled at the insistence of his father.
Relations with the revolutionaries
Zubatov Sergey Vasilievich after the forced termination of studies became an employee of the Moscow office. However, much more important was his work in a private library, which contained banned and withdrawn literature. Young revolutionaries were her frequent visitors, which led to their rapprochement. However, Zubatov did not share their ideas and beliefs, as he considered himself a supporter of Pisarev's ideas, while his friends shared the socio-political views of the Narodniks. Nevertheless, they maintained relationships with each other. However, after a while he was arrested and accused of having relations with revolutionaries. Then Sergey Vasilievich Zubatov declared that he was in fact a supporter of the existing regime, and in order to prove his innocence, he set about hunting down all those who were somehow connected with underground circles.
Transition to Secret Service
From 1886 to 1887, under the guise of a revolutionary, he was engaged in tracking down the people of the Volunteer. Using their trust and providing them with various services, Zubatov revealed the activities of a number of major underground organizations. However, he was soon discovered and declared a provocateur. Members of one circle even decided to kill him. Then the official authorities invited him to officially go to the police service, which happened in 1889. This activity, he said, caused him great difficulties, which may be explained by his former enthusiasm for revolutionary ideas.
Work in the security department
The 19th century, or rather, its second half, was the heyday of the popular movement, the formation of underground organizations that organized assassination attempts and prepared armed demonstrations. In the face of an unprecedented increase in the popularity of socialist views, it became increasingly difficult to fight members of secret circles. However, Zubatov, working in the Moscow security department, managed to raise the work of this organization to a higher level. Perhaps the reason for his successful activity is that he preferred persuasion to punitive measures. With all the revolutionaries detained, he carried out ideological work, luring many to his side, and made others doubt the truth of their chosen path. The 19th century was the century when young people sincerely believed that with the help of armed struggle Russia could be useful. However, Zubatov convinced them that the same goal can be achieved by working for official authorities. So he managed to create a whole network of his own agents, which worked perfectly. With its help, many secret circles were uncovered, attempts were prevented. Engaging in underground activities in Moscow has become dangerous. After some time, Zubatov in 1896 became the main security department.
In the main post
The organization he led was directly subordinate to the Special Department, which was part of the police department of the Russian Empire. The functions of this unit included the task of combating revolutionary ideas in the country. It was engaged in studying the mood of students, controlled workers, uncovered political crimes. Zubatov established the activities of his department on a European model. He created a system of not only internal, but also external agents. His people worked not only in Moscow, but throughout the country, tracking down and neutralizing underground circles and organizations. Political investigation has been raised to a new level. So, Zubatov created a special group of fillers, which was actively engaged in tracking down people’s volunteers throughout the country. As a result, organizations were discovered not only in Moscow, but also in the capital itself, in Minsk.
The idea of creating legal workers organizations
At the end of the century, Moscow authorities were faced with the movement of the proletariat. To solve this problem, Zubatov got acquainted with special literature and realized that the problem can be solved if workers organizations are taken under control. In 1898, he presented his project plan to Chief Police Officer Trepov and received permission to conduct ideological work among all those dissatisfied with difficult working conditions. The essence of Zubatov’s actions was the following: the need to convince the workers that they could achieve their demands from the tsarist government, and that it was not necessary to carry out a social revolution to improve their lives, as the Marxist theory required. Zubatov acted so skillfully that he managed to lure and convince a significant part of the proletariat of his rightness, and this allowed him to start organizing official labor unions under the control of the authorities.
Work in St. Petersburg
In 1902, a new stage in his political career began: he was transferred to St. Petersburg and appointed head of the said Special Department. Zubatov was appointed to this post at the suggestion of the Minister of Internal Affairs Pleve, who did not share his views on the need for serious and large-scale reforms to prevent the revolution, but found it necessary to entrust him with this important position. At a new job, Zubatov continued to reform the political investigation system. He created special security departments throughout the country, which were headed by loyal people who were well acquainted with his methods of conducting search work.
Resignation
When promoted, Zubatov received the honorary title of “Outland Advisor”. However, literally a year later, unexpected and extremely unpleasant changes took place in his fate. The fact is that he and Pleve could not find a common language in any way because of the growing disagreement between them. Zubatov continued to insist on the need for reform, and the Minister of the Interior sought to intensify repression. On this basis of the confrontation, Sergei Vasilievich agreed with Witte, with whom he even plotted to displace Pleve. However, the plan was disclosed, and Zubatov was immediately removed from his high post. He went to Moscow, and from there went to Vladimir. He was monitored, he was also forbidden to make contact with his former colleagues. The retired court adviser, however, was rehabilitated after the Pleve murder. The new Minister of the Interior, Svyatopolk-Mirsky, wanted to return him to service, but he refused.
last years of life
After the acquittal, he returned to Moscow and took up journalistic activities. It was published in monarchical journals, but subsequently entered into correspondence with Burtsev, who was considered not very reliable. He was forbidden to maintain a relationship with him. Over the next few years, Zubatov did not engage in politics and only followed events. When he learned about the abdication of the emperor in 1917, he shot himself.
The value of the activity
This person entered the history of our country, first of all, as the organizer and creator of professional workers' organizations whose goal was to defend their interests in a lawful and peaceful way. The first batch was formed in 1901. In historical literature, this phenomenon came under the name Zubatov and “Zubatovism”, and among contemporaries this designation was often perceived in a mocking sense. However, Sergei Vasilievich understood the significance of the working class and believed that the spread of socialist ideas among it could lead to dangerous consequences. Therefore, he wanted to put the labor movement under the control of the authorities and the police. In part, he succeeded, but subsequently, largely due to the confrontation with Pleve, he was forced to stop his activities. His actions and organizations were often called police socialism, although Zubatov himself strongly denied such a formulation. He noted that, on the contrary, he fights against socialist ideas and that his propaganda is based on the need to develop socialism and private property. He also pointed out that the police component did not play a decisive role in his activities. According to him, he needed such cover for the most effective interaction with the authorities. Nevertheless, Zubatov was often criticized by both the right and the left, despite all his explanations.