Peter Stolypin was a statesman, a great reformer. He was born in 1862 in Dresden, and died in Kiev, in 1911. At various times, Stolypin held various posts. So, he was the county leader of the nobility of Kovno, the Saratov and Grodno governor, the prime minister and the minister of internal politics.
short biography
In the history of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, Stolypin became known as a statesman and reformer. Its role was very significant in suppressing the unrest of 1905-1907. In 1906, Nicholas II offered him the position of Minister of Domestic Politics. Some time after that, the Government and the State Duma of the first convocation were dissolved. Stolypin, in turn, was appointed prime minister. Being in the new post, which he held until his death, he held several bills. In history, this period is marked as agrarian reform. The main content of the reforms was the introduction of private land ownership of peasants. The adopted law on the military field courts toughened penalties for serious crimes. Subsequently, Stolypin was criticized for this rigidity. Among other activities that the Prime Minister held, it is worth noting the introduction of the Zemstvo for the western provinces, the limitation of the autonomy of the Finnish Grand Duchy, the dissolution of the Second Duma, and changes in the electoral law. All these reforms contributed to the suppression of the unrest of 1905-1907. Two phrases that have become winged are associated with the activities of Pyotr Arkadevich: “Stolypin tie” and “Stolypin carriage”. These two expressions, according to historians, denigrate the name of the reformer. Let us examine further than this opinion is caused.
"Stolypin tie"
This winged expression blackened the name of the great figure of Russia for a long time. Pyotr Arkadevich was distinguished by his oratory abilities. This has been repeatedly confirmed at meetings of the Duma. On one of them the expression “Stolypin tie” appeared. The year in which the event took place was 1907. The meeting was held on November 17th (according to the old art.). The author of the expression "Stolypin tie" (a photo of the reformer is presented in the article) is Fedor Rodichev. This famous cadet then rose to the podium. The beginning of his speech caused a wave of indignation among the deputies. Continuing his speech, Rodichev increasingly lost his temper. And in passion, he remembered the expression "Muravyovsky collar" by Purishkevich. It was about the activities of General Muravyov related to the liquidation of the Polish uprising in 1863. According to the transcript of the meeting, Rodichev went on to say: “What was called the Muravyov’s collar will later be called a“ Stolypin tie. ”The definition that Rodichev gave suggested a rope for the gallows.
The reaction of deputies
A new wave of indignation swept through the hall instantly. Deputies everywhere shouted that it was mean and dishonest to insult the representative of the emperor. Then, some of them went to the podium and tried to force Rodichev to be pulled from her. Deputies had various political views and opinions. However, despite this, all of them expressed their extremely negative attitude to the incident. The cadet's speech was criticized by Purishkevich himself. As a result, the meeting of the Duma was disrupted. At the first cries, a pale and excited Stolypin left the hall. The chairman of the Duma, Khomyakov and the ministers, followed him.
"The incident is over"
Stolypin, like a nobleman, during the break gave the cadet a challenge to a duel. Immediately after receiving the news, Rodichev rushed to Pyotr Arkadevich and, in the presence of several witnesses, apologized, repenting of his deed. Stolypin forgave the cadet. On this incident was exhausted. The news of Rodichev’s forgiveness quickly spread to the deputies, bringing reassurance to the masses. However, according to eyewitnesses, after this incident, Stolypin never again extended his hand to Rodichev. The State Duma immediately took action. For his phrase "Stolypin tie" Rodichev was suspended from 15 meetings.
The Reformer Myth
The incident could remain part of the story. However, the myth began to live its own life. At the suggestion of the Bolsheviks, the expression "Stolypin tie" means punishing innocent people by decisions of the military field courts, the powers of which were given by the reformer. In one of his articles, Lenin wrote about Pyotr Arkadevich as a "hangman and pogromist, who had prepared himself for the ministerial post by torturing the peasants."
Further story
Undoubtedly, the Bolsheviks could not forgive Stolypin the adoption of the law on the military field courts, which tried to extinguish the flames of rebellion, stop the robberies and violence of the revolution of 1905-1907. In addition, reforms delayed the onset of the 1917 uprising. Under the rule of the Soviets, a myth wandered from one history textbook to another. The phrase "Stolypin tie" under the influence of the communist regime has become a shortcut. At some point, all the reform activities of Peter Arkadievich was reduced exclusively to this expression. In this form, the phrase "Stolypin tie", in fact, has survived to the present.
Opinion poll
According to the questionnaire, in one of the social networks, only 22% of the respondents knew the true story of the appearance of the phrase “Stolypin tie”. 9% of respondents felt that in this form the people expressed indignation regarding mass repressions, executions, and inspections of "revolutionary" districts. 9% of respondents expressed the opinion that it was a fashionable tie that was worn by Stolypin. Almost 49% of respondents considered that in this way the reformer tightened a noose around the neck of terror.
"Stolypin car"
This is another myth that relentlessly follows the name of the reformer. In the course of his activities, Stolypin attached great importance to the eastern territories of the Empire. Speaking in the State Duma in 1908, on March 31, at a meeting on the feasibility of building a railway on the Amur, he said that the double-headed eagle is the symbol of Russia . He looks east and west. Speaking about the fact that one-headed birds are also strong, Stolypin, however, noted that if one head is cut off, the two-headed eagle will not become stronger, it will simply bleed. Together with the chief manager of land management and agriculture Krivoshein, Pyotr Arkadevich in 1910 made an inspection trip to the Volga region and Western Siberia.
Reformer policy
Stolypin’s activity in relation to Siberia was to encourage the resettlement of peasants from its European regions to its free territories. This policy was part of agrarian transformations. As a result, about 3 million people moved to Siberia. In the Altai Territory during the reforms, more than 3,400 settlements were founded. More than 600,000 people settled in them, which accounted for about 22% of the population of the entire okrug. Immigrant peasants brought into circulation about 3.4 million acres of vacant land.
Peasant transportation
In 1910, special wagons were built for the settlers. They were different from the usual. The difference was that part of the wagon was fenced full width. It was intended for the transport of peasant equipment and cattle. Later, with the advent of Soviet power, grilles were placed on the windows in the trains. Wagons began to be used to force the sending of kulaks and other "counter-revolutionary elements" to Central Asia and Siberia.
The opinion of Solzhenitsyn
In his book "The Gulag Archipelago," the author describes the history of the emergence of such cars. It should be noted that Solzhenitsyn is a fan of Stolypin. Defending the reformer, in his books he tried to debunk existing myths concerning the name of Pyotr Arkadevich. As a substitute for the expression "Stolypin", the author proposed a "Stalin" car. Thus, there is a misinterpretation of the good intentions of the reformer. However, if Stolypin could challenge Rodichev to a duel for insulting him, he was no longer able to stop this lie.
Finally
Contemporaries, speaking of Stolypin, with special respect, spoke of his fearlessness. Eleven assassinations were planned for the reformer and for all his activities. The last of them happened in Kiev. Dmitry Bagrov shot at the reformer. During this attempt, Stolypin received a mortal wound. A few days later, Pyotr Arkadevich died. Stolypin’s activities were of great importance for the development of the empire. His reforms went down in history as one of the most effective. Many phrases of Stolypin, uttered by him at meetings of the Duma, became winged.