The Decembrist uprising on Senate Square occurred on December 14 (26), 1825. It was an attempt to make a coup by the nobles, most of whom were guards officers. The uprising on Senate Square caused a great public outcry and subsequently affected the reign of Emperor Nicholas the First.
Reasons for the coup
What were the reasons for the uprising of the Decembrists in the Senate Square?
- The noble intelligentsia was disappointed with the reign of Alexander the First: the liberal direction was replaced by the previous reactionary course.
- People who visited Europe during the anti-Napoleonic campaign saw the difference between the European and Russian standards of living. The ideas of Enlightenment, humanism and liberal sentiment began to spread more and more in society.
- Society was dissatisfied with the fact that serfdom was not abolished.
All the nobles received education and upbringing, as in the countries of Europe. Educated people could not fail to notice the incorrect structure of Russian society and the unfair treatment of peasants, the failure to fulfill promises made by the government, which was the reason for the appearance of the Decembrists.
Interregnum in 1825
The Decembrists decided to take advantage of the unstable political situation inside the country to hold an uprising on Senate Square. This was due to the interregnum in 1825. Alexander the First did not leave any heirs, and the throne was to go to his middle brother Konstantin. But only a very limited circle of people knew that he had signed a paper in which he refused the right to the throne.
This became known when the subjects had already taken an oath to the new sovereign. Konstantin confirmed his intention. So, Nicholas was to become emperor. The Decembrists decided to take advantage of this provision and on December 14, 1825, they entered the Senate Square. One of the reasons for the uprising, they called the protection of the rights of the legitimate throne successor Constantine. The uprising was crushed, and Nicholas I ascended the throne.
Early societies
The Decembrist movement began with the activities of secret societies. The earliest were the "Order of Russian Knights", which existed from 1814 to 1817. Their goal was to establish a constitutional monarchy.
In the spring of 1816, the secret society "Union of Salvation" was organized. Its members were A. Muravyov and N. Muravyev, S. Trubetskoy, Pavel Pestel and other future Decembrists. In 1817, the charter of the company was drawn up, which stated that all its members would work for the good of the Russian Empire, contribute to improving life in Russian society, and all participants promised to behave fairly and correctly.
But the proposal to organize an attack on the emperor during his arrival in Moscow caused an ambiguous reaction in society. Most members were against this idea. It was decided to dissolve this union, and on its basis - to organize a more powerful organization.
Union Welfare Movement
In the winter of 1818, the secret society "Union of Welfare" was created. Despite the fact that it was secret, it was quite famous among people. Its members were men over 18 years old, and in their society there were more than 200 people. The "Union of Welfare" was ruled by the Root Government and the Duma.
The members of this society spread the ideas of enlightenment and humanism, morality, and promised to behave in accordance with all concepts of honor. But only members of the Indigenous Council knew about the true purpose of their movement: the establishment of constitutional rule and the abolition of serfdom. Literary and educational communities took part in the dissemination of their ideas.
In 1820, members of the "Union of Welfare" supported the idea of establishing a republic and did not find support for the proposal to assassinate the emperor and establish an interim government. But in the winter of 1821, it was decided to dissolve the community due to the fact that all participants could not come to a common opinion. True, it was supposed to temporarily suspend his activities in order to check all its members and weed out the radically minded. After that, restore the organization with its elected members.
Southern Society
On the basis of the Union of Welfare, two secret organizations were formed. The Southern Society was formed in 1821 in Kiev, and was headed by P. I. Pestel. The ideas of this organization were very radical, and its members were more revolutionary.
Only officers could be in society, strict discipline was maintained in society. The main instrument for establishing a new government regime, they considered a military coup. In 1823, the political program of the society, Russian Truth, compiled by Pestel, was adopted in Kiev.
The organization was managed by the Root Duma organization, whose head was P.I. Pestel. The society was divided into three boards, which were managed by the following officers: P.I. Pestel, S.I. Muravyov-Apostolov, M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and others.
The Southern Society maintained contact with secret Polish organizations whose purpose was the return of autonomy to Poland and some provinces and the accession of Little Russia to it. "Southerners" maintained contact with the "northerners", but they feared too radical measures. The intentions of the organization were disclosed in the summer of 1825, and on November 25, information was reported that reported on the activities of secret organizations.
"Northern society"
In 1822, the Northern Society was organized in St. Petersburg by the merger of two Decembrist organizations, led by N. M. Muravyev and N. I. Turgenev. Later, they controlled the activities of society, except for them, S.P. Trubetskoy, K.F. Ryleev and other famous Decembrists.
The political program was reflected in the Constitution drawn up by N. M. Muravyov. The Northern Society was less radical than the Southern Society. But they also had those to whom the Southerners program was close. These are K.F. Ryleyev, A.A. Bestuzhev, E.P. Obolensky, I.I. Pushchin. It was around these officers that a radical branch of the Northern Society began to form.
Some researchers believe that these members held different views on the political system, they were supporters of the republican system. Also, groups of historians believe that it was thanks to a group of people who are more radical, and there was an uprising on Senate Square. They also issued several issues of the Polar Star almanac in which revolutionary ideas could be found.
Program Documents
The Decembrists composed several important political programs.
- The Constitution of N. M. Muravyov — it spoke of the creation of the Russian Federation, which should include 14 powers and 2 regions. Or a constitutional monarchy was established in the country, and all decisions should be approved by the parliament. It was supposed to consolidate a large landowner tenure.
- "Russian Truth" by P. I. Pestel - this document was different from the program of the document by N. M. Muravyov. In the view of P.I. Pestel, Russia was to become a single state with a strong centralized power and a republican system. Peasant land was to become communal property.
- S.P. Trubetskoy's "Manifesto to the Russian People" - this document became the slogan of the Decembrist uprising on Senate Square in 1825. It is noteworthy that this manifesto was drawn up on the eve of this event. The purpose of the uprising was the approval by the Senate of precisely this document. According to this manifesto, the Senate was to declare a number of freedoms, dismiss officials who had served more than 15 years, and transfer power to a temporary dictatorship.
These programs reflected the basic ideas of the Decembrist movement.
Events on Senate Square
The rebels wanted to hinder the oath of office to the new emperor. The troops were to capture the Winter Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress. The members of the royal family, the Decembrists planned to arrest and expel from the country or kill. Prince S.P. Trubetskoy was elected leader of the rebels.
Initially, Ryleyev suggested that Kakhovsky get into the Winter Palace and kill the emperor. But he refused. By 11 a.m., rebels began to gather on Senate Square in St. Petersburg. But Prince Trubetskoy did not appear. Therefore, the troops had to stand by when the new leader would be chosen.
Nicholas was aware of the conspiracy, so members of the Senate took the oath early in the morning. To calm the rebels, the hero of the war of 1812, Miloradovich, was sent, but the Decembrists wounded him. Despite the fact that the rebels received the news that the army had sworn allegiance to the new emperor.
But the Decembrists continued to expect help. As a result, the uprising was brutally crushed. Tsarist troops fired shotguns at the rebels and artillery pieces.
The trial of the Decembrists
The trial of the rebels was strict. On December 17, 1825, a special commission was created under the leadership of Tatishchev. The punishment was imposed with all severity. 5 Decembrists were sentenced to death by hanging. 17 officers were sent to hard labor in Siberia, the rest were stripped of all ranks and demoted to soldiers or sent to indefinitely exiled.
The results of the uprising
The events on Senate Square on December 14, 1825 were of great historical importance for the country. It was the Decembrist uprising that became the first association of people against the autocracy. An exceptional feature was that the rebels were educated nobles and officers who understood that serfdom needed to be abolished.
It was thanks to the Decembrists that revolutionary ideas began to appear. The goals of the rebels were noble, but they failed due to internal contradictions: being divided into several communities, they could not agree on ways to achieve the goal. The rebellion of the Decembrists was also reflected not only in historical but also in literary works.