The number of attempts on Alexander 3 is a topic of heated debate by some researchers of his biography. The assassination attempt in 1887, which was supposed to take place on March 1, is an undeniable fact. Then many people were arrested, a thorough investigation was conducted, the result of which was the execution of the main instigators. But on the assassination attempt on Alexander 3 in the train, the opinions of historians differ. The same picture is observed in relation to the doctor Zakharyev, whom some sources consider to be involved in the death of the emperor. How many attempts were actually made on Alexander 3? Who was behind this? What goals did you pursue? All this is described in detail in our article.
What you need to pay attention to first
To thoroughly understand all the issues of interest, it is necessary to briefly characterize the emperor’s personality, his foreign and domestic policies, and what successes have been achieved during the years of his reign in the Russian Empire. Finally, a closer look at the populist organizations, methods of promoting their political ideas. The activities of the Russian special services of that time, their structure, composition, and methods of combating extremism cannot be ignored.
This is a huge array of information. Some points are not yet completely clear, therefore they are waiting for their researcher. The assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander 3 is a matter requiring a comprehensive review.
Emperor
The thorny path of the great Russian monarch was riddled with all kinds of surprises and challenges of fate. The courageous giant, with tremendous physical strength, was simple in everyday life. He was prepared for military service, the Russian throne was intended for his older brother Nikolai. It so happened that he fell ill and died unexpectedly, having neither time to marry nor leave heirs. Therefore, Alexander had to leave his military career and urgently "retrain for the king." Following the unpredictable "vagaries" of fate, he married the bride of his older brother, creating a strong and friendly family. The state of Alexander 3 also tried to make it strong, united and prosperous. But what methods?
In everyday life, he did not like noisy companies, balls and idle talk. As evidenced by the documents of those years, he often stayed at work until 2–3 a.m., putting the country's good above personal inconvenience and difficulties. Under him, Russia strengthened its economic, military, and geopolitical power. Another of his merits lies in the fact that under him the country did not wage a single war, so many called Alexander 3 "peacekeeper".
He realized that he would not succeed in leading vast Russia with patriarchal methods. He saw a way out in reforms and in the politics of a tough hand. During his reign, the so-called "purges" of structures with the identification and elimination of unreliable were not carried out, but conditions were created under which many sensible specialists had to resign. His too rigid reforms, which did not bring visible improvements to the situation of the people, caused much discontent. It is not surprising that there were those who wanted to remove the emperor from the throne.
If we consider the first attempt on Alexander 3 briefly, it can be called an attempt by amateurs, “pale young men with burning eyes,” who naively believed that only by eliminating the autocrats could happiness be achieved for the people.
New policy
The head of the Great Russian Empire had excellent teachers and advisers. His views were influenced by the tragedy that happened to his father. Alexander 2 was dealt a mortal blow when he, without suspecting anything, bent over the wounded man. This was partly the result of his inconsistent policy. Errors were taken into account. To maintain calm and peace, it was necessary not only to increase the military power of the state and optimize the work of the state apparatus, but also to smooth out social contradictions as much as possible.
"The manifesto on the inviolability of autocracy" perfectly voiced the position of the sovereign in relation to liberal reforms. They curled up. Censorship appeared, state pressure on all spheres of life increased. Finally, they were closely engaged in resolving a sore point with the peasantry. The headroom was canceled. The rate of redemption payments of former landlord peasants has been reduced. Established Peasant Bank, which gave cheap loans for the purchase of land. A number of measures were taken that allowed everyone to go to Siberia and get land there.
The decrees concerned working conditions; indulgences were made for women and children. But all the efforts made did not lead to the expected result. In general, the new economic program did not improve the situation of the poorest segments of the population, and social contradictions were not overcome. A vivid example of the situation can be considered an unsuccessful attempt on Alexander 3 in 1887. Various extremist organizations of a populist nature take to the stage here.
Populism
This utopian ideology arose among the heterogeneous intelligentsia. Carried away by Herzen's ideas, the Narodniks saw in the existing peasant community the necessary platform for building socialism, bypassing the capitalist formation. In their opinion, the development path of Russia is special, because it is influenced by the mystery of the “Russian soul”. Capitalism is alien to Russian society, because it is a deeply immoral phenomenon at its core.
We all well know the sad fate of
Alexander Ulyanov. The attempt on Alexander 3, prepared by the group "Terrorist fraction" (was part of the organization "Narodnaya Volya"), a member of which was brother V.I. Lenin ended in failure, and its members were executed. Blaming a particular person or group of people for all the troubles, noting the objective historical laws of development, members of the organization once again proved that they do not have a single picture of understanding the world’s structure. The attempt failed due to the frivolity of his organization. Unfortunately, people who did not share the views of the Narodniks were devoted to the secret. That is, members of the organization did not realize the seriousness of their actions.
Department of Public Safety and Order
This organization, part of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Empire, was responsible for political investigation. She had a fairly extensive intelligence network. The role of surveillance operatives conducting surveillance, special operations, and the necessary prevention of opposition movements was carried out by fillers. The auxiliary functions of surveillance and the compilation of timely reports on the situation fell on the “informers”.
Strict selection in the ranks of fillers was based on stringent requirements for candidates. Men with inconspicuous appearance, at least 30 years old, with excellent physical fitness could become fillers. Particular attention was paid to moral and business qualities - attentiveness, observation, caution, courage, stress tolerance, patience. The leadership of such a structure did not take the romantics to the spirit, considering them random people in intelligence.
"Snitches" were recruited from the people. They could be anyone. Their inclusion in the staff of permanent employees was not provided for by the circulars, therefore, payment for the services of scammers was based on the value of the information obtained. Compensation was sometimes made by things (clothing, utensils, etc.).
In addition to outdoor monitoring, special attention was paid to reading someone else's correspondence. Perlustrators were responsible for her. The effectiveness of such methods is obvious, because it was from the correspondence that they learned about the impending assassination attempt on Alexander 3 with the participation of Ulyanov.
Provocateurs were effectively introduced. Such activities and filigree execution were highly appreciated even by the founders of modern Western intelligence services. It was the Russian tsarist "secret police" that turned provocation into art. Examples can be found in Russian history.
The year of the assassination attempt on Alexander 3
Special cynicism was distinguished by the desire of home-grown bombers to coincide with the death of their victim to a significant historical event. Discussing in a circle of like-minded people about the prospects for the liquidation of the monarch, the main organizer and ideological inspirer Pyotr Shevyrev, as the deadline for the execution of the political murder was approaching, suddenly felt “cognitive dissonance”, “destruction of the subtle spiritual constitution” and simply fled.
“Fighting” comrades were announced that he was happy to give his life in the name of the Russian people, but due to the development of tuberculosis, he should temporarily leave for treatment. Therefore, the date of heroic sacrifice had to be postponed indefinitely. The organization needed a new worthy leader.
Alexander Ulyanov took matters into his own hands . The attempt on Alexander 3 was decided to be carried out near the Admiralty. To this end, members of the group stocked up bombs, and then went on patrols in the vicinity in search of their liquidation target. These events took several days in February 1887. The Russian investigation was seriously worried about the appearance of these young people on Nevsky Prospect. In addition, Andreiushkina (one of the terrorists) was overwhelmed by a strange desire to share plans for the operation, which he conscientiously did in a personal letter.
The expected result was the arrest of all members of the underground cell. The first attempt on Alexander 3, committed under such tragicomic circumstances, only strengthened the reaction in the country, paving the way for repressive, harsh measures.
Crime and Punishment
After the arrest, the fate of the extremists was sad. Kara was not avoided by the ideological mastermind - Pyotr Shevyrev. He was found in the Crimea and delivered to the Shlisselburg fortress. Despite petitions to pardon the organizers of the assassination attempt on Alexander 3, some of the participants in the plot were executed by hanging. Another death penalty was replaced by hard labor, exiling to different parts of the Russian Empire.
The wreck of the royal train
Having escaped death at the hands of bombers, the autocrat and his family survived a railway accident, which some Russian officials regarded as the second attempt on Alexander 3. This event occurred on October 17, 1888. The royal family was returning from Crimea. On the railway embankment there was a gathering of cars. Miraculously escaping death, showing miracles of courage, the king held the roof of the carriage, which almost buried his family alive.
When everyone got out from the wreckage, the first thought that the victims had was that the wreck of the tsar’s train was an attempt on Alexander 3. An investigation was scheduled into the circumstances of the incident, but it did not bring any results. Representatives of various departments strongly denied their own guilt, nodding at each other. Given the futility of such searches, it was decided to stop looking for the perpetrators, limiting themselves to high-profile resignations.
Versions of what happened
S.Yu. Witte, who at that time ran the Southwestern Railways Society, argued that the cause of what happened was speeding and the presence of Newton's laws in nature. He did not want to acknowledge the malfunction and non-compliance with the proper technical level of the railway track.
Some researchers point to the apparent similarity of the accident to the one that occurred 9 years before the events described. Representatives of the notorious “Narodnaya Volya” mastered the method of starting trains downhill, due to the incredible effectiveness of such an event. In the fall of 1879, a group of Sofia Perovskaya committed a similar act, but then no one was injured.
The “Case of the Rotten Cross”, as some near-minded philistines maliciously called this tragedy, was closed due to a lack of evidence. Or not? Maybe there is another explanation for this? For example, it is such that the Russian special services of that time simply did not want to plunge into the public mind even the thought of the possibility of committing such a crime, fearing a repetition. Was this an attempt on Alexander 3? There is no exact answer yet.
Killer doctors
To voice all versions of what happened, it is necessary to touch on the issue of world Zionism. There are opinions that it was this that caused the death of the objectionable monarch of Russia. Indeed, during his reign, an anti-Semitic policy was pursued. Jews were forbidden to settle in rural areas, and those of them who lived in villages were forbidden to move. Prohibitions were introduced on the rental of land and the purchase of real estate outside the settled area.
Overstrain, which the king experienced during the accident, holding back the collapsed roof, affected his health. Diagnosis revealed kidney disease. There is an opinion of some historians that it was the Jewish doctors who brought the king-father to the next world. The name of the main culprit is called - Zakharyin Grigory Antonovich. He was a very respected person and an excellent specialist, he lectured at the university. Examining a sick monarch, Zakharyin “accidentally” broke expensive medications that stood on a bedside table near the bed of a senior patient. Instead of them, he wrote out others and forbade the patient to be transported anywhere, so as not to worsen his condition. These recommendations have not been implemented. The king passed away. An autopsy showed that Zakharyin’s diagnosis was 100% correct, but he was accused of a murderer. Perhaps, the message of priest John of Kronstadt played a role here, who claimed that he had heard the words of the doctor that the king was sentenced to death. But this is not officially proven.
Therefore, the question: “How many attempts on Alexander 3 really were?” - not yet closed. The only important thing is that in the pursuit of sensation or political capital, you can lose the Truth, for the detection of which such a science as history is intended.