History Courses For Dr. Christopher C. Lovett

Updated as of 2 October 05

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The Decembrist Revolt and the Coming of Nicholas I

Imperial Russia

Fall 2003

Problems at Home

• Following one of Napoleonic Wars, repression set in.

• One of the issues was cost.

• How to make economies in the military was one concern.

• One method was the establishment of military colonies.

• Despite protests…the colonies grew.

Military Colonies

• By 1825 the military colonies increased to 750,000.

• Including 200,000 soldiers.

• The discipline included their families too.

• The discipline was harsh.

• Neither Alexander nor his war minister, Arakcheev was willing to modify them.

Alexander’s Last Years

• He cut himself off from most of his friends.

• Arakcheev became his spokesperson to his ministers.

• Arakcheev and the Patriarch Photius signaled a new black period in Russian history.

• Photius was opposed to all forms of liberalism.

• Worked for the dismissal of all prominent liberals in the government.

• Alexander became more popular with the upper classes.

Nobles Concerns with the Tsar

• Some were worried because of his erratic behavior.

• Others because of his dependence on Arakcheev.

• But most nobles moved in the direction of the Tsar.

• Because Alexander was the defender of the establishment.

• Liberal nobles were concerned with the direction of his policies.

Impact of the the French Revolution

• After seeing Western Europe.

• Some nobles thought that the serfdom and the autocracy should be modified.

• If that proved impossible.

• Then it should be abolished.

• Discussion groups were formed to discuss those proposals.

• Often in secret.

• Soon they turned in secret societies like the Carbonari.

The Emergence of Secret Societies

• The first was formed in 1816.

• Among officers of the Semenovskii Guards.

• Called “The Union of Salvation.”

• The objective was to improve conditions in Russia.

Paul Pestel: Russian Jacobin

• He was are real radical and demanded real active measures.

• His proposals were rejected his proposals.

• Soon the organization changed its name to Union of Welfare.

• And now included about 200 members.

• They also adopted a mild reform program.

Trouble in the Semenovskii Guards

• There was a disturbance of with the Semenovskii Guards in 1820.

• Authorities than transferred many of the leading officers.

• With subsequent repression of the Union of Welfare led to the organizations disbandment.

• The result was the creation of more aggressive and militant organizations.

Pestel’s Transfer

• In 1818 he was transferred to the HQ of the Russian Southern Army.

• There he mobilized other malcontents.

• The new organization – the Southern Society – made him there leader.

• They agreed that the regime had to be overthrown.

• But what was Pestel’s plans?

Pestel’s Program

• Establishment of a military dictatorship.

• Rule for eight years.

• Then they would create a Republic.

• What is interesting…is that the Southern Society was upper class in origin…like most officer groups.

• Yet the idea was to great a military dictatorship.

• Run by a revolutionary elite.

• This would move Russia from an autocracy to a democracy…they believed.

• Such a move would free Russians, but not non-Russians.

Some Thoughts

• Pestel was not able to organize a Southern Society branch in St. Petersburg.

• But Col. Nikita Muraviev did organize a similar organization there.

• Called the Northern Society.

• But there were subtle differences between the two.

• But what were they?

Differences Between The Two Groups

• Muraviev didn’t believe that Russia was ready for a republic.

• Muraviev believed that Serfdom had to go.

• Noble lands would be subdivided giving each serf about five acres.

• If one follows the French Revolutionary model…Pestel was a Jacobin…and Muraviev was a Girondin.

The Trigger of the Decembrist Revolt

• Alexander had no heirs.

• The next in line was his brother Constantine.

• But Constantine into a morganic marriage.

• He married a Polish countess.

• So he signed a document in 1823 abdicating the throne.

• Alexander had three copies made – The Holy Synod, the Senate, and the State Council had one.

• The original was given to the Metropolitan.

• Alexander kept it silent.

• Then he died in 1825.

The Revolt

• On December 14, 1825, the Guard Regiments were supposed to swear loyalty to the new tsar.

• The Northern Society refused.

• The officers used their influence with their men to stage a mutiny.

• About 3,000 men came forward in Senate Square and faced off against loyal troops.

• Nicholas tried to head off a confrontation.

Crushing the Rebels

• Nicholas did not want to start his reign with a violent action like this.

• He did everything possible to avoid a confrontation.

• When reason failed.

• Nicholas authorized artillery to come forward to settle the issue.

• Canister was fired…sixty or seventy rebels were killed.

• Arrests quickly followed.

• The Southern Society followed suit and was crushed too.

• Pestel was executed as well as many ringleaders in the Northern Society too.

Nicholas was a Different Tsar

• Nicholas was a full Prussian Corporal.

• He was taught to respect the autocracy.

• Since he was around authority all the time…he thought that was the only way to go.

• He took control at 29 and was ready to rule.

• What did he learn from the Decembrist uprising?

Lesson’s Learned

• Investigators noted that the conspiracy was wide spread.

• Nicholas was willing to make corrections…up to a degree.

• He was determined to bring good government to Russia.

• But he was not willing to take the Russian people into his confidence.

• He did remove Arakcheev and Photius.

• The military colonies lasted until 1831.

Who Do You Trust?

• Military men.

• Count Alexander Benckendorf – Chief of the Political police.

• Gen. Ivan Paskevich – Chief field commander.

• Gen. Count Pavel Kiselev – charged with examining the serf question.

Going to Be an Activist

• He increased the size of the Imperial Chancellery.

• He specified their duties and responsibilities.

• Now it consisted of four parts:

• First Section – handled the Emperor’s correspondence.

• Second Section – handled the codification of the laws.

• Third Section – handled by Brenckendorf and was the monitor of political police affairs.

• Fourth Section – ran schools.

• The Chancellery served as a super ministry.

The Russian Bureaucracy

• Key positions were still held by the nobility.

• But their pull had declined over time.

• The nobles power was diminished and they were more closely linked to the tsar over time.

• So their position in the bureaucracy took on added importance.

• Once the bureaucracy grew.

• Nicholas continued with his grandmother’s policies too.

• Many Baltic German nobles worked closely with Nicholas I.

Why did the Bureaucracy Fail in Russia?

• The size of Russia.

• The political immaturity found in Russia.

• Cultural diversity found in Russia.

• The backwardness of the Russian economy.

• The quality of the bureaucracy.

• Lack of interest in their work

• And lack of training of civil servants.

Some Changes

• Educational institutions slowly trained people for those posts.

• Nicholas I encouraged people to complain.

• Since officials expected bribes.

• Kickbacks.

• As a means to supplement their income.

• Bribes gave the giver certain considerations.

Stopping Corruption

• Required signatures.

• Counter-signatures.

• Used the Third Section to check up on corruption.

Tsar vs. The People

• Nicholas wanted the public to realize…if you obeyed you don’t have a problem.

• If you disobeyed…that was another issue.

• Paternalism was the key…but regressive paternalism.

• Nicholas felt to protect the system…he had to adopt repression.

• To do this required the use of the Third Section.

• And the Gendarmerie Corps.

The Third Section

• The purpose was to be the Tsar’s eyes and ears.

• Also reported on the public morals.

• Kept an eye on foreigners.

• Keeping the Tsar abreast of the public’s state of mind.

• It was a political police.

• Throttled dissent.

• Overtime powers increased.

• Had authority to punish political offenders.

• Became a state-with-in a state.

Censorship

• By 1826 several agencies were involved.

• Including books and journals.

• Free discussion was limited.

• But there were ways around it…by philosophical speculation…and consideration of abstract ideas…which did no appear a threat to the regime.

What is Official Nationality?

• Autocracy.

• Orthodoxy.

• Nationality.

Looking for Positive Ways to Reinforce the System

• Count Sergei Uvarov, Minister of Education, developed the system of “Official Nationality.”

• Official Nationality combined with the political police and censorship would save Russia from the dangers of liberalism.

Role of Education

• He believed in the one class system.

• Which denied education to the poor.

• Secondary schools were closed to all but the children of officials and nobles.

• Schools were designed to prepare for future government officials or the military.

• Schools were designed to prepare students to respect the state

The Praxis of Education

• Positive subjects were added…classical languages.

• And dangerous ones dropped…logic.

• Academic freedom was a figment of one’s imagination.

• Universities were always under state control.

• Enrollments were set at about 300 per university.

Role of the Church

• The church kept the people in line.

• Bringing people back who have left the church.

• Encouraged people to convert.

• Discipline within the church was tightened.

• White Russians, Ukrainians, and Russians were expected to be Orthodox.

The Fate of The Jews

• Jews were assigned to the regions of new Russia or Poland.

• Or to the Pale of Settlement.

• There the Jews were restricted to the towns or cities.

• Jews were forced into the Army…in order to place additional pressures to get them to convert.