Biography of Emperor Alexander III Alexandrovich
Emperor of All Russia, the second son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna, Alexander III was born on February 26, 1845, ascended the royal throne on March 2, 1881, died November 1, 1894)
He received his upbringing from his tutor, Adjutant General Perovsky and immediate supervisor, the famous professor of Moscow University, economist Chivilev. In addition to general and special military education, Alexander was taught political and legal sciences by invited professors from St. Petersburg and Moscow universities.
After the untimely death of his elder brother, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, on April 12, 1865, who was deeply mourned by the royal family and all the Russian people, Alexander Alexandrovich, having become the Tsarevich, began to continue both theoretical studies and to fulfill many duties in state affairs. .
marriage
1866, October 28 - Alexander married the daughter of the Danish king Christian IX and Queen Louise Sophia Frederica Dagmar, who was named Maria Feodorovna at marriage. The happy family life of the sovereign-heir fastened the bonds of good hopes between the Russian people and the royal family. God blessed the marriage: on May 6, 1868, Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich was born. In addition to the heir-tsarevich, their august children: Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich, born April 27, 1871; Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, born March 25, 1875, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, born November 22, 1878, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, born June 1, 1882
Ascension to the throne
The accession to the royal throne of Alexander III followed on March 2, 1881, after the martyrdom of his father, the Tsar-Liberator, on March 1.
The seventeenth Romanov was a man of strong will and exceptionally purposeful. He was remarkable for his amazing capacity for work, he could calmly think over every question, in his resolutions he was direct and sincere, did not tolerate deception. Being an unusually truthful person himself, he hated liars. “He never had a word at odds with his deed, and he was an outstanding person in terms of nobility and purity of heart,” the people who were in his service described Alexander III in this way. Over the years, the philosophy of his life was formed: to be for his subjects a model of moral purity, honesty, justice and diligence.
Reign of Alexander III
Under Alexander III, military service was reduced to 5 years of active service, and the life of soldiers improved significantly. He himself could not stand the military spirit, did not tolerate parades, and was even a bad rider.
The solution of economic and social issues - this is what Alexander III saw as his main task. And he devoted himself, first of all, to the cause of state development.
In order to get acquainted with different regions of Russia, the tsar often made trips to cities and villages and could see for himself the difficult life of the Russian people. In general, the emperor was distinguished by his commitment to everything Russian - in this he was not like the previous Romanovs. He was called a truly Russian tsar not only in appearance, but also in spirit, forgetting that he was rather a German by blood.
During the reign of this tsar, the words “Russia for the Russians” were first heard. A decree was issued forbidding foreigners to buy real estate in the western regions of Russia, there was a newspaper hype against the dependence of Russian industry on the Germans, the first Jewish pogroms began, and “temporary” rules for Jews were issued, severely infringing on their rights. Jews were not accepted in gymnasiums, universities and other educational institutions. And in some provinces, they were simply forbidden to live or enter the public service.
Alexander III in his youth
This tsar, incapable of cunning or fawning, had his own specific attitude towards foreigners. First of all, he did not like the Germans and did not have any kindred feelings for the German House at all. After all, his wife was not a German princess, but belonged to the royal house of Denmark, which was not on friendly terms with Germany. The mother of this first Dane on the Russian throne, the smart and intelligent wife of the King of Denmark, Christian IX, was nicknamed the “mother of all Europe”, since she was able to wonderfully accommodate her 4 children: Dagmara became the Russian queen; Alexandra, the eldest daughter, married the Prince of Wales, who during the life of Queen Victoria played an active role in the state, and then became the king of Great Britain; son Frederick after the death of his father ascended the Danish throne, the youngest, George, became the Greek king; the grandchildren, on the other hand, related almost all the royal houses of Europe.
Alexander III was also distinguished by the fact that he did not like excessive luxury and was absolutely indifferent to etiquette. For almost all the years of his reign, he lived in Gatchina, 49 kilometers from St. Petersburg, in the beloved palace of his great-grandfather, to whose personality he especially gravitated, keeping his office intact. And the front halls of the palace were empty. And although there were 900 rooms in the Gatchina Palace, the emperor's family was not accommodated in luxurious apartments, but in the former premises for guests and servants.
The king with his wife, sons and two daughters lived in narrow small rooms with low ceilings, the windows of which overlooked a wonderful park. Big beautiful park - what could be better for children! Outdoor games, visits of numerous peers - relatives of a large Romanov family. Empress Maria, however, still preferred the city and every winter begged the emperor to move to the capital. Agreeing sometimes to the requests of his wife, the king, however, refused to live in the Winter Palace, finding it unfriendly and too luxurious. The imperial couple made the Anichkov Palace on Nevsky Prospekt their residence.
Noisy court life and secular bustle quickly annoyed the tsar, and the family moved to Gatchina again with the first days of spring. The enemies of the emperor tried to claim that the tsar, frightened by the massacre of his father, locked himself in Gatchina, as in a fortress, becoming, in fact, its prisoner.
Petersburg, the emperor really did not like and was afraid. The shadow of his murdered father haunted him all his life, and he led a reclusive life, rarely visited the capital and only on especially important occasions, preferring a lifestyle in the family circle, away from the "light". And secular life at the court really somehow died out. Only the wife of Grand Duke Vladimir, the tsar's brother, the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, gave receptions and arranged balls in her luxurious St. Petersburg palace. They were willingly visited by members of the government, the highest dignitaries of the court and the diplomatic corps. Thanks to this, Grand Duke Vladimir and his wife were considered, as it were, representatives of the tsar in St. Petersburg, and the life of the court was actually concentrated around them.
And the emperor himself with his wife and children stayed at a distance, fearing assassination attempts. The ministers had to come to Gatchina for the report, and foreign ambassadors sometimes could not see the emperor for months. Yes, and the arrivals of guests - crowned persons during the reign of Alexander III were extremely rare.
Gatchina, in fact, was reliable: for several miles around, soldiers were on duty day and night, and they stood at all the entrances and exits of the palace and park. Even at the door of the emperor's bedroom there were sentries.
Personal life
In marriage with the daughter of the Danish king, Alexander III was happy. He did not just "rest" with his family, but, in his words, "enjoyed family life." The emperor was a good family man, and his main motto was constancy. Unlike his father, he adhered to strict morality, he was not tempted by the pretty faces of court ladies. With his Minnie, as he affectionately called his wife, he was inseparable. The Empress accompanied him at balls and trips to the theater or to concerts, on trips to holy places, at military parades, while visiting various institutions.
Over the years, he increasingly reckoned with her opinion, but Maria Fedorovna did not use this, did not interfere in state affairs and did not attempt to somehow influence her husband or contradict him in some way. She was an obedient wife and treated her husband with great respect. And she couldn't help it.
The emperor held his family in unconditional obedience. The teacher of his eldest sons, Madame Allengren, Alexander, while still a crown prince, gave the following instruction: “Neither I nor the Grand Duchess want to make greenhouse flowers out of them. “They should pray well to God, study the sciences, play the usual children's games, be naughty in moderation. Teach well, do not give concessions, ask with all severity, and most importantly, do not encourage laziness. If anything, then address directly to me, and I know what to do. I repeat that I do not need porcelain. I need normal Russian children. Fight - please. But the prover has the first whip. This is my very first requirement.”
Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna
Alexander, having become king, demanded obedience from all the great princes and princesses, although among them there were persons much older than him. In this respect he was in fact the head of all the Romanovs. He was not only revered, but also feared. The seventeenth Romanov on the Russian throne developed a special "family status" for the Russian royal House. According to this status, from now on only direct descendants of Russian tsars in the male line, as well as brothers and sisters of the tsar, were entitled to the title of Grand Duke with the addition of Imperial Highness. The great-grandchildren of the reigning emperor and their eldest sons had the right only to the title of prince with the addition of highness.
Every morning the emperor got up at 7 o'clock in the morning, washed himself with cold water, dressed in simple comfortable clothes, brewed a cup of coffee for himself, ate a few pieces of black bread and a couple of hard-boiled eggs. After a modest breakfast, he sat down at his desk. The whole family gathered for the second breakfast.
One of the king's favorite recreational activities was hunting and fishing. Getting up before dawn and taking a gun, he went for the whole day to the swamps or the forest. For hours he could stand in high knee-high boots in the water and fish with a bait in the Gatchina pond. Sometimes this occupation relegated even state affairs to the background. Alexander's famous aphorism: "Europe can wait until the Russian Tsar is fishing" went around the newspapers of many countries. Sometimes the emperor gathered a small society in his Gatchina house to perform chamber music. He himself played the bassoon, and played with feeling and quite well. From time to time, amateur performances were staged, artists were invited.
Assassination attempts on the emperor
With his not so frequent trips, the emperor forbade the escort of his crew, considering this measure to be absolutely unnecessary. But along the whole road the soldiers stood in an unbreakable chain - to the surprise of foreigners. Departures by rail - to St. Petersburg or to the Crimea - were also furnished with all sorts of precautions. Long before the passage of Alexander III, soldiers with rifles loaded with live ammunition were placed along the entire route. Railroad switches were tightly clogged. Passenger trains were diverted to sidings in advance.
No one knew in which train the sovereign would travel. There was no one "royal" train at all, but there were several trains of "extreme importance." All of them were disguised as royal ones, and no one could know which train the emperor and his family were on. It was a secret. The soldiers standing in the chain saluted each such train.
But all this could not prevent the wreck of the train, which followed from Yalta to St. Petersburg. It was staged by terrorists at the Borki station, not far from Kharkov, in 1888: the train derailed and almost all the cars crashed. The emperor and his family were having lunch in the dining car at that time. The roof collapsed, but the king, thanks to his gigantic strength, with an incredible effort was able to hold her on his shoulders and held until his wife and children got out of the train. The emperor himself received several injuries, which, apparently, led to a fatal kidney disease for him. But, having got out from under the rubble, he, without losing his composure, ordered immediately to help the wounded and those who were still under the rubble.
And what about the royal family?
The Empress received only bruises and bruises, but the eldest daughter, Xenia, injured her spine and remained hunchbacked - perhaps that is why she was married to a relative. Other family members received only minor injuries.
In official reports, this event was referred to as a train derailment for an unknown reason. Despite all the efforts, the police and gendarmes did not manage to solve this crime. As for the salvation of the emperor and his family, they talked about it as a miracle.
A year before the train crash, an assassination attempt on Alexander III was already being prepared, fortunately, it did not take place. On Nevsky Prospekt, the street along which the tsar had to travel to attend the memorial service at the Peter and Paul Cathedral on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of his father's death, young people were arrested holding bombs made in the form of ordinary books. reported to the emperor. He ordered to deal with the participants in the assassination without too much publicity. Among those arrested and then executed was Alexander Ulyanov, the elder brother of the future leader of the October Bolshevik Revolution, Vladimir Ulyanov-Lenin, who even then set himself the goal of fighting against the autocracy, but not through terror, like his older brother.
Alexander III himself, the father of the last Russian emperor, during all 13 years of his reign mercilessly crushed the opponents of autocracy. Hundreds of his political enemies were sent into exile. Ruthless censorship controlled the press. The powerful police reduced the zeal of the terrorists and kept the revolutionaries under surveillance.
Domestic and foreign policy
The situation in the state was sad and difficult. Already the first manifesto on accession to the throne, and in particular the manifesto of April 29, 1881, expressed the exact program of both foreign and domestic policy: maintaining order and power, observing the strictest justice and economy, returning to the original Russian principles and ensuring Russian interests everywhere .
In external affairs, this calm firmness of the emperor immediately gave rise to a convincing confidence in Europe that, with a complete unwillingness to make any conquests, Russian interests would be inexorably protected. This largely secured European peace. The firmness expressed by the government regarding Central Asia and Bulgaria, as well as the visits of the sovereign with the emperors of Germany and Austria, served only to strengthen the conviction that had been created in Europe that the direction of Russian policy had been completely determined.
He entered into an alliance with France in order to obtain loans that were necessary for the construction of railways in Russia, begun by his grandfather, Nicholas I. Not liking the Germans, the emperor began to support German industrialists in order to attract their capital to develop the economy of the state, in every possible way promote the expansion of trade relations. And in his reign, much has changed in Russia for the better.
Not wanting war or any acquisitions, Emperor Alexander III had to increase the possessions of the Russian Empire during clashes in the east, and, moreover, without military operations, since the victory of General A.V. Komarov over the Afghans at the Kushka River was an accidental, completely unforeseen clash.
But this brilliant victory had a tremendous impact on the peaceful annexation of the Turkmens, and then on the expansion of Russia's possessions in the south to the borders of Afghanistan, when in 1887 the boundary line between the Murghab River and the Amu Darya River was established on the side of Afghanistan, which has since become adjacent to Russia Asian state.
A railroad was laid on this vast area, which had recently entered the borders of Russia, which connected the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea with the center of Russian Central Asian possessions - Samarkand and the Amu Darya River.
In internal affairs, many new laws were issued.
Alexander III with children and wife
The development of the great cause of the economic organization of the multimillion-strong peasantry in Russia, as well as the increase in the number of peasants who lack land allotment as a result of an increasing population, caused the establishment of a government Peasant Land Bank with its branches. The bank was entrusted with an important mission - to assist in issuing loans for the purchase of land to both entire peasant societies and peasant associations and individual peasants. For the same purpose, to assist the noble landowners who were in difficult economic conditions, in 1885 the government Noble Bank was opened.
Substantial reforms have taken place in public education.
In the military department, military gymnasiums were transformed into cadet corps.
Another great desire overwhelmed Alexander: to strengthen the religious education of the people. After all, what were the majority of the Orthodox masses like? In their souls, many were still pagans, and if they worshiped Christ, they did it, rather, out of habit, and as a rule, because it was so customary in Russia from time immemorial. And what a disappointment it was for a believing commoner to find out that Jesus was, it turns out, a Jew ... By decree of the king, who himself was distinguished by deep religiosity, three-year parochial schools began to open at churches, where parishioners studied not only the Law of God, but also studied literacy. And this was extremely important for Russia, where only 2.5% of the population were literate.
The Holy Governing Synod was instructed to assist the Ministry of Public Education in the field of public schools by opening parish schools at churches.
The general university charter of 1863 was replaced by a new charter on August 1, 1884, which completely changed the position of the universities: the direct leadership of the universities and the direct command of the widely placed inspection were entrusted to the trustee of the educational district, the rectors were elected by the minister and approved by the highest authority, the appointment of professors was provided to the minister, the candidate's degree and the title of a real student are destroyed, which is why the final examinations in universities are destroyed and replaced by examinations in government commissions.
At the same time, we began to revise the regulation on gymnasiums, and it is the highest command to take care of the expansion of vocational education.
The area of the court was also not ignored. The procedure for the administration of a trial with jurors was replenished with new rules in 1889, and in the same year the judicial reform extended to the Baltic provinces, in relation to which a firm decision was made to implement in the matter of local government the general principles of government that are available in the whole of Russia, with the introduction in office work Russian language.
Emperor's death
It seemed that the king-peacemaker, this hero, would reign for a long time. A month before the death of the king, no one imagined that his body was already “wearing out”. Alexander III died unexpectedly for everyone, not having lived one year to 50 years old. The cause of his premature death was kidney disease, which worsened due to the dampness of the premises in Gatchina. The sovereign did not like to be treated and in general almost never spoke about his illness.
1894, summer - hunting in the swamps further weakened his health: headaches, insomnia and weakness in the legs appeared. He had to turn to doctors. He was advised to rest, preferably in the warm climate of the Crimea. But the emperor was not the kind of person who could disrupt his plans just because he was not feeling well. After all, at the beginning of the year, a trip was planned in September with the family to Poland to spend a couple of weeks in a hunting lodge in Spala.
The state of the sovereign remained unimportant. The leading specialist in kidney diseases, Professor Leiden, was urgently summoned from Vienna. After carefully examining the patient, he diagnosed nephritis. At his insistence, the family immediately left for the Crimea, to the summer Livadia Palace. Dry warm Crimean air had a beneficial effect on the king. His appetite improved, his legs got stronger so that he could go ashore, enjoy the surf, take sunbaths. Surrounded by the cares of the best Russian and foreign doctors, as well as his relatives, the tsar began to feel much better. However, the improvement proved to be temporary. The change for the worse came abruptly, the forces began to fade rapidly ...
On the morning of the first day of November, the emperor insisted on being allowed to get out of bed and sit in an armchair by the window. He said to his wife: “I think my hour has come. Don't worry about me. I'm completely calm." A little later, they called the children and the bride of the eldest son. The king did not want to be put to bed. With a smile, he looked at his wife, kneeling in front of his chair, his lips whispered: “I have not died yet, but I have already seen an angel ...” Immediately after noon, the king-hero died, bowing his head on the shoulder of his beloved wife.
It was the most peaceful death in the last century of the Romanovs. Pavel was brutally murdered, his son Alexander passed away, leaving behind a still unsolved mystery, another son, Nikolai, having despaired and disappointed, most likely ceased his earthly existence of his own free will, but Alexander II - the father of the peacefully deceased giant - became a victim of terrorists who called themselves opponents of autocracy and executors of the people's will.
Alexander III died after reigning only 13 years. He fell asleep forever on a wonderful autumn day, sitting in a huge "Voltaire" chair.
Two days before his death, Alexander III told his eldest son, the future heir to the throne: “You have to take the heavy burden of state power from my shoulders and carry it to the grave in the same way that I carried it and as our ancestors carried it ... Autocracy created a historical individuality Russia The autocracy will collapse, God forbid, then Russia will collapse with it. The fall of the original Russian power will open an endless era of unrest and bloody civil strife ... Be firm and courageous, never show weakness.
Yes! The seventeenth Romanov turned out to be a great visionary. His prophecy came true in a little less than a quarter of a century ...
During the reign of Alexander III, no wars were waged in the Russian state. At the same time, Russia's influence in the world did not decrease, the economy developed, the borders expanded. Alexander III, nicknamed the Peacemaker, adhered to conservative nationalist views, ruled through counter-reforms and implemented the slogan "Russia for the Russians" with all his might.
Accidental succession to crown and wife
The Russian throne fell to the lot of Alexander III by chance. Initially, his older brother Nicholas, who died suddenly after a severe bruise, was prepared for emperors. Alexander's educators, having learned that he would have to lead Russia, simply clutched their heads. Alexander Romanov did not respect science from childhood, and the reason for everything was his invincible laziness. Grigory Gogel, one of the teachers of the future tsar, later said that he was rather diligent, but studied poorly, because he was too lazy to think.
In the royal family, the boy did not stand out either by upbringing or education. He showed no talent in any areas. Therefore, after the death of his brother, the new heir to the crown had to study again, mastering additional sciences. The great Russian historian Sergei Solovyov taught him a full course in the history of the country, instilling in the future emperor a love for his native land. The famous jurist Konstantin Pobedonostsev taught Alexander III the basics of state law. By the way, he later became a loyal friend of the king and his closest adviser.
The marriage of the monarch to Maria Sophia Frederica Dagmar, who received the Orthodox name Maria Feodorovna, was also an accident. The blood princess, the daughter of the Danish king Christian IX, was originally intended to be the wife of her deceased brother Nicholas. But when he first saw the girl, Alexander fell hopelessly in love. For the next 30 years, the union of spouses was an example of reverent and trusting relationships. In this marriage, six children were born. And the sharp and uncompromising autocrat all his life remained an exemplary husband and father for his household.
Peasant disposition of the newly-made ruler and pearl barley in the coronation menu
Having finally taken control of the Russian state after several postponements of the coronation ceremony, Alexander III changed before our eyes. Now he spent days sitting behind state papers, patiently sorting out what he had not even been interested in before. It was not easy for him, but everything was compensated by diligence and determination.
The new tsar outlined the principles of his domestic policy already during the coronation, which was noticeable in the festive dinner menu approved by him. The ascetic choice of Alexander caught the eye of knowledgeable people. The list of dishes consisted of stew, barley soup, borscht, aspic of ruffs and ordinary green peas. The menu was absolutely Russian, rather rude and deliberately folksy.
This kind of festive treat looked like a slap in the face to the Russian aristocrat and foreign guest. But the newly minted king wanted to spit on ceremonial foundations. All his life, Alexander's favorite delicacy was Guryev's semolina porridge, which he preferred to exquisite European desserts.
The tsar was also uncomfortable in the pompous Winter Palace, as a person far from the usual secular pleasures of high society. He repeatedly reduced the ministerial staff, reduced the number of servants and strictly controlled the expenditure of public money. In everyday life he was simple, modest and unpretentious. Alexander's gaze, inherited from his grandfather, was heavy and imposing, so few dared to look him straight in the eye. At the same time, the emperor often felt timid, avoiding large masses of people, and was afraid to ride. In everyday situations, he dressed in a simple Russian shirt with embroidery on the sleeves. And he tucked his pants in a soldier's way into boots. Even official receptions were sometimes held in worn trousers and a jacket, and the leaky clothes were handed over to his batman for darning.
What did the nationalist emperor succeed in
During the years of the reign of Alexander III, the country did not participate in any serious military-political conflict, and revolutionary outbursts, even after the assassination of the tsar's father, came to a standstill. The emperor took care of ordinary people, gradually abolishing the poll tax and fighting corruption. He let society know that the government does not distinguish between rich and poor, and deprived the grand dukes of their usual privileges, reducing their payments from the state treasury. For financial fraud, even his relatives did not hide from justice.
Alexander III built the longest railway in the world - the Trans-Siberian Railway. An important moment in the foreign policy course of his reign, historians call Russia's turn from an alliance with Germany to military cooperation with France. As a result, Russia received the right to vote at the level of powerful European powers.
Alexander III really loved Russia and, wanting to protect the fatherland from a possible invasion, he constantly strengthened the army and navy. Under Alexander III, the Russian fleet took the 3rd world position after England and France. And the total area of the Russian Empire under Alexander III increased by 430 thousand km² as a result of the peaceful annexation of new lands.
Physical education and painting in the everyday life of Alexander III
Despite the unpretentiousness and even frugality in everyday life, Alexander III spent money on expensive art objects. The emperor was seriously interested in painting and even studied for some time with the St. Petersburg artist Tikhobrazov. In addition to patronizing artists, he personally made sure that the works of Russian composers sounded on the stage of domestic theaters. Throughout his life, the tsar also helped Russian ballet, which at that time deserved world recognition.
A separate place in the life of Alexander III was occupied by physical education. Being by nature a very strong man, he did not disdain even chopping firewood as a charge. In the memoirs of his contemporaries, there are stories about how the king easily broke horseshoes, bent silver coins in his fist and lifted a horse on his shoulders. Once, at dinner with the Austrian ambassador, in response to the latter's threat to form anti-Russian soldier corps, Alexander tied a fork into a knot. And he added that he would do the same with the Austrian corps.
The amazing physical strength of the king once saved the life of his entire family. In the autumn of 1888, the tsar's train crashed. Seven wagons were seriously damaged, among the servants were not only seriously wounded, but also dead. At the time of the accident, Alexander's relatives were in the dining car, the roof of which had collapsed. Alexander held her on his shoulders until help arrived. Not a single member of the royal family was hurt. True, the sharply shaken health of the autocrat is associated with this event, which led to a fatal illness.
Modern historians believe that. Whether this is fact or fiction remains to be seen.
V. Klyuchevsky: "Alexander III raised Russian historical thought, Russian national consciousness."
Education and the beginning of activity
Alexander III (Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov) was born in February 1845. He was the second son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
His elder brother Nikolai Alexandrovich was considered the heir to the throne, so the younger Alexander was preparing for a military career. But the premature death of his older brother in 1865 unexpectedly changed the fate of the 20-year-old youth, who faced the need for succession to the throne. He had to change his mind and start getting a more fundamental education. Among the teachers of Alexander Alexandrovich were the most famous people of that time: the historian S. M. Solovyov, Ya. K. Grot, who taught him the history of literature, M. I. Dragomirov taught the art of war. But the teacher of jurisprudence K. P. Pobedonostsev had the greatest influence on the future emperor, who during the reign of Alexander held the post of Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod and had a great influence on state affairs.
In 1866, Alexander married the Danish princess Dagmar (in Orthodoxy - Maria Feodorovna). Their children: Nicholas (later Russian Emperor Nicholas II), George, Xenia, Mikhail, Olga. The last family photo taken in Livadia shows from left to right: Tsarevich Nicholas, Grand Duke George, Empress Maria Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duke Michael, Grand Duchess Xenia and Emperor Alexander III.
The last family photo of Alexander III
Before ascending the throne, Alexander Alexandrovich was the chief ataman of all Cossack troops, was the commander of the troops of the St. Petersburg Military District and the Guards Corps. From 1868 he was a member of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. Participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, commanded the Ruschuk detachment in Bulgaria. After the war, he participated in the creation of the Volunteer Fleet, a joint-stock shipping company (together with Pobedonostsev), which was supposed to promote the foreign economic policy of the government.
Emperor's personality
S.K. Zaryanko "Portrait of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich in a retinue frock coat"
Alexander III was not like his father either in appearance, or in character, or in habits, or in the very mindset. He was distinguished by a very large height (193 cm) and strength. In his youth, he could bend a coin with his fingers and break a horseshoe. Contemporaries note that he was devoid of external aristocracy: he preferred unpretentiousness in clothes, modesty, was not inclined to comfort, he liked to spend leisure time in a narrow family or friendly circle, he was thrifty, adhered to strict moral rules. S.Yu. Witte described the emperor as follows: “He impressed with his impressiveness, calmness of his manners and, on the one hand, extreme firmness, and on the other hand, complacency in his face ... in appearance, he looked like a big Russian peasant from the central provinces, he was most approached would suit: short fur coat, undercoat and bast shoes; and yet, with his appearance, which reflected his enormous character, beautiful heart, complacency, justice, and at the same time firmness, he undoubtedly impressed, and, as I said above, if they had not known that he was an emperor, he would entered the room in any suit - no doubt, everyone would have paid attention to him.
He had a negative attitude towards the reforms of his father, Emperor Alexander II, as he saw their adverse consequences: the growth of the bureaucracy, the plight of the people, imitation of the West, corruption in the government. He had a dislike for liberalism and the intelligentsia. His political ideal: patriarchal-paternal autocratic rule, religious values, strengthening of the class structure, national-original social development.
The emperor and his family lived mainly in Gatchina because of the threat of terrorism. But he lived for a long time both in Peterhof and in Tsarskoye Selo. He did not like the Winter Palace very much.
Alexander III simplified court etiquette and ceremonial, reduced the staff of the Ministry of the Court, significantly reduced the number of servants, and introduced strict control over the spending of money. At court, he replaced expensive foreign wines with Crimean and Caucasian ones, and limited the number of balls a year to four.
At the same time, the emperor did not spare money for the acquisition of art objects that he knew how to appreciate, since in his youth he studied drawing with the professor of painting N. I. Tikhobrazov. Later, Alexander Alexandrovich resumed his studies together with his wife Maria Fedorovna under the guidance of Academician A.P. Bogolyubov. During his reign, Alexander III, due to his busy schedule, left this occupation, but retained his love for art for the rest of his life: the emperor collected an extensive collection of paintings, graphics, objects of arts and crafts, sculptures, which, after his death, was transferred to the museum founded by the Russian Emperor Nicholas II in memory of his father Russian Museum.
The emperor was fond of hunting and fishing. Belovezhskaya Pushcha became his favorite place for hunting.
On October 17, 1888, the tsar's train, in which the emperor traveled, crashed near Kharkov. There were casualties among the servants in seven broken cars, but the royal family remained intact. The roof of the dining car collapsed in the crash; as is known from eyewitness accounts, Alexander held the roof on his shoulders until his children and wife got out of the car and help arrived.
But soon after that, the emperor began to feel pain in the lower back - the concussion during the fall damaged the kidneys. The disease developed gradually. The emperor began to feel unwell more and more often: his appetite disappeared, heart failure began. The doctors diagnosed him with nephritis. In the winter of 1894, he caught a cold, and the disease quickly began to progress. Alexander III was sent for treatment to the Crimea (Livadia), where he died on October 20, 1894.
On the day of the death of the emperor and in the previous last days of his life, next to him was Archpriest John of Kronstadt, who laid his hands on the head of the dying man at his request.
The emperor's body was brought to St. Petersburg and buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Domestic politics
Alexander II intended to continue his reforms, Loris-Melikov's project (called the "constitution") received the highest approval, but on March 1, 1881, the emperor was killed by terrorists, and his successor turned the reforms off. Alexander III, as mentioned above, did not support the policies of his father, moreover, K.P. Pobedonostsev, who was the leader of the conservative party in the government of the new tsar, had a strong influence on the new emperor.
Here is what he wrote to the emperor in the first days after his accession to the throne: “... the hour is terrible and time does not endure. Either now save Russia and yourself, or never. If they sing the old siren songs to you that you need to calm down, you need to continue in a liberal direction, you need to give in to the so-called public opinion - oh, for God's sake, don't believe it, Your Majesty, don't listen. This will be the death, the death of Russia and yours: this is clear to me as daylight.<…>The insane villains who killed your Parent will not be satisfied with any concession and will only become furious. They can be appeased, the evil seed can be pulled out only by fighting them on the stomach and to death, with iron and blood. It is not difficult to win: until now, everyone wanted to avoid the struggle and deceived the late Sovereign, you, themselves, everyone and everything in the world, because they were not people of reason, strength and heart, but flabby eunuchs and conjurers.<…>do not leave Count Loris-Melikov. I don't believe him. He is a magician and can still play a double game.<…>The new policy must be announced immediately and decisively. It is necessary to put an end at once, right now, to all the talk about the freedom of the press, about the willfulness of gatherings, about a representative assembly<…>».
After the death of Alexander II, a struggle broke out between liberals and conservatives in the government; at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers, the new emperor, after some hesitation, nevertheless accepted the project drawn up by Pobedonostsev, which is known as the Manifesto on the inviolability of autocracy. This was a departure from the former liberal course: liberal-minded ministers and dignitaries (Loris-Melikov, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, Dmitry Milyutin) resigned; Ignatiev (Slavophile) became the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; he issued a circular that read: “... the great and widely conceived transformations of the past Reign did not bring all the benefits that the Tsar-Liberator had the right to expect from them. The Manifesto of April 29th indicates to us that the Supreme Power has measured the enormity of the evil from which our Fatherland suffers, and has decided to begin to eradicate it…”.
The government of Alexander III pursued a policy of counter-reforms that limited the liberal transformations of the 1860s and 70s. A new University Charter of 1884 was issued, which abolished the autonomy of higher education. The admission to the gymnasium of children of the lower classes was limited (the "circular about the cook's children", 1887). Peasant self-government since 1889 began to submit to zemstvo chiefs from local landowners, who combined administrative and judicial power in their hands. Zemsky (1890) and city (1892) provisions tightened the administration's control over local self-government, limited the rights of voters from the lower strata of the population.
During the coronation in 1883, Alexander III announced to the volost foremen: "Follow the advice and guidance of your leaders of the nobility." This meant the protection of the estate rights of the noble landlords (the establishment of the Noble Land Bank, the adoption of the Provision on hiring for agricultural work, which was beneficial for the landowners), the strengthening of administrative guardianship over the peasantry, the preservation of the community and the large patriarchal family. Attempts were made to increase the social role of the Orthodox Church (the spread of parochial schools), repressions against the Old Believers and sectarians were tightened. On the outskirts, a policy of Russification was carried out, the rights of foreigners (especially Jews) were limited. A percentage norm was established for Jews in secondary, and then higher educational institutions (within the Pale of Settlement - 10%, outside the Pale - 5, in the capitals - 3%). Russification policy was carried out. In the 1880s teaching in Russian was introduced in Polish universities (earlier, after the uprising of 1862-1863, it was introduced in schools there). In Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, and Ukraine, the Russian language was introduced in institutions, on railways, on posters, etc.
But not only counter-reforms characterize the reign of Alexander III. Redemption payments were lowered, the obligation to buy out peasant plots was legalized, and a peasant land bank was established to enable peasants to receive loans for the purchase of land. In 1886, the poll tax was abolished, and a tax on inheritance and interest-bearing papers was introduced. In 1882, a restriction was introduced on the factory work of juveniles, as well as on the night work of women and children. At the same time, the police regime and class privileges of the nobility were strengthened. Already in 1882-1884, new rules were issued on the press, libraries and reading rooms, called temporary, but valid until 1905. a long-term loan for noble landowners, in the form of the establishment of a noble land bank (1885), instead of an all-estate land bank designed by the Minister of Finance.
I. Repin "Reception of volost foremen by Alexander III in the courtyard of the Petrovsky Palace in Moscow"
During the reign of Alexander III, 114 new warships were built, including 17 battleships and 10 armored cruisers; The Russian fleet occupied the third place in the world after England and France. The army and the military department were put in order after their disorganization during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, which was facilitated by the full confidence placed in the minister Vannovsky and the chief of the general staff Obruchev by the emperor, who did not allow outside interference in their activities.
The influence of Orthodoxy increased in the country: the number of church periodicals increased, the circulation of spiritual literature increased; parishes closed during the previous reign were restored, new churches were being intensively built, the number of dioceses within Russia increased from 59 to 64.
During the reign of Alexander III, there was a sharp decrease in protests, in comparison with the second half of the reign of Alexander II, the decline of the revolutionary movement in the mid-80s. Terrorist activity has also decreased. After the assassination of Alexander II, there was only one successful attempt by the Narodnaya Volya (1882) on the Odessa prosecutor Strelnikov and a failed one (1887) on Alexander III. After that, there were no more terrorist attacks in the country until the beginning of the 20th century.
Foreign policy
During the reign of Alexander III, Russia did not wage a single war. For this, Alexander III received the name Peacekeeper.
The main directions of the foreign policy of Alexander III:
Balkan policy: strengthening the position of Russia.
Peaceful relations with all countries.
Search for loyal and reliable allies.
Definition of the southern borders of Central Asia.
Politics in the new territories of the Far East.
After the 5-century Turkish yoke as a result of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Bulgaria in 1879 acquired its statehood and became a constitutional monarchy. Russia intended to find an ally in Bulgaria. At first it was like this: the Bulgarian prince A. Battenberg pursued a friendly policy towards Russia, but then the Austrian influence began to prevail, and in May 18881 a coup d'état took place in Bulgaria, led by Battenberg himself - he abolished the constitution and became an unlimited ruler, pursuing a pro-Austrian policy. The Bulgarian people did not approve of this and did not support Battenberg, Alexander III demanded the restoration of the constitution. In 1886 A. Battenberg abdicated. In order to prevent Turkish influence on Bulgaria again, Alexander III advocated the exact observance of the Berlin Treaty; invited Bulgaria to solve its own problems in foreign policy, withdrew the Russian military without interfering in Bulgarian-Turkish affairs. Although the Russian ambassador in Constantinople announced to the Sultan that Russia would not allow a Turkish invasion. In 1886 diplomatic relations were severed between Russia and Bulgaria.
N. Sverchkov "Portrait of Emperor Alexander III in the uniform of the Life Guards Hussars"
At the same time, Russia's relations with Britain are becoming more complicated as a result of a clash of interests in Central Asia, the Balkans and Turkey. At the same time, relations between Germany and France are also becoming more complicated, so France and Germany began to look for opportunities for rapprochement with Russia in the event of a war between themselves - it was provided for in the plans of Chancellor Bismarck. But Emperor Alexander III kept Wilhelm I from attacking France, using family ties, and in 1891 a Russian-French alliance was concluded for as long as the Triple Alliance existed. The treaty had a high degree of secrecy: Alexander III warned the French government that if the secret was disclosed, the union would be terminated.
In Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the Kokand Khanate, the Emirate of Bukhara, the Khanate of Khiva were annexed, and the annexation of the Turkmen tribes continued. During the reign of Alexander III, the territory of the Russian Empire increased by 430 thousand square meters. km. This was the end of the expansion of the borders of the Russian Empire. Russia avoided war with England. In 1885, an agreement was signed on the creation of Russian-English military commissions to determine the final borders of Russia with Afghanistan.
At the same time, the expansion of Japan was intensifying, but it was difficult for Russia to conduct military operations in that area due to the lack of roads and the weak military potential of Russia. In 1891, the construction of the Great Siberian Railway began in Russia - the railway line Chelyabinsk-Omsk-Irkutsk-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok (about 7 thousand km). This could dramatically increase Russia's forces in the Far East.
Board results
During the 13 years of the reign of Emperor Alexander III (1881–1894), Russia made a strong economic breakthrough, created an industry, re-equipped the Russian army and navy, and became the world's largest exporter of agricultural products. It is very important that all the years of the reign of Alexander III Russia lived in peace.
The years of the reign of Emperor Alexander III are associated with the flourishing of Russian national culture, art, music, literature and theater. He was a wise philanthropist and collector.
P.I. Tchaikovsky, in a difficult time for him, repeatedly received material support from the emperor, which is noted in the letters of the composer.
S. Diaghilev believed that for Russian culture, Alexander III was the best of the Russian monarchs. It was under him that the flowering of Russian literature, painting, music and ballet began. Great art, which later glorified Russia, began under Emperor Alexander III.
He played an outstanding role in the development of historical knowledge in Russia: the Russian Imperial Historical Society began to work actively under him, of which he was chairman. The Emperor was the creator and founder of the Historical Museum in Moscow.
At the initiative of Alexander, a patriotic museum was created in Sevastopol, the main exposition of which was the Panorama of the Sevastopol Defense.
Under Alexander III, the first university in Siberia (Tomsk) was opened, a project was prepared to create a Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople, the Russian Imperial Palestinian Society began to operate, and Orthodox churches were built in many European cities and in the East.
The greatest works of science, culture, art, literature, the era of the reign of Alexander III are the great achievements of Russia, which we are still proud of.
“If Emperor Alexander III had been destined to continue reigning for as many more years as he reigned, then his reign would have been one of the greatest reigns of the Russian Empire” (S.Yu. Witte).
Born March 10 (February 26 old style) 1845 in St. Petersburg. He was the second son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
He received a military engineering education traditional for the Grand Dukes.
In 1865, after the death of his elder brother, Grand Duke Nicholas, he became Tsarevich, after which he received more fundamental knowledge. Among Alexander's mentors were Sergei Solovyov (history), Yakov Grot (history of literature), Mikhail Dragomirov (martial arts). The teacher of jurisprudence Konstantin Pobedonostsev had the greatest influence on the crown prince.
In the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, he commanded the Ruschuk detachment in Bulgaria. After the war, he participated in the creation of the Volunteer Fleet, a joint-stock shipping company designed to promote the foreign economic policy of the government.
He ascended the throne on March 1, 1881 after the assassination of Alexander II by terrorists-Narodnaya Volya. The first years of his reign he spent in Gatchina under heavy guard of troops and police.
In his father's reforms, he saw, first of all, negative aspects - the growth of government bureaucracy, the difficult financial situation of the people, imitation of Western models. The political ideal of Alexander III was based on ideas about patriarchal autocratic rule, the planting of religious values in society, the strengthening of the estate structure, and national and distinctive social development.
On April 29, 1881, Alexander III issued a manifesto "On the inviolability of autocracy" and launched a series of reforms that were aimed at partially curtailing the liberal undertakings of his father-reformer.
The domestic policy of the king was characterized by increased control of the central government over all spheres of state life.
To strengthen the role of the police, local and central administration, the "Regulations on Measures to Protect State Security and Public Peace" (1881) were adopted. Adopted in 1882, the "Provisional Rules on the Press" clearly outlined the range of topics that could be written about, and introduced strict censorship. In addition, a number of "counter-reforms" were carried out, thanks to which it was possible to suppress the revolutionary movement, primarily the activities of the "Narodnaya Volya" party.
Alexander III took measures to protect the estate rights of the noble landowners: he established the Noble Land Bank, adopted the Provision on hiring for agricultural work, which was beneficial for the landowners, strengthened administrative guardianship over the peasantry, helped to strengthen the community of the peasants, the formation of the ideal of a large patriarchal family.
At the same time, in the first half of the 1880s, he took a number of measures to alleviate the financial situation of the people and alleviate social tension in society: the introduction of compulsory redemption and the reduction of redemption payments, the establishment of the Peasant Land Bank, the introduction of factory inspection, the gradual abolition of the poll tax.
The emperor paid serious attention to enhancing the social role of the Orthodox Church: he increased the number of parochial schools, toughened repressions against the Old Believers and sectarians.
During the reign of Alexander III, the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was completed (1883), parishes closed in the previous reign were restored, and many new monasteries and churches were built.
Alexander III made a significant contribution to the reorganization of the system of state and social relations. In 1884, he issued the University Charter, which curtailed the autonomy of the universities. In 1887, he issued a "circular about the cook's children," which limited the admission of children from the lower classes to the gymnasium.
He strengthened the social role of the local nobility: since 1889, peasant self-government was subordinate to the zemstvo chiefs - who combined judicial and administrative power in their hands to officials from local landowners.
He carried out reforms in the sphere of city government: zemstvo and city regulations (1890, 1892) tightened the control of the administration over local government, limited the rights of voters from the lower strata of society.
He limited the scope of the jury, restored closed court proceedings for political trials.
The economic life of Russia during the reign of Alexander III was characterized by economic growth, which was largely due to the policy of increased patronage of domestic industry. The country rearmed the army and navy and became the world's largest exporter of agricultural products. The government of Alexander III encouraged the growth of large-scale capitalist industry, which achieved notable successes (metallurgy products doubled in 1886-1892, the railway network grew by 47%).
The foreign policy of Russia under Alexander III was distinguished by pragmatism. The main content was the turn from traditional cooperation with Germany to an alliance with France, which was concluded in 1891-1893. The aggravation of relations with Germany was smoothed out by the "Reinsurance Treaty" (1887).
Alexander III went down in history as the Tsar-Peacemaker - during the years of his reign, Russia did not participate in any serious military-political conflict of that time. The only significant battle - the capture of Kushka - took place in 1885, after which the annexation of Central Asia to Russia was completed.
Alexander III was one of the initiators of the creation of the Russian Historical Society and its first chairman. Established the Historical Museum in Moscow.
He simplified court etiquette and ceremonial, in particular, abolished kneeling before the king, reduced the staff of the court ministry and introduced strict control over the spending of money.
The emperor was pious, distinguished by frugality, modesty, he spent his leisure time in a narrow family and friendly circle. Interested in music, painting, history. He collected an extensive collection of paintings, decorative and applied arts, sculptures, which, after his death, was transferred to the Russian Museum founded by Emperor Nicholas II in memory of his father.
The idea of a real hero with iron health is associated with the personality of Alexander III. On October 17, 1888, he suffered in a railway accident near the Borki station, 50 km from Kharkov. However, saving the lives of loved ones, the emperor held the collapsed roof of the car for about half an hour until help arrived. It is believed that as a result of this excessive exertion, he began to progress kidney disease.
On November 1 (October 20, old style), 1894, the emperor died in Livadia (Crimea) from the effects of jade. The body was taken to St. Petersburg and buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The wife of Alexander III was the Danish princess Louise Sophia Frederica Dagmar (in Orthodoxy - Maria Feodorovna) (1847-1928), whom he married in 1866. The emperor and his wife had five children: Nicholas (later the Russian Emperor Nicholas II), George, Xenia, Mikhail and Olga.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
He was on the throne for thirteen and a half years and died 49 years old, having earned the title of "Tsar-Peacemaker" during his lifetime, since during his reign not a drop of Russian blood was shed on the battlefields...
Soon after his death, the historian V.O. Klyuchevsky wrote: “Science will give Emperor Alexander III a proper place not only in the history of Russia and all of Europe, but also in Russian historiography, will say that He won in the area where it is most difficult to achieve victory, defeated the prejudice of peoples and thereby contributed to their rapprochement, subjugated the public conscience in the name of peace and truth, increased the amount of goodness in the moral circulation of mankind, encouraged and uplifted Russian historical thought, Russian national consciousness, and did all this so quietly and silently that only now, when He no longer exists, Europe understood what He was for her."
The venerable professor was wrong in his predictions. For more than a hundred years, the figure of the penultimate Russian Tsar has been the target of the most impartial assessments; his personality is the object of unbridled attacks and tendentious criticism.
The false image of Alexander III is being recreated to this day. Why? The reason is simple: the Emperor did not admire the West, did not worship liberal-egalitarian ideas, believing that the literal imposition of foreign orders would not be good for Russia. Hence - the irreconcilable hatred of this Tsar from the Westerners of all stripes.
However, Alexander III was not a narrow-minded Western-hater, from the threshold rejecting everything that did not have a generic stigma: "made in Russia." For him, Russian was primary and especially significant, not because it was the best in the world, but because it was native, close, and his own. Under Emperor Alexander III, the words "Russia for the Russians" were heard throughout the country for the first time. And although he was well aware of the malfunctions and absurdities in Russian life, he never doubted for a moment that they should be overcome only relying on his own sense of understanding of duty and responsibility, not paying attention to what some "princess Marya Aleksevna" would say about this. ".
For almost two hundred years, this was the first ruler who not only did not covet the "love of Europe", but was not even interested in what they say and write about him there. However, it was Alexander III who became the ruler under whom, without a single gun shot, Russia began to gain the moral authority of a great world power. The imposing bridge over the Seine in the very center of Paris, bearing the name of the Russian Tsar, has forever remained a vivid confirmation of this...
Alexander Alexandrovich ascended the throne at the age of 36 on March 1, 1881. On that day, his father was mortally wounded by a terrorist bomb, who soon died, and Alexander Alexandrovich became the "Autocrat of All Russia." He did not dream of a crown, but when death took away his father, he showed amazing self-control and humility, accepting what was given only by the will of the Almighty.
With great spiritual trepidation, with tears in his eyes, he read his father's testament, the words and instructions of the murdered. “I am sure that my son, Emperor Alexander Alexandrovich, will understand the importance and difficulty of his high calling and will continue to be worthy of the title of an honest man in every respect ... May God help him to justify my hopes and complete what I failed to do to improve the well-being of our dear Fatherland. I conjure him not to get carried away by fashionable theories, take care of his constant development, based on love for God and on the law. He must not forget that the power of Russia is based on the unity of the State, and therefore everything that can tend to the upheavals of the entire unity and to the separate development of various nationalities, is detrimental to her and should not be allowed.I thank him, for the last time, from the depths of his tenderly loving heart, for his friendship, for the zeal with which he performed his official duties and helped me in state affairs."
Tsar Alexander III inherited a heavy legacy. He perfectly understood that improvements in various areas of life and public administration were necessary, they were long overdue, no one argued with this. He also knew that the "bold transformations" that were carried out in the 60-70s by Alexander II often gave rise to even more acute problems.
Already from the end of the 70s, the social situation in the country became so tense that some concluded that collapse would soon come. Others tried to move away from Petersburg: some to the estate, and some abroad.
The bleakness of the social situation was felt everywhere. Finances were upset, economic development slowed down, and agriculture stagnated. The zemstvos did not cope well with the affairs of local improvement, all the time they asked for money from the treasury, and some zemstvo meetings turned into centers for public discussions of political issues that did not concern them in any way.
Almost anarchy reigned in the universities: anti-government publications were almost openly distributed, student meetings were held, where attacks on the government were heard. And most importantly: murders and attempts on officials were constantly taking place, and the authorities could not cope with terror. The monarch himself became the object of these villainous intentions and fell at the hands of terrorists!
Alexander III had an extremely difficult time. There were plenty of advisers: every relative and dignitary dreamed that the tsar "invited to the conversation." But the young Emperor knew that these recommendations were often too biased, too self-serving, to be trusted without looking back. The late father sometimes brought unscrupulous people closer to him, devoid of will and firm monarchical convictions.
Things had to be done differently, he was sure of that. First of all, it is not necessary to draw up new laws, but to ensure that existing ones are respected. This conviction matured in him in the spring days of 1881. Even earlier, in January, speaking at a meeting with the main patron of the "constitutionalists" Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, the future Tsar clearly stated that "he does not see the need to impose on Russia all the inconveniences of constitutionalism that impede good legislation and governance." Such a statement was immediately interpreted by the liberal public as a manifestation of "reactionary convictions."
Alexander III never sought popularity, did not curry favor with entrepreneurs and regulars in St. Petersburg salons, either before he became Tsar or after. A few years after accession, talking with close associates, Alexander III said that he would consider "the constitution to be very calm for himself, but very dangerous for Russia." As a matter of fact, he repeated the thought expressed more than once by his father.
Long before his death, Alexander II realized that to give broad public freedoms, to which some of the most Europeanized compatriots urged him, was an unacceptable thing. In the empire of the double-headed eagle, the historical conditions for establishing the social order that existed in England or France had not yet taken shape. More than once he spoke about this both in a narrow circle and outside the royal palaces. In September 1865, receiving in Ilyinsky, near Moscow, the Zvenigorod district marshal of the nobility P. D. Golokhvastov, Alexander II outlined his political credo:
"I give you my word that now, on this table, I am ready to sign any kind of constitution, if I were convinced that it is useful for Russia. But I know that if I do it today, and tomorrow Russia will fall to pieces" . And until his death, he did not change his conviction, although then completely unsubstantiated allegations circulated that allegedly Alexander II intended to introduce constitutional government ...
Alexander III fully shared this conviction and was ready to change and improve a lot, without breaking or rejecting what seemed reliable and historically justified. The main political value of Russia was autocracy - sovereign rule, independent of written norms and state institutions, limited only by the dependence of the earthly king on the Heavenly King.
Talking at the end of March 1881 with the daughter of the poet Anna Fedorovna Tyutcheva, wife of the famous Slavophile I.S. Aksakov, who published the popular newspaper Rus in Moscow, the Tsar said: “I have read all the articles of your husband lately. Tell him that I happy with them. In my grief, I was very relieved to hear the word of honor. He is an honest and truthful person, and most importantly, he is a real Russian, which, unfortunately, are few, and even these few have been eliminated lately, but this will not happen again " .
Soon the word of the new Monarch sounded to the whole world. On April 29, 1881, the Supreme Manifesto appeared, thundering like the thunder of an alarm bell.
"In the midst of Our great sorrow, the voice of God commands Us to stand up cheerfully for the cause of government, in the hope of Divine Providence, with faith in the strength and truth of the Autocratic power, which We are called to establish and protect for the good of the people from all encroachments."
Further, the new Tsar called on all the faithful sons of the Fatherland to take courage and contribute to "the eradication of vile sedition that dishonors the Russian land, to the establishment of faith and morality, to the good upbringing of children, to the extermination of untruth and theft, to the establishment of order and truth in the operation of institutions granted to Russia by her benefactor beloved Parent."
The manifesto was unexpected for many. It became clear that the days of liberal smiles were over. The fall of political projectors? losers was only a matter of time.
Alexander III considered this outcome to be logical. On June 11, 1881, he wrote to his brother Sergey: “Having appointed new people almost everywhere, we have unanimously set to hard work and, thank God, we are moving forward with difficulty and little by little, and things are going much more successfully than under the previous ministers, who, by their behavior, forced me to fire They wanted to take me into their clutches and enslave me, but they did not succeed... ready to go straight and boldly towards the goal, not deviating to the side, and most importantly - not to despair and hope in God!
Although there were no persecutions, arrests, expulsions of objectionable dignitaries (almost all of them retired with honor, received appointments to the State Council), it seemed to some that an earthquake had begun at the top of power. The bureaucratic ear has always subtly caught the impulses and moods in the highest corridors of power, which determined the behavior and official zeal of officials.
As soon as Alexander III was on the Throne, it quickly became clear that the new government was no joke, that the young Emperor was a tough man, even harsh, and his will must be obeyed implicitly. Immediately everything began to spin, discussions subsided, and the state machine suddenly started working with renewed vigor, although in the last years of the reign of Alexander II it seemed to many that it no longer had the strength.
Alexander III did not create any emergency bodies (in general, during his reign there were few new divisions in the state administration system), he did not carry out any “special purge” of the bureaucracy, but the atmosphere in the country and in the corridors of power changed.
Salon talkers, who had only recently passionately defended freedom-loving principles, suddenly became almost speechless and no longer dared to popularize "Liberte", "Egalite", "Fraternite" not only at open meetings, but even in the circle of "their own", behind the tightly closed doors of the capital's living rooms. Gradually, dignitaries who were known as liberals were replaced by others who were ready to serve the Tsar and the Fatherland unquestioningly, without looking into European cribs and not afraid to be branded as "reactionaries".
Alexander III boldly and decisively began to fight against the enemies of the state order. There were arrests of direct perpetrators of regicide and some other persons who did not personally participate in the March 1 atrocity, but were preparing other terrorist acts. In total, about fifty people were arrested, and five regicides were hanged by the court's verdict.
The Emperor had no doubt that Russia's enemies had to be fought uncompromisingly. But not only by police methods, but also by mercy. It is necessary to distinguish where are the true, irreconcilable opponents, and where are the lost souls, who, through thoughtlessness, allowed themselves to be drawn into anti-government actions. The emperor himself always followed the course of the inquiry on political matters. In the end, all judicial decisions were left to his discretion, many asked for royal favor, and it was up to him to know the details. Sometimes he decided not to bring the case to court.
When in 1884 a circle of revolutionaries was opened in Kronstadt, the tsar, having learned from the testimony of the accused that midshipman of the naval crew Grigory Skvortsov sheds tears, repents and gives frank testimony, ordered: the midshipman be released and not prosecuted.
Alexander III always had sympathy for those people who professed traditional values. Conformism, conciliation, apostasy caused nothing in his soul but disgust. His political principle was simple and consistent with the Russian administrative tradition. Malfunctions in the state must be corrected, proposals must be listened to, but for this it is absolutely not necessary to convene some kind of people's assembly.
It is necessary to invite experts, experts on a particular issue, to listen, discuss, weigh the pros and cons and make the right decision. Everything should be done according to the law, and if it turns out that the law is outdated, then it must be revised, relying on tradition and only after discussion in the State Council. It became the rule of state life.
The tsar repeatedly told his associates and ministers that "officialdom is a force in the state, if it is kept in strict discipline." And indeed, under Alexander III, the administrative apparatus of the empire worked in a strict regime: the decisions of the authorities were strictly implemented, and the tsar personally monitored this. Inefficiency, neglect of official duties, he could not stand.
The emperor introduced an innovation unprecedented in Russia: he demanded that he be presented with a statement of all outstanding orders and decisions, indicating the persons responsible for them. This news greatly increased the "labor enthusiasm" of the bureaucracy, and red tape became much less.
He was especially implacable towards those who used their official position for personal gain. There was no mercy for such people.
The reign of Alexander III was distinguished by a simply amazing phenomenon: bribery and corruption, which used to be a sad Russian reality, almost completely disappeared. Russian history of this period did not reveal a single high-profile case of this kind, and numerous professional "exposers of tsarism" did not find a single corruption fact, although they were persistently searched for for many decades ...
In the era of the reign of Alexander III in Russia, strict administrative regulation of social life was maintained. Enemies of state power were persecuted, arrested, and deported. Such facts existed both before and after Alexander III, however, in order to justify the immutable thesis about a certain "course of reaction", it is precisely the period of his reign that is often characterized as a particularly gloomy and hopeless period of history. Nothing of the sort has actually been observed.
In total, 17 people were executed for political crimes (there was no death penalty for criminal acts in Russia) during the "reaction period". All of them either participated in the regicide, or prepared for it, and not one of them repented. In total, less than 4 thousand people were interrogated and detained for anti-state acts (almost fourteen years). Considering that the population of Russia at that time exceeded 120 million people, these data convincingly refute the stereotyped thesis about the "terror regime" that was allegedly established in Russia during the reign of Alexander III.
Judicial-prison "reprisals" are only a part of the "gloomy picture of Russian life" that is so often painted. Its essential point is the "oppression of censorship", which allegedly "strangled" any "freedom of thought".
In the 19th century, in Russia, as in all other, even the "most-most" democratic states, censorship existed. In the tsarist empire, it not only protected the moral foundations, religious traditions and beliefs, but also performed the function of protecting state interests.
Under Alexander III, as a result of an administrative ban or for other reasons, mainly of a financial nature, several dozen newspapers and magazines ceased to exist. However, this did not mean that "the voice of the independent press has died out" in the country. Many new editions appeared, but many old ones continued to appear.
A number of liberally oriented publications (the most famous are the Russkiye Vedomosti newspaper and the Vestnik Evropy magazine), although they did not allow direct attacks on the government and its representatives, did not get rid of the critical ("skeptical") tone and successfully survived the "era of repression" .
In 1894, the year of the death of Alexander III, 804 periodicals in Russian and other languages were published in Russia. Approximately 15% of them were state ("state"), and the rest belonged to various companies and individuals. There were socio-political, literary, theological, reference, satirical, scientific, educational, sports newspapers and magazines.
During the reign of Alexander III, the number of printing houses grew steadily; The nomenclature of produced book products also increased annually. In 1894, the list of titles of published books reached almost 11,000 thousand (in 1890 - 8638). Many thousands of books were imported from abroad. During the entire reign, less than 200 books were not allowed to circulate in Russia. (This number included, for example, the notorious "Capital" by Karl Marx.) The majority was forbidden not for political, but for spiritual and moral reasons: insulting the feelings of believers, propaganda of obscenity.
Alexander III died early, not yet an old man. His death was mourned by millions of Russian people, not under compulsion, but at the call of their hearts, who honored and loved this crowned ruler - a big, strong, Christ-loving, so understandable, just, such "their own".
Alexander Bokhanov, Doctor of Historical Sciences
