Decembrists
Decembrists
Decembrists
2
ИСТОРИЯ
DOI: 10.21638/11701/spbu02.2017.212
ДОКУМЕНТАЛЬНЫЕ ПУБЛИКАЦИИ
А. Ю. Дворниченко, М. С. Белоусов
ДВИЖЕНИЕ ДЕКАБРИСТОВ В ТВОРЧЕСТВЕ ГЕОРГИЯ ВЕРНАДСКОГО
Статья посвящена анализу темы истории декабризма в творчестве Г. В. Вернадского.
Исследование масонства Екатерининской эпохи привело ученого к истории тайных лож на-
чала XIX столетия, а они, в свою очередь, как начальная страница истории декабризма, при-
влекли внимание к тайным обществам. К сожалению, переломные годы Гражданской войны
и последующих мытарств и переездов не позволили Г. В. Вернадскому завершить работу над
этой темой монографическим исследованием. Но по сохранившимся материалам мы видим,
что его наблюдения стали органичным продолжением дореволюционной историографиче-
ской традиции, в рамках которой историк формировался. Он высказал много ценных мыслей,
расширяющих представления об истории движения декабристов. Предложил собственное
начертание эволюции политического мышления деятелей тайного общества и проанализиро-
вал особенности идейной борьбы в рамках декабристских организаций, обращался к важной
проблеме влияния правительственного конституционализма на формирование программных
документов декабристов. После эмиграции научные интересы историка смещаются в сторону
древнерусской истории. Тем не менее в работах разных лет он обращается и к декабристским
сюжетам. Он затрагивает их в близких по тематике статьях: исследует взаимоотношения де-
кабристов и А. С. Пушкина, рассматривает проблему влияния идей Великой французской ре-
волюции и их распространения в России. В послевоенный период Г. В. Вернадский выступает
с публичной лекцией, текст которой публикуется в приложении к предлагаемой статье1. Этот
текст можно датировать 1947 г. Перед нами размышления сформировавшегося 60-летнего уче-
ного. Историк стремится определить место декабристов в российской истории. Он показыва-
ет, насколько значительной и переломной эпохой для развития страны была первая четверть
П Р И Л ОЖ Е Н И Е
G. Vernadsky
The Decembrists
[1]
The Decembrists represented not only political liberalism In Russia, but their move-
ment was connected with general progress in Russia and with the very extensive fermen-
tation of ideas. We speak of the Decembrists as revolutionists, but as a matter of fact, it is
not only in its political aspects that Russia experienced a period of considerable change
and rapid progress, but in other spheres of life as well. It was the period of the blossoming
of Russian poetry, with Pushkin to represent it. It was a period of interesting development
in Russian architecture. I can mention the names of such architects as Zakharov, Voro…
There was considerable progress in science. Vassily Petrov, a physicist of genius, just at
this period experimented with electricity and electric light. It was also the period of the
early stages of industrialization in Russia. The Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 and Anglo Russian
alliance and the Continental blockade gave considerable impetus to the development of
Russian industry. The number of both factories and factory workers more than doubled in
the period between 1800 and 1825. So when we think of Decembrists and discuss the De-
cembrists, we have to think of their political movement as only one aspect of the general
progress in Russia in this period, which may more or less be characterised by the German
formula of Sturm und Drang, and this is, of course, a very important point. Also, we have
to take into consideration the important military and political events of the period.
[3]
speak of Russia and the fleet we always think of the West as more of progressive. Just at that
moment in the matter [of] political situation there was not much progress in the West. The
victory of the Allies over Napoleon meant the end of Napoleon’s imperialism, but it also
meant the restoratuion of the Bourbons and the suppression of the more liberal movements
for the time being. Even the limited constitutional charter which France was granted was
more or 1ess the result of the policy of Alexander the I of Russia. Just at that moment, in
1814, France could not be much of an example for any revolutionary development in Rus-
sia, and yet the result of this meeting between Russia and the West was а very important
one. As our Chairman showed it in his interesting article on the Decembrists published in
the Monde Slave in 1925, the future Decembrists, when they got to Paris, were shocked by
the political reaction there, but at the same time many of them, including Pavel Pestel —
perhaps the most important of the Decembrists — were impressed by the fact that even
though France had gone back, still the social achievements of the revolution remained in
France. As Pestel said it in his statement to the court in 1826, this was a fact which im-
pressed him very ranch, and when thinking of the possibility of a revolution, he came to
the conclusion that even if the revolutionary government would not last long in Russia, still
important social changes would be achieved. It is essential to emphasize just this aspect in
the ideas of the Decembrists — that they were interested not only in the change of
[4]
political forms — the form of government — but that one or their basic ideas was the
necessity of a social change — democratization of Russia, and so the peasant problem
occupied a very important part in all of their projects, which is perfectly clear from their
[5]
significant for the future — following the Decembrist movement, the social problem be-
came an indispensable item in all phases of the progressive movement in Russia. The fact
that the Decembrists emphasized this point shows that they were well acquainted with
the Russian realities and that they actually could have received support from the Russian
people had their revolution had any chance of actually being started. While we may say
that the important leaders of the movement were in agreement about the emancipation of
the peasants, there were many differences of opinion among them about other problems
of the future, such as the political organization of Russia, also the manner in which the
emancipation of the peasants could be realized.
As you know, the first political secret societies of the Decembrists period started
immediately after the Napoleonic wars. There were several satges in the organization of
these groups, but finally it became plain that there were in existence in Russia three ma-
jor revolutionary groups — the so called Northern Society, which centered around St.
Petersbourg, among the members of which was Nikita Muraviev, the author of one of the
important constitutional projects. The poet Ryleyev was also а member of the Northern
Society. Тhen there was the so-called Southern Society, more or less centering around
Kiev. The leader of this group was Pestel. The third important group was the socalled
Society of the United Slavs. We have no detailed program of this last organisation — only
a few glimpses of information about their program. The most interesting aspect of this
program was Panslavism.
[6]
This movement, which we may call partly Russian and partly Ukrainian, was also
connected with Polish Slavophil ideas. Both the Southern Society and the Society of Unit-
ed Slavs were in close connection with the Polish Revolutionary societies. The result was
[7]
contrary was for giving the peasants sufficient amounts of land. Pestel’s ideas of agrarian
reform were extremely interesting and original. But let us first deal with some other gen-
eral aspects of these two constitutional projects. Another difference between the Muraviev
and the Pestel project was that Muraviev was in favor of federation; his constitutional
project was considerably influenced by the constitution of the U. S. Pestel was for a cen-
tralized republic, and this was a very important point. We have here a very interesting
parallel to the difference in the Governmental project of reform, which I mention in my
preceding talk. Speransky’s project of 1789 favored centralized government, while Novo-
siltzev’s 1820 Constitutional Charter of the Russian Empire recommended federation. We
may explain this coincidence in the government’s projects and the Decembrists’ project
partly by the fact that both the Government leaders and the Decembrists had more or less
the same source of information. Undoubtedly both Muraviev and Novosiltzev were well
acquainted with the constitution of the U. S. Оn the other hand Pestel and Speransky were
well acquainted with the French constitutional reforms and the constitutional develop-
ment in France. In addition to this general background, in my opinion it is quite possible
that Muraviev, when he was writing his project, was aware of the existence of Novosiltzev
project. Novosiltzev’s project was not published at that time, but one of Novosiltzev’s as-
sistants was Prince Viazemsky, a friend of Pushkin and of many Decembrists, so it is quite
possible that there was some relationship between Munviev and Novosiltzev.
[8]
As for Pestel, he was not only for a United Russia, but for a very centralist government
in Russia. He believed in big states, and was not in favor or small nations. He argued that
there is a conflict between two principles in this respect, what he called the Right of Na-
tionality and the Principle of State Convenience, or if you like, Strategic Security. These
two principles, according to Pestel, are at constant variance, and in each case it is to be
[9]
the Northern Society of Muraviev provided for the automony of small groups, which were
to form a federation of state.
With regard to the peasant problem, we are now in a position to follow pretty closely
the development of Pestel’s ideas, because while Russkaya Pravda — Pestel’s main work —
was disovered and published even before the Russian Revolution, another work of Pes-
tel — a minor one — has appeared. This minor work is very interesting for the study of
the development of his ideas. It gives a clear understanding of Pestel’s early ideas on the
agrarian problem. There is difference of opinion among scholars on the date of that trea-
tise of Pestel’s on political economy, also on the question as to whom he was influenced by
in writing this treatise. The editor of Pestel’s treatise suggests (1925) that Pestel was under
the influence of a noted economist of this period
that Pestel was under the influence of a noted economist of this period Sismondi, and
since Sismondi’s main work appeared in 1818, it was suggested that Pestel’s work must
have been written in 1819. Several years later there appeared an article by G in Russki-
ya Zapiski in Prague, who remarked that Sismondi’s influence was not noticeable. Pestel
himself mentions Sismondi, but only in collection with paper money, so it seems that
Pestel wrote this treatise on political economy in 1815 or 1816. At that early stage Pes-
tel’s program did not differ from the program of Muraviev and the other members of the
Northern Society. He was in favor of emancipating the serfs, but not of giving them land.
Later he changed his opinion, and in the Russkaya Pravda we have a very original plan
supplying the while population of Russia
[10]
with land and same time not suppressing individual in agriculture. What Pestel suggested
was a division of all of the land into fund each of the peasants, each of the members of
the township was to have a share. In the other category, the principle of private property
was recognized, but again the government had to take measures so that as many people as
possible could use this land, even on a private basic. So here we have not only a complete
difference between Pestel and the members of the Northern Society, but we also find an
[11]
Just now some of the ideas of the Decembrists have come true. The members of the
United Slavs spoke of the Black and the Adriatic Seas as Slavic Seas — there are some such
trends at present. When Pestel was ready to grant independence to Poland, his condition
was the establishment of a democratic government in Poland. The present situation seems
not so far from Pestel’s recommendation. These, of course, are merely details, but I think
there is agreement in many respects.
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