The book contains extracts from memoirs, diaries, articles, letters and the statements made by the Decembrists during the investigation, as well as extracts from official documents and the memoirs of contemporaries. The reader will have the opportunity to make the acquaintance of some of the most educated and noble-minded men of their age, men possessed of enormous spiritual wealth and generosity.
As is always the case with any book composed of frag ments, it is reminiscent of a mosaic: each recollection adds its own distinctive touch to the overall picture. The documents preserve the language and style of the day, and sometimes require studious attention. There fore, in order to help the reader to find his way among the names, titles, facts and events, each section of the book is preceded by an account in which the whirl of events and twists of fate, the thoughts and passionate debates, the evaluations and impressions are logically ordered by the compiler. The notes at the end of the book will assist the reader with the more unfamiliar as
pects of life in 19th-century Russia.
…And now I will leave you alone with the Decembrists
and their times.
Translated from the Russian by Synthia Carlile Designed by Alexander Alexeyeu
Compiler, author of introductory article and notes Vladimir Fyodorov, D. Sc. (Hist.)
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CONTENTS
A Few Words to the Reader. 9
Mikhail Lunin. “A Look at the Secret Society in Russia (1816-1826)” 11
“Of Reflection the Noble Aspiration”
Historical Background. 18
A Letter Written by Pyotr Kakhovsky in the SS Peter and Paul Fortress to Emperor Nicholas I42
Vladimir Rayevsky. From “Reflections on the Slavery of the Peasants”45
Yakov Andreyevich on the Reasons Why He Joined the Secret Society. From His Testimony to the Committee of Enquiry. 48
Mikhail Fonvizin. “On the Causes of the Emergence of Secret Societies in Russia” 50
Nikolai Turgenev. From Diary Notes, 1816-182053
From the “Notes” of Ivan Yakushkin 58
Sergei Trubetskoy on the Union of Salvation and the Union of Welfare. From the “Notes” of Trubetskoy 65
From the Testimony of Pavel Pestel on the Union of Welfare69
From the Statutes of the Union of Welfare (The Green Book) 70
From “A Brief Description of Various Secret Societies Whose Real or Fictitious Existence Was Discovered by the Committee of Enquiry”. Early Decembrist Organisations. 72
Vladimir Rayevsky. From “Reflections on the Soldier” 76
Matvei Muravyov-Apostol. “The Semyonovsky Affair of 1820”79
From the Reminiscences of Ivan Yakushkin on the Moscow Congress of 1821 and the Dissolution of the Union of Welfare86
From “A Brief Description of Various Secret Societies Whose Real or Fictitious Existence Was Discovered by the Committee of Enquiry”. Societies Which Emerged after the Dissolution of the Union of Welfare. 87
Nikolai Lorer. “Reminiscences of Pestel”89
Pavel Pestel. “The Definition, Aim and Operation of the Russkaya Pravda. (Introduction to the Draft Constitution) 92
Nikita Muravyov About His Membership of the Secret Society. From His Testimony to the Committee of Enquiry, 5 January 182694
From the Draft Constitution by Nikita Muravyov. 95
Alexander Muravyov about His Brother, Nikita Muravyov. From His Recollections 97
Nikolai Bestuzhev about Kondratii Ryleyev. From His Recollections99
Ivan Pushchin. “Notes on Pushkin”. 103
From “A Brief Description of Various Secret Societies Whose Real or Fictitious Existence Was Discovered by the Committee of Enquiry”. The Society of Associated Slavs. 114
Pyotr Borisov on the Emergence of the Society of Associated Slavs. From His Testimony Before the Committee of Enquiry 115
Ivan Gorbachevsky. “On the Unification of the Society of Associated Slavs with the Southern Society” 118
The Speech Delivered by Bestuzhev-Riumin at a Meeting of the Members of the Society of Associated Slavs, 13 September 1825. From the Testimony of Bestuzhev-Riumin. 124
Pavel Pestel on the Plans for an Armed Uprising and Coup d’Etat. From the Testimony of Pavel Pestel 125
Sergei Volkonsky on Government Surveillance of the Secret Society. 127
Yevgenii Obolensky. From “Reminiscences about Kondratii Ryleyev”132
II. “The First Breath of Freedom”
The Insurrection 144
Sergei Trubetskoy on the Interregnum in November-December 1825. From the Reminiscences of Sergei Trubetskoy 150
Nikolai Bestuzhev on Preparations for the Insurrection on 14 December 1825. From His Reminiscences. 156
Kondratii Ryleyev about Preparations for the Insurrection on 14 December 1825. From His Testimony before the Committee of Enquiry. 162
Sergei Trubetskoy on the Plan of the Insurrection and Preparations for It. From the Testimony of S. Trubetskoy. 165
Manifesto to the Russian People 169
Andrei Rozen on the Insurrection of 14 December 1825. From His Reminiscences. 170
From the Reminiscences of Vladimir Steingel 178
From the Reminiscences of Mikhail Bestuzhev. 182
From the Reminiscences of Nikolai Bestuzhev. 186
From the “Notes” of Nicholas I about 14 December 1825 188
Matvei Muravyov-Apostol. “The Insurrection of the Chernigovsky Regiment.” From His Reminiscences 195
Ivan Gorbachevsky. “The Insurrection of the Chernigovsky Regiment.” From His “Notes” 202
III. “In Our Destiny We Take Pride”
The Tsar Savagely Dealt with the Insurgents. 214
Mikhail Fonvizin on the Enquiry into the Decembrists’ Affair and Their Trial. From “A Review of the Manifestations of Political Life in Russia”221
From the Reminiscences of Alexander Muravyov “My Journal”224
Nikolai Lorer on His Interrogation in the Winter Palace. From His Recollections 230
From the Reminiscences of Nikolai Basargin 233
Decree to the Supreme Criminal Court, 10 July 1826 249
From the Protocol of the Supreme Criminal Court of 11 July 1826252
Instructions of Nicholas I on the Ceremonial Execution of the Sentence Against the Decembrists 253
The Report of the Governor-General of St Petersburg, P. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, to Nicholas I Dated 13 July 1826, on the Execution of the Death Sentence against P. Pestel, K. Ryleyev, S. Muravyov-Apostol, M. Bestuzhev-Riumin and P. Kakhovsky 254
From the Reminiscences of Yevgenii Obolensky. 254
Alexander Herzen. From the Book *The Past and Reflections*256
Alexander Muravyov. “On the Departure of the Condemned Decembrists into Penal Servitude.” From His Reminiscences 257
From the “Notes” of Maria Volkonskaya 261
The Letters of Mikhail Lunin to His Sister, Yekaterina Uvarova (1838-1839) 273
From the Reminiscences of Pauline Annenkova 278
Nikolai Lorer about the Wives of the Decembrists. From His Reminiscences 283
The Death of Alexandra Muravyova. From the Reminiscences of Nikolai Lorer 287
Reminiscences of Nikolai Basargin about His Companions in Exile 289
Nikolai Belogolovy. From “Reminiscences of a Siberian about the Decembrists” 293
Pyotr Pershin (Karaksarsky) about Mikhail and Nikolai Bestuzhev in Exile in Siberia. From His Reminiscences 298
From the Reminiscences of Maria Frantseva 300
Nikolai Belogolovy on the Return of the Decembrists from Siberia. From “Reminiscences of a Siberian about the Decembrists” 306
Mikhail Lunin. “The Social Movement in Russia in the Present Reign”. 308
Lev Tolstoy on the Return of the Decembrists. 312
Alexander Herzen. From the Essay “On the Development of Revolutionary Ideas in Russia”. 313
From the article by V. I. Lenin “In Memory of Herzen” 315
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