Shilka and Nerchinsk are not scary now, The mountain guards did not catch me.
In the wilds, the gluttonous beast did not touch, The shooter's bullet passed.
"Glorious Sea - Sacred Baikal". Russian romance on the verses of the Siberian poet D. P. Davydov
Our king was kind
Siberian exile of the leaders of the revolution. Well, they, that is, our leaders of the revolution, really had something to fiercely hate the tsarist power for. After all, she caught them and sent them into exile. And they all visited the links - and not even once. Moreover, Stalin was the record holder in this respect: six "walkers", much more. However, the truth is that almost all of our prominent revolutionaries did not stay in exile for a long time. They spent from one to three years in them, and then they either escaped quite successfully, or at the end of the term they received freedom. Some were even released under amnesty - they were so lucky. And immediately we note that if under the tsar there was something similar to our Soviet GULAG, then no Bolshevik or any other revolution would be possible even in principle. Our king was kind. Kind! And condescending to criminals, let's say, "ideological orientation." They sent murderers and "bombers" to hard labor, but if you organize circles and write brochures, they treated you in a completely different way. But as soon as the former "prisoners of tsarism" came to power, they took into account the mistakes of the previous regime and practically immediately changed the system of punishments radically. So to a Soviet convict of the 30s, a pre-revolutionary exile would seem like a real sanatorium for health improvement! However, so far only all these words, and readers of "VO", no doubt, would like to know specific examples of "the horrors of tsarism." Well, let's take a look at how Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky had the same links to Siberia.
House-Museum of V. I. Lenin in the village of Shushenskoye
Punishment, punishment, strife …
Let's start with the fact that in Russia they have always treated ideas badly and did not truly appreciate them, just as they did not appreciate people engaged in mental work, but they always paid attention to their actions. Therefore, if you already committed a criminal act in pre-revolutionary Russia, then straight away ended up in hard labor, and only after serving the term, the convicts were sent to free settlements. But the tsarist authorities treated much more dangerous political criminals with great leniency. However, it was so long ago that now we know about all this only from memoirs and documents. There are no living witnesses left. But on the other hand, we know that in 1917, not only the system itself changed in the country, but also the attitude towards the “criminal element”. The criminals, that is, those who committed illegal actions, were recognized as people who are socially close and not so dangerous as "politicians" who will be "assigned the first number"! Plato said that ideas rule the world, and if so, then we will now show this very ideological one. We ourselves were such, we know what connivance leads to in such cases!
View of Shushenskoye from above. Of course, there is nowhere to “walk along the avenue” …
Whatever it was, but people punished under political articles, and the list of articles according to which the criminals were recognized as such, according to the "Code of punishments of the Russian Empire", was, I must say, very extensive, they were simply sent away from central Russia, where- somewhere in the wilderness, for which Siberia was very suitable. But again, everything depended on guilt. The calm were allowed to live in cities or large villages, but those who were inclined to escape were sent away. Moreover, the exiles were allowed to work, although it was forbidden to work in the state or military service, teach and participate in elections.
The museum part of the village.
Not life, but spilled raspberries
Since most of the professional revolutionaries were just idlers, that is, they did not own any professions, it was hard for them. But even the most real white-handed people who came to the revolution from the nobility were not at all doomed to death by starvation by the government. They were allocated money from the treasury both for food and for renting housing (from four to eight rubles a month, depending on the distance from the center). Moreover, for the same Siberia and the rural wilderness, it was decent money, considering that a class lady in a gymnasium without lessons received at that time 30 rubles a month.
Rural street
But on the other hand, many revolutionaries, having a good education and a lot of free time, immediately began to cooperate with various publishing houses, publish articles and even publish books. Even today, people who know how to simply, understandably and interestingly express their thoughts on paper are in a sufficient deficit. And then what can I say about that time? Therefore, for articles in newspapers, even tabloid, people received very decent fees. In addition (no matter how strange it may be) the revolutionaries came from far from the poorest families, their parents most often did not stand at the machines, so their families also supported the “poor exiles” financially. Well, and people without education and uncreative, who allowed themselves to be carried away by the ideas of universal equality and without wealthy relatives, became unskilled laborers, which was also not forbidden to any of the exiled by the tsarist authorities.
House - merchant shop
Everything for the convenience of the exiled gentlemen
Can't you do without a servant? And in fact, is it not for the exiled himself to wash his pants and wash the floors ?! Moreover, if he is of noble origin and rank … Well, if the funds allow - yes, for God's sake, hire. Do you want to correspond with relatives and even other exiles? The same thing, although, of course, the gendarmes checked the letters. Did you forget to visit friends in another city or village? I went to the police chief, he gave permission and - go! Has he thought to gather a bunch of exiles, to discuss how best to overthrow the tsar-father? Well, if in a private apartment, and not in a public place, then there was no ban here either. Let them talk to themselves! And most importantly, there are no restrictions on getting married and getting married, as well as inviting a family to you. Even for the escape of the term, the exiles were by no means added, no, just, when they were caught, they were kept in prison for some time, and then transferred even further into the wilderness. AND EVERYTHING!
The interior of the shop. Everything you need for life is here
Everything is learned by comparison, isn't it?
Compare this punishment with what the political prisoners of the GULAG had? Well, to begin with, let's remember about 25 years without the right to correspond, then the daily truly backbreaking labor for rationing bread, no sexual contacts with the opposite sex, and even talking about the overthrow of the existing system and forget to think - some informant will immediately report everything. You can't leave the camp at all. And, of course, terror on the part of "socially not alien" criminals - that's just the main part of the charms of the Soviet penitentiary system. As the saying goes, "the horrors of tsarism" are simply resting!
"Washing machine" of the late 19th century. "Siberian model"
And only from the dog he refused …
And now let's talk about the circumstances of V. I. Lenin in the village of Shushenskoye (Krasnoyarsk Territory), where he stayed from 1897 to 1900. And it so happened that he was arrested in 1905 and after him his future life friend Nadya Krupskaya was arrested. Lenin got a link for three years in Shushenskoye, but after seven months in custody, she was sentenced to six years in exile in the Ufa province. That is, apparently, there was a principle - "the further, the shorter." After that, Krupskaya officially declared herself the bride of the exiled settler Vladimir Ulyanov and … thus she went to him in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Then, by the way, many revolutionary girls declared themselves "brides". The fact is that in addition to, so to speak, natural reasons, the "brides" were allowed to help the arrested - to send them money, food, things, books. Well, since in the case of Krupskaya and Lenin there was also a "feeling", then in May 1898 she came to him in Shushenskoye. And she came not alone, but together with her mother. Obviously for the sake of helping the young to manage the household. It is hard to believe that Ilyich so dreamed of living with his mother-in-law, but for the sake of the convenience of revolutionary activity … why not? However, then it was in the order of things, yes, do not be surprised.
She's close up
He suffered so much that … he recovered
The treasury paid Ilyich eight rubles a month - and, do not be surprised, this was enough for renting a room from the local wealthy peasant Zyryanov, and for food, and for washing, and for mending clothes. Krupskaya, having come to him a year later, recalled that Lenin was fed "poorly" - they killed only one ram a week. Then for another seven days they bought beef, and the worker made cutlets from it. The cutlets had a "pitiful side dish", as Krupskaya wrote, - beets, turnips, peas and potatoes. No artichokes, no broccoli, nothing! Nevertheless, she found that Vladimir Ilyich, although he was on this "meager diet," not only did not lose weight, but even "recovered quite a bit" until they saw each other. And her opinion in this matter can be completely trusted, isn't it?
Since there were hives, then there was honey!
And the mother-in-law was put in charge of the household
Since it was simply impossible for the young to live in the same room with their mother, for four rubles a month most of the hut was rented from a local widow. Krupskaya Sr. stood up for the farm, but a local girl was hired to help her. However, why not hire, if you have money? And Lenin did not live in poverty. His relatives sent them to him: and the transfers sometimes reached hundreds of rubles. Books, fresh newspapers and magazines were also sent to him - pleasure at that time was not at all cheap. Ilyich got carried away with hunting - and his family immediately bought him a gun, and the local police chief did not say anything about this. His mother even wanted to send him a hunting pedigree dog, but he refused the dog.
And the village of Shushenskoye had its own prison, surrounded by a tall fence. What would have happened if Lenin had been put here?
"Girlfriend" reports …
In 1959, a book for girls was published in the USSR, entitled "Girlfriend" - a very interesting monument to the social relations of this era. The beginning was devoted to various "heroic" women, from whom the youth were advised to follow an example. Well, and of course, it told about the fate of Nadezhda Krupskaya. So there I came across some interesting information: “for three years in the Minusinsk exile, the Ulyanov couple had such a large library that after the end of the exile, when these books had to be sent from Shushenskoye and they were put into a box, it weighed 15 poods. (page 10) Amazing, isn't it? After all, he ordered not the 5-kopeck brochures of the publishing house of Sytin "People's Reading" and not "The Adventures of the King Detective Nat Pinkerton", but … serious and therefore expensive editions. And he has accumulated 15 poods of such in three years. One pood is 16 kg. 15 poods - 240 kg! And quite a lot of money was spent on these books, even if he did not order all of these books himself! And here is other information: in Shushenskoye, Lenin wrote more than 30 works, and many of them were published. That is, he was paid a fee for them! And what was this punishment in the end? Pleasant in all respects, intellectual work in the fresh air, interspersed with hunting, work in the garden and sex with a young wife! I wrote a couple of pages - filled with the heat of passion … then a couple more, then walked through the forest, thought about what else to write. I had lunch with beef cutlets with potatoes and steamed turnips. In the evening we played preference with my mother-in-law, then again … A tribute to the young temperament. And so for three whole years! Beauty, and more! Yes, there were no theaters there, that's for sure, and before the wind it was necessary to walk into the courtyard, which was a bit chilly in winter - after all, Siberia. But … there were, after all, chamber pots for this, so, I think, the young couple did not have any special problems with this either. They did not prepare food for themselves, they did not wash their clothes, they did not wash the floors … A sanatorium, and nothing more! No wonder, as everyone who knew Lenin during this period noted, he left the Siberian village recuperated and rested from his former and tiresome underground life.
House-Museum of V. I. Lenin in the village of Shushenskoye. Quite decent living conditions, isn't it? Everything is in the best traditions of the era. I wonder how those prosperous peasants with whom he lived would have reacted to him if they knew what would become of them after the revolution, plans for which their guest was making?
He walked in the middle of the night and in broad daylight …
"Father of the peoples" Joseph Stalin was in exile under the tsar six times, but the last one, Turukhanskaya, is considered his most difficult exile. There he also spent three years from 1913 to 1916. But the time was already different, and Stalin's reputation was unimportant, since he had already escaped from exile several times before. Therefore, they sent him "where Makar did not drive calves," namely, to the Arctic, to the tiny village of Kureyka. The road to it was "straight" - in the summer along the Yenisei on a steamer that sailed once a year, and in winter on dogs or deer. Moreover, the winter there lasted about nine months, so it was very difficult to escape from here. Therefore, Stalin did not even undertake such attempts. But, to engage in self-education - was engaged. Yakov Sverdlov was in exile with him. But Stalin for some reason disliked him and was only glad when a year later he was transferred from Kureyka.
I had to put a lampshade on a kerosene lamp. After all, this is the hall after all
In his exile, Stalin ate fresh sturgeon
Stalin was also unlucky that he did not have rich relatives. True, the books were sent to him by party comrades. So the eight rubles, which were discussed above, all went entirely to him for renting a room in a peasant hut, warm clothes - sheepskin coat, felt boots and accessories for hunting and fishing. So he ate mainly game and fish. Once, two comrades reached him in the winter, that is, on a sled, to discuss some party affairs. And then they recalled how Stalin with them, having left for a very short time, returned with a three-pound sturgeon, from which the three of them immediately arranged a feast. And now, again, let's count the sturgeon in three pounds - that's 48 kg. And it was sturgeon of the first, not the "second freshness." Of course, black caviar is also annoying if you eat it constantly, but it was still a better food than a Gulag ration of bread and gruel made of flour with cabbage leaves.
So the exile for the future "father of nations" was much more difficult than for the leader of the world proletariat. Therefore, when they tried to draft Stalin into the army, he agreed to this most likely with joy. Moreover, Stalin never got to the front - the draft board rejected him!
The place where "imperishable" was written
Harsh exile of the "demon of revolution"
One of the most prominent figures of the Russian revolution, Leiba Bronstein, known under the pseudonym Leon Trotsky, did not escape the hardships of life in exile. In 1899, he was also sentenced to be sent to the Irkutsk province, to the village of Ust-Kut.
But being a loving and practical person, while still in a transit prison, he married Alexandra Sokolovskaya, a comrade-in-arms in the revolutionary struggle. Therefore, they were allowed to accept the punishment together. It is clear where the husband is from his wife, it is inhumane to separate! They had two daughters in exile, so they were paid from the treasury … 35 rubles for two (and the same amount was received then by a skilled worker at large factories in Moscow or St. Petersburg, whose wife also stayed at home). But the spouses did not have enough money. And Trotsky went to work as a clerk, and then as a clerk to a local merchant. But he did not cope with the work. Well, it wasn't his …
And these are skates on which V. I. Lenin skated, combining his intellectual work with physical exertion.
Prices from the book of Elena Molokhovets
Here it is necessary to remind the readers of "VO" a little about the then prices, and they were as follows: 1 pound of macaroni costs 12 kopecks, the best - 11; a pound of butter - 50-60, Provencal - 60; a dozen eggs - 20-80 (quite expensive, by the way!), a pound of 1st grade beef 17 kopecks, but the 3rd - 13! Pork was cheap - 12 kopecks. per pound, and poultry meat - chicken 15 kopecks, chicken - 40 (but it was not that skinny blue chicken, known to us from Soviet times, but a pullet of quite a decent look). Bread, which is the head of everything in Russia, cost like this: a pound of rye 2 kopecks, a "sitnik" - 6 kopecks. A pound of granular flour - 6 kopecks, rye 3, 5 kopecks Pearl barley cost 8 kopecks. pound, and oatmeal - 4 kopecks. True, Finnish oatmeal is still expensive, and then it was expensive - 12 kopecks. lb. But "rice just" cost 8 kopecks. per pound. The worst grade granulated sugar - 12 kopecks. However, it must be emphasized that these are data from the book of Elena Molokhovets, and she lived in the center of Russia and bought all this in the market or in the capital's shops. It is clear that on the outskirts of Russia the same eggs were cheaper simply out of necessity, as well as chickens, meat, and all other goods of the local "spill".
No matter how you work, just not to work
Seeing that far from the "centers of culture" his earnings did not shine, Leiba Bronstein asked for permission to move to the district town of Verkholensk, and received it. "After all, he has children and he really needs it!" There, Trotsky immediately found himself in his midst - the society of exiled revolutionaries, and immediately struck up an acquaintance with Uritsky, Dzerzhinsky and other future "regulars of the Kremlin." And he actively began to engage in "business": he discussed with the People's Will, but most importantly, new comrades suggested to him how to make good money by writing for the capital's newspapers and magazines. Trotsky tried and he succeeded, but "having got his hands on it" began to receive very decently.
And how would these heaps be revived by the figures of people in the clothes of that time …
Decently dressed gentleman
And then in 1902 the future "demon of the revolution" had the idea to escape from exile. No, you don’t think, he didn’t wander in the Akatui mountains and he didn’t swim across Lake Baikal in an omul barrel. Everything was completely uninteresting and banal. Leaving his wife and young daughters in Verkholensk, he changed into a decent suit, which his comrades in misfortune supplied him with along with the collected money, and boarded the train. It did not even occur to the gendarmes to check the documents of such a well-dressed gentleman. So he reached Moscow itself, and it was as easy as shelling pears to get lost there.
Typical Shushensky vegetable garden.
Bullets for the rabble, a rope for the leaders
Yes, we had a kind tsar, condescending to educated people, people of their social environment. The Bolsheviks, having come to power, took into account his mistakes. The slogan of the day was: "No mercy for the political!" At best, they were in for hard labor in the Gulag, and at worst, physical destruction. And it is clear that not one of the opponents of the communist regime exiled to Siberia could even dream of renting a hut from a peasant with money that the Soviet state would pay him, walking in the woods with a gun, having a wife at his side, hiring himself as a servant of cooks and laundries, to write articles in newspapers and magazines … And there was nothing to even dream of about escaping from exile on a train and traveling on it through the whole of Siberia and then straight abroad. And it was necessary to introduce in the "Code of punishments …" just a couple of points that just one membership in parties and unions, the purpose of which is to overthrow the existing system by violent methods, requires 25 years of hard labor without the right of correspondence, and in especially serious cases the death penalty by hanging. And that's all … we wouldn't have had either the 1917 revolution or the events of 1991! What's wrong with that? Each state must be able to defend itself!
