If you look closely at those former rulers who are called "great" today, you can be very surprised! It turns out that the “greatest” ones are those who harmed the Russian people the most! And all this is instilled in us from early childhood …
For any sane person it is no longer a secret that we live in a world that someone has arranged not for people, or rather, not for all people; in which the overwhelming majority lives by the rules of a scanty minority, and the world is extremely hostile, and the rules are aimed at destroying the majority. How could this happen? How did the flimsy David manage to perch on the neck of a huge Goliath and drive him, his legs dangling carelessly? By cunning, but by deception, mostly. One of the ways the majority has been forced into submission to the minority is by falsifying the past. A very clever, but devilishly cruel Pope spoke frankly about this:
“Therefore, in order to subdue peacefully, I use a very simple and reliable way - I destroy their past … For without the past, a person is vulnerable … He loses his ancestral roots if he does not have a past. And just then, confused and unprotected, he becomes a “blank canvas” on which I can write any story!.. And believe me, dear Isidora, people are only happy about this … because, I repeat, they cannot live without the past (even if they don't want to admit it to themselves). And when there is none, they accept anyone, just not to “hang” in the unknown, which for them is much more terrible than any foreign, invented “story” …"
This method of "peaceful submission" proved to be much more effective than submission by force. For it acts imperceptibly for the subordinates, gradually immersing them in mental sleep, and the subordinates do not experience unnecessary inconvenience - they do not stain their hands and do not wave swords. Their main weapons are pen and ink. This is how they act, of course, after all the bearers of the truth, of which there were always few, were physically destroyed, information about them was perverted, sometimes to the opposite, and their entire legacy was carefully, to the last leaf, collected and taken to themselves. What they could not take away, they destroyed without hesitation. Let us recall that the Etruscan library in Rome, the Alexandrian library were destroyed, and the library of Ivan the Terrible disappeared without a trace.
After the sweep, the winners would write their own story and nominate their heroes. Since we now live in a hostile parasitic civilization, then all those whom it glorifies, whom it calls great, have rendered it some invaluable service, contributed their five kopecks to the cause of its formation. Moreover, since from time immemorial the confrontation on Earth went between the parasitic civilization and the civilization of the Rus, then the current heroes are the heroes of social parasites, opponents of the Rus. The only benefit in this moment is that it is easy to distinguish someone who is not our friend at all. If some historical figure is extolled to the skies, an unmeasured number of monuments, memorial plaques are rebuilt for him and his name is given to the street, this is a sure sign that he did something nasty to the Russians. And the more they extol, the more disgusting. This is also true in the opposite case - the more they scold, the more the scolded person did not please the parasites with something. You just need to figure out what.
The Russian tsar, who in his Manifesto on the inviolability of autocracy of April 29, 1881 announced the departure from the liberal course of his father, who untied the hands of the revolutionary movement, which was developing on Jewish money, and brought to the fore maintaining order and power, observing the strictest justice and savings. A return to the primordial Russian principles and ensuring Russian interests everywhere”, no one calls Great and does not erect colossal monuments. Alexander III is generally extremely unpopular among Russian liberals, neither contemporary to him, nor contemporary to us.
They built him a reputation for being slow-witted, narrow-minded with mediocre ability and (oh, horror!) Conservative views. The famous statesman and lawyer A. F. Koni, who acquitted the terrorist Vera Zasulich in the case of the attempt on the life of the mayor of St. Petersburg, General F. Trepov, called him "a hippopotamus in epaulettes." And the Minister of Railways of the Russian Empire, and later of Finance S. Yu. Witte described him as follows: Emperor Alexander III was “below average intelligence, below average abilities and below secondary education; outwardly he looked like a big Russian peasant from the central provinces, and nevertheless, with his appearance, which reflected his enormous character, beautiful heart, complacency, justice and at the same time firmness, he undoubtedly impressed. " And it is believed that he treated Alexander III with sympathy.
Reception of volost elders by Alexander III in the courtyard of the Petrovsky Palace in Moscow. Painting by I. Repin (1885-1886)
How did Alexander III deserve such an attitude towards himself?
It was during his reign that Russia made a giant leap forward, pulling itself out of the swamp of liberal reforms into which Alexander II led her, and he himself died from them. A member of the Narodnaya Volya terrorist party threw a bomb at his feet. At that time, about the same rapid impoverishment of the people was going on in the country, the same instability and lawlessness that Gorbachev and Yeltsin gave us almost a century later.
Alexander III managed to create a miracle. A real technical revolution has begun in the country. Industrialization proceeded at a rapid pace. The emperor managed to achieve stabilization of public finances, which made it possible to begin preparations for the introduction of the gold ruble, which was carried out after his death. He fiercely fought against corruption and embezzlement. He tried to appoint business executives and patriots to government posts who defended the national interests of the country.
The country's budget has become surplus. The same Witte was forced to admit that the tightening of customs policy and the simultaneous encouragement of domestic producers led to a rapid growth in production. Customs taxes on foreign goods almost doubled, which led to a significant increase in government revenues.
The population of Russia grew from 71 million in 1856 to 122 million in 1894, including the urban population from 6 million to 16 million. Smelting of pig iron from I860 to 1895 increased 4.5 times, coal production - 30 times, oil - 754 times. The country built 28 thousand miles of railways connecting Moscow with the main industrial and agricultural regions and seaports (the railroad network grew by 47% in 1881-92). In 1891, construction began on the strategically important Trans-Siberian Railway, which connected Russia with the Far East. The government began to buy out private railways, up to 60% of which by the mid-90s were in the hands of the state. The number of Russian river steamers increased from 399 in 1860 to 2539 in 1895, and sea - from 51 to 522. At this time, the industrial revolution in Russia ended, and the machine industry replaced old manufactories. New industrial cities (Lodz, Yuzovka, Orekhovo-Zuevo, Izhevsk) and entire industrial regions (coal and metallurgical in Donbass, oil in Baku, textile in Ivanovo) have grown. The volume of foreign trade, which in 1850 did not reach 200 million rubles, by 1900 exceeded 1.3 billion rubles. By 1895, domestic trade grew 3.5 times compared to 1873 and reached 8.2 billion rubles ("History of Russia from Antiquity to the Present Day" / edited by M. N. Zuev, Moscow, "Higher School", 1998 g)
It was during the reign of Emperor Alexander III Russia has not fought a day (except for the conquest of Central Asia, which ended with the capture of Kushka in 1885) - for this the tsar was called a "peacemaker". Everything was settled exclusively by diplomatic methods, and, moreover, without any regard for "Europe" or anyone else. He believed that there was no need for Russia to look for allies there and interfere in European affairs. Known are his words, which have already become winged: “ In the whole world we have only two loyal allies - our army and navy. All the rest, at the first opportunity, will take up arms against us.". He did a lot to strengthen the army and the country's defense and the inviolability of its borders. "". So he spoke and so he did.
He did not interfere in the affairs of other countries, but he did not allow his own to be pushed around. Let me give you one example. A year after his accession to the throne, Afghans, urged on by British instructors, decided to bite off a piece of territory belonging to Russia. The tsar's order was laconic: "", which was done. The British Ambassador to St. Petersburg was ordered to express a pro-test and demand an apology. "We will not do this," the emperor said, and on the dispatch from the British ambassador he wrote a resolution: "There is nothing to talk to them about." After that, he awarded the head of the border detachment with the Order of St. George, 3rd degree. After this incident, Alexander III formulated his foreign policy as succinctly as possible:
"I will not allow anyone to encroach on our territory!"
Another conflict began to mature with Austria-Hungary due to Russia's interference in the Balkan problems. At a dinner in the Winter Palace, the Austrian ambassador began to discuss the Balkan issue in a rather harsh manner and, getting excited, even hinted at the possibility of mobilizing two or three corps by Austria. Alexander III was unperturbed and pretended not to notice the harsh tone of the ambassador. Then he calmly took the fork, bent it in a loop and threw it towards the device of the Austrian diplomat and very calmly said: "This is what I will do with your two or three corps."
In private life, he adhered to strict rules of morality, was very pious, was distinguished by frugality, modesty, undemanding to comfort, spent leisure time in a narrow family and friendly circle. I could not stand pomp and ostentatious luxury. He got up at 7 in the morning, went to bed at 3. He dressed very simply. For example, he could often be seen in soldiers' boots with trousers tucked into them, and at home he wore an embroidered Russian shirt. He loved to wear a military uniform, which he reformed, taking as a basis the Russian suit, which made it simple, comfortable to wear and fit, cheap to manufacture and more suitable for military operations. For example, the buttons were replaced with hooks, which was convenient not only for adjusting the shape, but an extra shiny object that could draw the attention of the enemy in sunny weather and cause his fire was eliminated. Based on these considerations, sultans, shiny helmets and lapels were canceled. Such pragmatism of the emperor certainly offended the "refined taste" of the creative elite.
Here is how the artist A. Benois describes his meeting with Alexander III: “I was struck by his 'bulkiness', his ponderousness and grandeur. The new military uniform introduced at the very beginning of the reign with a claim to a national character, its sullen simplicity and, worst of all, these rough boots with trousers stuck in them revolted my artistic feeling. But in nature all this was forgotten, before that the very face of the sovereign was striking in its significance"
In addition to being significant, the emperor also had a sense of humor, and in situations, as it were, it was not at all disposed to him. So, in some volost government, some peasant did not give a damn about his portrait. All sentences about insulting His Majesty were necessarily brought to him. The man was sentenced to six months in prison. Alexander III burst out laughing and exclaimed: ""
The writer M. Tsebrikova, an ardent supporter of the democratization of Russia and women's emancipation, was arrested for an open letter to Alexander III, which she printed in Geneva and circulated in Russia, and in which, in her words, she "inflicted a moral slap in the face of despotism." The Tsar's resolution was laconic: "!" She was exiled from Moscow to the Vologda province.
He was one of the initiators of the creation of the "Russian Historical Society" and its first chairman and a passionate collector of Russian art. After his death, the vast collection of paintings, graphics, decorative and applied arts and sculptures he collected was transferred to the Russian Museum, which was founded by his son, Russian Emperor Nicholas II, in memory of his parent.
Alexander III had a strong dislike for liberalism and the intelligentsia. His words are known: "Our ministers … would not have wondered with unrealizable fantasies and lousy liberalism" He dealt with the terrorist organization "Narodnaya Volya". Under Alexander III, many newspapers and magazines that promoted liberal "fermentation of minds" were closed, but all other periodicals that contributed to the prosperity of their homeland enjoyed the freedom and support of the government. By the end of the reign of Alexander III, about 400 periodicals were published in Russia, of which a quarter were newspapers. The number of scientific and specialized journals has significantly increased and amounted to 804 titles.
Alexander III unswervingly pursued his conviction that the Russians should rule in Russia. The policy of protecting the interests of the state was also actively pursued on the outskirts of the Russian Empire. For example, the autonomy of Finland was limited, which until that time enjoyed all the advantages of neutrality under the protection of the Russian army and the benefits of the endless Russian market, but stubbornly denied the Russians equal rights with the Finns and Swedes. All correspondence of the Finnish authorities with the Russians was now to be conducted in Russian, Russian postage stamps and the ruble received circulation rights in Finland. It was also planned to force the Finns to pay for the upkeep of the army on an equal basis with the population of indigenous Russia and to expand the scope of the use of the Russian language in the country.
The government of Alexander III took measures to limit the area of residence of Jews by the "Pale of Settlement". In 1891, they were forbidden to settle in Moscow and the Moscow province, and about 17 thousand Jews who lived there were evicted from Moscow on the basis of the law of 1865, which was canceled for Moscow since 1891. Jews were forbidden to acquire property in the countryside. In 1887, a special circular set the percentage of their admission to universities (no more than 10% within the Pale of Settlement and 2-3% in other provinces) and introduced restrictions on the practice of advocacy (their share in universities for legal specialties was 70%).
Alexander III patronized Russian science. Under him, the first university in Siberia was opened in Tomsk, a project was prepared for the creation of a Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople, the famous Historical Museum was founded in Moscow, the Imperial Institute of Experimental Medicine was opened in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. P. Pavlova, the Technological Institute in Kharkov, the Mining Institute in Yekaterinoslavl, the Veterinary Institute in Warsaw, etc. In total, by 1894 there were 52 higher educational institutions in Russia.
Domestic science rushed forward. THEM. Sechenov created the doctrine of brain reflexes, laying the foundations of Russian physiology, I. P. Pavlov developed the theory of conditioned reflexes. I. I. Mechnikov created a school of microbiology and organized the first bacteriological station in Russia. K. A. Timiryazev became the founder of Russian plant physiology. V. V. Dokuchaev laid the foundation for scientific soil science. The most prominent Russian mathematician and mechanic P. L. Chebyshev, invented a plantigrade machine and an adding machine.
Russian physicist A. G. Stoletov discovered the first law of the photoelectric effect. In 1881 A. F. Mozhaisky designed the world's first airplane. In 1888, a self-taught mechanic F. A. Blinov invented the tracked tractor. In 1895 A. S. Popov demonstrated the world's first radio receiver invented by him and soon achieved a transmission and reception distance already at a distance of 150 km. The founder of cosmonautics K. E. Tsiolkovsky.
The only pity is that the takeoff lasted only 13 years. Ah, if the reign of Alexander III would have lasted at least another 10-20 years! But he died before even reaching 50, as a result of kidney disease, which he developed after the terrible crash of the imperial train that happened in 1888. The roof of the dining car, where the royal family and the close ones were, collapsed, and the emperor held it on his shoulders until everyone got out from under the rubble.
Despite the impressive growth (193 cm) and solid build, the tsar's heroic body could not withstand such a load, and after 6 years the emperor died. According to one of the versions (unofficial, and the official investigation was led by A. F. They could not forgive him for his unswerving desire "… to protect the purity of the" faith of the fathers ", the inviolability of the principle of autocracy and develop the Russian nationality …", spreading the lie that the emperor died of unrestrained drunkenness.
The death of the Russian Tsar shocked Europe, which is surprising against the background of the usual European Russophobia. French Foreign Minister Flourens said: “Alexander III was a true Russian Tsar, which Russia had not seen for a long time before him. Of course, all the Romanovs were devoted to the interests and greatness of their people. But prompted by the desire to give their people a Western European culture, they were looking for ideals outside of Russia … Emperor Alexander III wished Russia to be Russia, so that it, above all, was Russian, and he himself set the best examples of this. He showed himself the ideal type of a truly Russian person"
Even the Marquis of Salisbury, hostile to Russia, admitted: “Alexander III saved Europe many times from the horrors of war. According to his deeds, the sovereigns of Europe should learn how to govern their peoples"
He was the last ruler of the Russian state who actually cared about the protection and prosperity of the Russian people, but they do not call him Great and do not sing incessant eulogies like previous rulers.
