Federation of the Russian People
The Federation of the Russian People ( Russian Союз русского народа , translated into German as the Association of the Russian People or, less often, as the Alliance of the Russian People ) was an orthodox - monarchist nationalist organization in the Russian Empire . The Federation of the Russian People existed from 1905 to 1917 and was the most important organization within the "Black Hundred" movement .
The motto of the federal government was "For faith , tsar and fatherland !" ( Russian: "За Веру, Царя и Отечество!" Sa Weru, Zarja i Otetschestvo! ).
In 2005 an attempt was made to restore the federal government, but a year later the organization split into several groups.
history
Origin and development from 1905 to 1908
The initiative to form the League of the Russian People came from several prominent figures of the monarchist movement at the beginning of the 20th century. Among them were the doctor Alexander Dubrovin (Александр Иванович Дубровин), the poet Apollon Majkow (Аполлон Аполлонович Майков) and Igumen Arsenij (Alexejew). Dubrowin later wrote: “The ideas about him [the Bund] matured with me since January 9, 1905 ( St. Petersburg Blood Sunday ). As it turned out, Apollon Majkow was busy with me almost at the same time ”. In describing the formation of the union, Igumen Arseniy recalled that the idea of establishing this institution came to him on October 12, 1905. That day he reported it to the people in his home. According to Orthodox tradition, they took two pieces of paper on which the two options for action (on the one hand founding the covenant, on the other hand renouncing the foundation) were written, and placed them in front of the icon of Our Lady of Tikhvin . After a common prayer, they happened to draw one of these two pieces of paper, and this gave the blessing for the formation of the covenant.
The first meetings took place in Dubrovin's apartment in St. Petersburg . On November 8 (21), 1905, the main council of the Federation of the Russian People was convened, with Dubrovin as chairman, Majkow as his deputy, engineer Alexander Trischatni as treasurer and businessman Ivan Baranow and lawyer Sergei Trischatni as council secretaries. Pawel Bulazel, Georgi Butmi, Pawel Surin and others also became members of the union.
On November 21 (December 24) 1905 the Bund held the first mass meeting in Moscow . According to the memoirs of Pawel Kruschewan, there were about 20,000 people at this meeting, while the well-known monarchists and two bishops made their speeches with general enthusiasm.
The federal government founded the newspaper "Russisches Banner" ("Русское знамя"), the first issue of which appeared on November 28, 1905 and soon became one of the leading anti-Semitic periodicals of the time. The murders of Michail Herzenstein and his also Jewish friend Grigori Iollos were applauded in this newspaper, and it was stated that this was done by "real Russians" with the knowledge of the authorities.
On December 23, 1905, Nicholas II received a deputation of 24 federal members, led by Dubrowin. Igumen Arsenij presented the emperor with an icon of Archangel Michael , on whose feast day the Council of the Covenant was founded, and gave a welcoming speech. Dubrowin reported on the growth in the membership of the union, assured the ruler of their loyalty and presented Nikolai Alexandrovich and Tsar's son Alexej with the sign of the union, which had been made according to a design by Maykov. The emperor thanked Dubrowin and accepted the signs. Because of this, the monarchists viewed Nicholas II and the Tsar's son Alexej as members of the league. There is testimony that the Tsar and his son sometimes wore these marks on their clothes.
The league grew at breakneck speed, and regional divisions were formed in many areas of the empire. On November 26, 1905, a department was established in Yaroslavl , where the ophthalmologist Ivan Kazaurov became chairman. On January 22, 1906, with the participation of landowner Nikolaj Osnobischin and writer Vladimir Balaschow, the Moscow Federal Department was founded. On the same day the Novgorod branch was opened, and on February 4th the Odessa branch . The total number of departments established from 1906 to 1907 was about 3,000. By the end of 1907 it was at least 2 million people.
On August 7, 1906, the federal statute was passed, which contained the main ideas of the institution, the action program and the development concept. These statutes were considered the best document of all monarchist institutions of that time. On August 27, 1906, in the main hall of the Russian Assembly (Русское собрание, the oldest monarchist institution in Russia) a congress of the heads of the regional departments of the federal government was held, aimed at coordinating activities to establish and improve the links between the departments and the center was. 42 department heads took part in this congress. On October 3, 1906, a committee was formed under the direction of Alexander Trischatni, the deputy chairman, who established a new structure for the institution. As a basis, the methods were taken that had been practiced by the Russian people's army in antiquity , i.e. the division into several district departments and the division of the federal members into tens, hundreds and thousands, which were subordinate to the leaders of the tens, hundreds and thousands. Initially, these innovations were introduced in the capital, later they were also implemented in the regions.
The federal delegates attended the first and second All-Russian Congresses of the Russian People, which took place in February and April 1906. The congresses were called to coordinate the activities of the monarchists and to work out the strategy of resistance against the threat of revolution. Towards the end of 1906, the Bund took the first place among the right-wing organizations in terms of membership, popularity and degree of organization.
At the third All-Russian Congress of the Russian People, which took place in Kiev from October 1 to 7, the Federation of the Russian People was already the largest monarchist institution in Russia. Of 166 congressmen, 67 were federal. According to VJ Darensky, most of the federal members lived on the territory of Little Russia (= Ukraine ).
John of Kronstadt , who was extremely popular , also came to the solemn consecration of the Gonfanon and the flag of the Union of the Russian People, which took place on November 26, 1906 (the holiday of St. George ) . The "All-Russian Father" gave a welcoming speech to the approximately 30,000 monarchists who were present. He reminded of the great importance of Orthodoxy in the life of Russia. In later years he himself entered the federation and was elected honorary member for life on October 15, 1907. Then Bishop Sergij (Stragorodski) , the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, appeared . A divine service was celebrated at the end of which a song of praise was sung to the imperial family, the founders and leaders of the covenant, and the commemoration of the dead.
During the revolution in 1905 and in the two years thereafter, many prominent and "common" members of the League were killed. The victims of the assassination included: the head of the Odessa department, Count Alexei Konownizin; the head of the Pochayev department and Pocheyev monastery head Archimandrite Vitaly (Maximenko); Honorary Chairman of the Patriotic Society of Tbilisi , Father Sergiy (Gorodzew); the head of the Simferopol department Semyon Grankin; the founder of the company "The Two-Headed Eagle" ("Двуглавый Орёл") Grigory Vishnevsky; one of the organizers of the Kiev department, businessman Fyodor Postni, and many others. According to the data of Pawel Bulazel, published in his book “Kampf für die Truth”, 32,706 people were murdered or seriously injured between February 1905 and November 1906 - not including representatives of the regulatory authorities, officers, civil servants, nobles and public officials. Many of those murdered were heads of local federal departments or activists. Terrorist attacks were often carried out at meetings, cross processions and federal demonstrations. In contrast, some armed self-defense teams were organized in the federal government. The Odessa team, which was unofficially known as the "White Guard", was particularly well known. Organized according to the principle of the Cossack army , it was divided into six "hundreds" (although the total number of the crew was only about 300 people) and led by atamans . There were also factory departments in St. Petersburg and Moscow, as well as a few other cities.
At the time of the fourth All-Russian Congress of the Russian People, which took place in Moscow from April 26 to May 1, 1907, the Bund was the most important of all monarchist institutions. Its members made up the majority of the Congress delegates. At the congress, the union of the monarchists with the federal government was approved. The decree was also issued to transfer the district administrations of the United Russian People established by the decision of the third congress to provincial administrations of the Confederation of the Russian People.
The split (1907)
In 1907 there were disagreements among the heads of the organization. Vladimir Purishkevich , the deputy chairman, showed more and more arbitrariness in the administration of the federal government, whereby he pushed Dubrovin further and further into the background. Soon he managed the organizational and publishing activities practically alone and controlled almost all work with the local departments, the heads of which were often among his supporters. Purishkevich was also supported by some federal founders in his striving for power.
At the Ordinary Congress of the Federation, which took place from July 15 to 19, 1907 on the initiative of the supporters of the federal chairman Dubrowins, a decree was passed which prescribed that documents that were not approved by the chairman were to be declared invalid. It was aimed at preventing the arbitrariness of Purishkevich, who did not consider it necessary to coordinate his activities with the chairman. Ultimately, Purishkevichs resigned from the Bund in the fall of 1907, but the conflict continued at the Bundestag Congress, which took place in St. Petersburg on February 11, 1908 and brought together many well-known monarchists. Some dissatisfied members (including W. Voronkov, W. Andreyev and others) complained to Alexei Konownizin, a member of the Federal Council, about Dubrovin's “dictatorial behavior”, the lack of financial reporting in the organization and other violations of the statutes. Dubrowin, offended that they wanted to remove him, the founder of the union, from the leadership, demanded the expulsion of the opposition.
Soon there were also divisions in the regional departments. In March 1908 the monarchist B. Pelikan and his followers were expelled from the Konownizin supporters in Odessa. At the end of June 1908, the archpriest and later neo-martyr Johannes (Ioann) (Wostorgow) and Archimandrite Makarios (Makarij) (Gnewuschew) were relieved of leadership in the Moscow department . The founder of the Moscow Department, Nikolai Osnobishin, was appointed chairman. The supporters of Father John, who disagreed with this decision, organized their own independent Moscow Confederation of the Russian People on November 2nd of the same year. The Central Council of the Federation then added this new facility to its list of hostile and extremely harmful organizations.
On November 8, 1908, Purishkevich founded a new organization together with expelled or resigned federal members - the " Russian People's League Archangel Michael " (Russian: "Русский народный союз имени Михаила Архангела"). After the Moscow department, headed by Priest John (Wostorgow), had separated from the Bund, Purishkevich hurried to establish good relations with them by supporting them in their opposition to Dubrovin.
Over time, the situation in the organization worsened, which led to the final split in the federal government. The stumbling block was the attitude towards the State Duma and the October Manifesto , which the bicameral parliament allowed, without whose consent no law should come into force. The manifesto granted u. a. also freedom of speech, assembly and association. Opinions were divided on these apparitions. Dubrowin, the head of the federal government, was an ardent opponent of these innovations, since he considered any restriction of autocracy to be detrimental to the welfare of Russia. On the other hand, Nikolai Evgenevich Markov , another well-known monarchist activist, considered the Duma to be a positive phenomenon, since the manifesto corresponded to the will of the ruler and it was therefore the duty of every monarchist to submit to him.
Soon Dubrowin was suggested to give up his power and only to function as honorary chairman, but to transfer the leadership to his new deputy, Count Emmanuil Konownitzin . Gradually, Dubrovin's supporters were ousted from leading positions, and the “Russian Banner” was replaced by the newly founded “Landstand” (“Земщина”) and the “Messenger of the Russian People's League” (“Вестник Союза русского народа”) . The two warring sides exchanged declarations, letters and slander, published contradicting circulars and resolutions, and convened congresses and forums. This lasted from 1909 to 1912 and ultimately led to the complete fragmentation of the federal government. In August 1912, the statutes of the All-Russian Dubrovin Federation of the Russian People were registered (Russian: " Всероссийский дубровинский союз русского народа "), and in November 1912 power in the main council of the Federation passed to Markov. Several regional departments also split off from the center, which announced their independence. This fragmentation of the largest monarchist organization in the empire damaged the reputation of the "Black Hundred". Public trust in them fell and many members of the Confederation refrained from participating in monarchist activities. Many right-wing activists at the time believed that parts of the government had played a major role in the collapse of the federal government, such as Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin .
Several attempts were made to restore a unified monarchist organization, but without success. Almost immediately after the February Revolution of 1917 , all monarchist organizations were banned and trials were initiated against the leaders of the federal government. Monarchist activity in the country was almost completely paralyzed. The October Revolution and Civil War (1918–1922) that followed resulted in the deaths of most of the leaders of the Russian People's League. Many former “allies” fought in the White Army at the time .
Ideology and activities of the federal government
The goals, ideology, and program of the federal government were contained in the statutes, which were passed on August 7, 1906. Its main purpose was the development of Russian national self-confidence and the unification of all Russian people for common work for the good of the one and indivisible Russia. Even if this guideline was viewed as too nationalistic by individual federal members, the term “Russian people” traditionally spread to all residents of multinational Russia who had united with the Russian people and considered Russia their home. Belonging to Orthodoxy was an important criterion for this integration. In this context, it is noteworthy that several of the federal activists were not Russians by nationality, but Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Poles and other nationalities.
According to the authors of the Federal Statute, the welfare of Russia was expressed by the traditional formula " Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality ", which was proclaimed as state doctrine during the government of Nicholas I. The statute placed particular emphasis on Orthodoxy as the fundamental religion of Russia.
The federal government set itself the goal of bringing the tsar closer to the people - by freeing the bureaucratic superiority in the government and returning to the traditional concept of the Duma in the sense of a professional assembly ( Semski Sobor ). The statutes recommended that the government respect freedom of speech, the press, assemblies, associations and the inviolable personality within the limits set by law.
The priority role of the Russian people in the state was established in the statutes. This meant Great Russians, Belarusians and Little Russians (Ukrainians). With regard to people of different origins, strict observance of the legal principles was stipulated, which enabled them to view their membership in the Russian Empire as an honor and goodwill and not to feel oppressed by their dependence.
The participation in the work of the State Duma, the political, religious and patriotic enlightenment of the people through the opening of churches, schools, hospitals and other institutions as well as meetings and publications of literature were formulated as federal activities. The establishment of the “All-Russian Bank of the Federation of the Russian People” (“Всероссийсий банк Союза русского народа”) with regional branches was prescribed as organizational support.
The "Russian banner" and regional newspapers were used for publication. a. "Kosma Minin" ("Козьма Минин"), "The Belarusian Voice" ("Белорусский голос"), "The Russian People" ("Русский народ").
The "Jewish Question"
The Bund paid great attention to the Jewish question . It was dealt with in a separate chapter in the “Program of the Union of the Russian People” (“Программа Союза Русского Народа”). The activities of the federal government should serve to protect the people who support the state - including the protection of the Russian peoples and peasants from the oppression claimed by the federal government on the part of Jewish capitalists and economic competition on the part of the Jews. The concern of the "Allies" was the growing activity of Jewish organizations and the growing influence of members of the Jewish faith in politics and revolutionary movements.
There were different views on the Jewish question among the federal members: Some advocated the complete disenfranchisement of the Jews in Russia and took clearly anti-Semitic positions, including some prominent activists, e.g. B. like Georgi Butmi and Alexej Schmakow (Алексей Семёнович Шмаков). The publishers under federal control published inflammatory pamphlets such as the " Protocols of the Elders of Zion ". Some, however, supported Zionism's efforts to establish a Jewish state in Palestine . In general, the Bund opposed the softening of anti-Jewish laws and for stricter observance of the laws that restricted the civil and property rights of Jews and their participation in politics, while advocating civil equality for all other national minorities in the Russian Empire.
Since the Federation of the Russian People soon formed the largest institution within the "Black Hundred", almost all of the grievances in which monarchists were actually or allegedly involved were ascribed to it. The liberal press accused the Bund of organizing anti-Jewish pogroms because of the hostility towards Jews on the part of some federal members . This view was taken over from the Soviet ideology, which saw all monarchists as class enemy, and is still propagated by some researchers today. However, there is no evidence or evidence of targeted pogrom activity on the part of the federal government. Most pogroms took place before the federal government was founded, which was confirmed several times in later research.
The pogroms were sharply condemned by the founder of the Bund A. Dubrowin, Johannes von Kronstadt and other respected monarchists. The pronouncements about the unacceptability of pogroms were published in official federal publications. The chairman of the main council Dubrowin spoke z. B. as follows:
- We hate the pogroms for their futility alone, not to mention their wild, aimless brutality and licentious low vices. In the end, these pogroms often hit the pogromists themselves, i.e. Russians or Christians, as well as poor, ragged, hungry and miserable Jews. In contrast, rich and all-powerful Judaism almost always remains unscathed. The Federation of the Russian People has always endeavored and will continue to endeavor to prevent pogroms.
The organizational structure
The Russian People's League is often referred to as a political party and placed in a row with such contemporary institutions as the " October 17th Association, " the " Constitutional Democrats, " the SR, and others. The "allies" themselves were of a different opinion:
“The Federation of the Russian People is not a party and has no partisan aims or intentions, but it is the great Russian people themselves, which, under the impression of the bitter liberation events of the last three years, have come to and are gradually gathering their spiritual strength for their dignity above all to defend possible disaster and to free oneself from the onslaught of all parties, everything partisan and inflated, which is alien to the people, or to sweep them away. "
According to the statutes, membership was granted to Russian people of both sexes who professed Orthodoxy (including believers and Old Believers ). People of different origins could only be accepted with a unanimous decision of a committee. Jews were not admitted to the covenant even if they converted to Christianity.
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The social structure of the parties and institutions that made up the “Black Hundred” in the 20th century can be assessed from several published research papers and documents. The majority of the members of the League of the Russian People were made up of peasants, especially in regions where the Russians were particularly pressured. In the south-western region, for example, cases had been recorded in which entire villages were enrolled as federal members. There were also many workers in the Bund, many of whom were actually still farmers, who ran their own household in the village and only occasionally went to the city to work there. In the identity cards and other documents, such people were considered farmers. In the case of the townspeople, the members were mostly craftsmen, small employees, shopkeepers and home traders, less often merchants from the upper guilds . The leading positions of the Federation were mostly held by nobles. The propaganda was mostly done by clergymen (both secular priests and monks ). Many of them were later canonized , including John of Kronstadt, Patriarch Tikhon , Seraphim (Chichagov) , Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) , Agathangel (Preobrazhensky) , Andronic (Nikolsky ) and others. The federal members also included several intellectuals - professors, artists, poets, publicists, physicians and musicians. By and large, the League of Russian People (before the split) had more members than any other organization or party in the Russian Empire. At the end of 1907 it was at least 2 million people.
The annual membership fee was 50 kopecks (equivalent to around seven euros today). Poor people could be freed from it. Male federal members who distinguished themselves through particularly fruitful activity or who donated over 1,000 rubles (approx. 14,000 euros) were accepted into the group of co-founders. The main council of the Federation consisted of twelve members, led by the chairman and two deputies. The council members and 18 candidates for council membership were elected every three years. Regular congresses and assemblies were held to control the activities of the Federation, which was reported in the "Russian Banner".
Evaluation of the activities of the federal government and criticism
From the founding of the federation until today there have been diametrically opposed views about this institution. Revolutionary-minded residents of the Russian Empire and liberals saw the Bund as a reactionary , pogrom-inciting and anti-Semitic institution initiated by the government. This view has been adopted by both Soviet historiography and by many Western historians who were denied access to the Russian archives.
Monarchists, Orthodox patriots and simple, traditionally oriented to individual citizens saw the Union of the Russian People as a bulwark of the autocratic idea as an expression of popular loyalty to the Tsar and as a manifestation of the principle of orthodox Catholicism as a whole the church and agreement of all its members under Christ as their head.
renovation
Around 2005 the federal government was re-established as a national patriotic association with offices in 17 cities. The SOVA Center places Leonid Khabarov as the local leader in Voronezh .
Well-known members of the institution
Canonized
- Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
- St. Patriarch Tikhon (Bellavin)
- Holy Hierarch Makarij (Nevsky)
- Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov)
- Hieromartyr Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogojawlenskij)
- Hieromartyr Metropolitan Agathangel (Preobrazhensky)
- Hieromartyr Metropolitan Paulus (Pawel Tchaikovsky)
- Hieromartyr Archbishop Andronik (Nikolskij)
- Hieromartyr Bishop Hermogenes (Georgi Dolganjow)
- Hieromartyr Bishop Makarios (Makarij Gnewuschew)
- Hieromartyr Bishop Ephrem (Seenginsky)
- Hieromartyr Archpriest Michael (Alabovsky)
- Hieromartyr Archpriest Johannes (Ioann Wostorgow)
- Hieromartyr Archpriest Constantine (Golubew) .
Other well-known members
- Patriarch Alexius I of Moscow and All Russia
- Metropolitan Antonij (Hrapovitskij)
- Metropolitan Pitirim (Oknow)
- Archbishop Dimitrij (Sperowskij)
- Archbishop Innonentij (Yastrebow)
- Archbishop Nikon (Roshdestvenskij) , theologian, publicist, politician, statesman
- Archpriest Timofej (Butkewitsch) , theologian and publicist
- Archpriest Michael (Mitrozkij) , member of the 4th State Duma
- Viktor Vasnetsov , artist (according to some sources)
- Michael Nesterow , artist
- Pavel Korin , artist
- Dmitrij Ilowajskij , historian
- Andrei Vyazigin , professor, historian, member of the 3rd State Duma
- Dmitrij Mendeleev , scientist
- Konstantin Mereschkowskij , scientist and poet
- Alexei Sobolevsky , scientist
- Lev Tikhomirov , philosopher, social activist, publicist, former revolutionary of the Narodniki terrorist wing
- Wassilij Rosanow , religious philosopher and publicist
- Sergei Nilus , writer and publicist
- Pavel Kruschewan , journalist
- Mikhail Kuzmin , poet
- Feodor Berg , poet, writer, publicist
- Pyotr Berezovsky , educator, social activist, politician
- Alexei Khwostov , statesman
- Vladislav Zalessky , lawyer and economist, social activist, politician
- Dmitrij Pikhno , economist, journalist, social activist, politician
- Ivan Kazaurov , doctor, politician
- Nikolaj Kultschizkij , doctor, Minister of Public Education
- Sergei Levaschow , doctor, social activist, politician
- Pyotr Nikolsky , doctor.
Literature (russian)
- Индивидуальный политический террор в России (XIX - начало XX вв.) Материалы конференции. Составитель К. Н. Морозов , под ред. Б. Ю. Иванова и А. Б. Roginsky. " Мемориал ", Москва 1996.
- А. Д. Степанов, А. А. Иванов: Воинство Святого Георгия. СПб, "Царское Дело", 2006, ISBN 5-91102-009-2 .
Weblinks (Russian)
- Article on hrono.ru (Russian)
- Сайт организации «Союз Русского Народа» (председатель А. С. Турик)
- Сайт «Алтайского отдела Союза Русского Народа»
- Сайт «Киевский Губернский Отдел Союза Русского Народа»
- Устав общества под названием «Союз русского народа»
Individual evidence
- ^ Albert M. Friedenberg: A List of Events in 5670 and Necrology (July 1, 1909, to June 30, 1910) (accessed March 2, 2017) . In: American Jewish Yearbook . tape 11 , 1910, pp. 136 .
- ↑ Острецов. Черная сотня и красная сотня
- ↑ a b c d e f g Союз Русского Народа на сайте «Хронос»
- ↑ Алексей Митрофанов. Дорогой Батюшка.
- ↑ С. А. Степанов. Черносотенный террор 1905–1907 гг.
- ↑ Russian nationalism in the early 20th century
- ↑ a b Устав СРН ( Memento from May 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c Программа Союза Русского Народа
- ↑ Ноздрин Г. А. Взаимоотношения русского и еврейского населения Сибири во второй половине XIX - начале XX в. ( Memento from April 17, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ a b c И. В. Омельянчук. Социальный состав черносотенных партий в начале XX века. ( Memento from January 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ С. Резник. Кровавый навет в России.
- ↑ Анатолий Степанов. Союз Русского Народа: история и уроки борьбы.
- ↑ a b Еврейские погромы.
- ↑ В. В. Кожинов. Правда о погромах.
- ↑ А. И. Солженицын. Двести лет вместе .// Глава 9 - В революцию 1905.
- ↑ Ретроспектива: Русский собор и еврейский погром ( Memento from January 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ JI Kiryanov: right-wing parties in Russia from 1911 to 1917 . Small Russian Political Encyclopedia. 2001. S. 354 (Кирьянов Ю. И.Правые партии в России 1911–1917 гг.М.Российская политическая энциклопедия) ISBN 5-8243 .-0244
- ↑ gosudarstvo.voskres.ru
- ↑ Link text , Союз Русского Народа.
- ↑ Racism and xenophobia Reports and Analyzes 2012 May Winter 2011–2012: The Ultra-right - Protest and Party Building 07.05.2012 / Natalia Yudina, Vera Alperovich