The last Emperor Russia went down in history as a negative character. His criticism is not always balanced, but always colorful. Some call him weak, weak-willed, some, on the contrary, call him "bloody."

We will analyze numbers and specific historical facts reign of Nicholas II. Facts are known to be stubborn things. Perhaps they will help to understand the situation and dispel false myths.

Empire of Nicholas II - the best in the world

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Here are the data on the indicators by which the empire of Nicholas II bypassed all other countries of the world.

Submarine fleet

Before Nicholas II, the Russian Empire did not have a submarine fleet. The lag of Russia in this indicator was significant. The first combat use of a submarine was carried out by the Americans in 1864, and by the end of the 19th century Russia did not even have prototypes.

Having come to power, Nicholas II decides to eliminate the backlog of Russia, and signs a decree on the creation of a submarine fleet.

Already in 1901, the first series of domestic submarines was being tested. For 15 years, Nicholas II has managed to create the most powerful submarine fleet in the world from scratch.

1915 year. Submarines of the Bars project

By 1914, we had 78 submarines at our disposal, some of which participated in both the First World War and the Great Patriotic War. The last submarine from the time of Nicholas II was decommissioned only in 1955! (We are talking about the submarine "Panther", project "Bars")

However, Soviet textbooks will not tell you about this. Read more about the submarine fleet of Nicholas II.

Submarine "Panther" while serving in the Red Army, after the Second World War

Aviation

Only in 1911 was the first experiment on the creation of an armed aircraft carried out in Russia, but by the beginning of the First World War (1914), the imperial air force was the largest in the world and consisted of 263 aircraft.

Until 1917 in Russian Empire over 20 aircraft factories were opened and 5,600 aircraft were produced.

ATTENTION!!! 5600 planes in 6 years, while we never had planes before. I didn't even know such records Stalinist industrialization... Moreover, we were the first not only in quantity, but also in quality.

For example, the Ilya Muromets aircraft, which appeared in 1913, became the world's first bomber. This aircraft set world records for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude.

Airplane "Ilya Muromets"

The chief designer of Ilya Muromets, Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, is also famous for the creation of the four-engine Russian Vityaz bomber.

Airplane Russian knight

After the revolution, the brilliant designer migrated to the United States, where he organized a helicopter plant. Sikorsky's helicopters are still part of the US armed forces.

Modern helicopter CH-53 of the Sikorsky US Air Force

The imperial aviation is known for its aces pilots. During the First World War, numerous cases of the skill of Russian pilots are known. Particularly known: Captain E. N. Kruten, Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Kazakov, Captain P. V. Argeev, who shot down about 20 enemy aircraft each.

It was the Russian aviation of Nicholas II that laid the foundation for aerobatics.

In 1913, for the first time in the history of aviation, a loop was performed. The aerobatics figure was performed over the Syretsky field, not far from Kiev, by the captain Nesterov.

The ingenious pilot was a combat ace who, for the first time in history, used an air ram, shooting down a heavy German fighter. He died at the age of 27, defending his homeland, in an air battle.

Aircraft carriers

Before Nicholas II, the Russian Empire had neither aviation, let alone aircraft carriers.

Nicholas II paid great attention to advanced military technologies. With him, the first seaplane carriers appeared, as well as "flying boats" - sea-based aircraft, capable of taking off and landing both from aircraft carriers and from the water surface.

In the period from 1913 to 1917, in just 5 years, Nicholas II brought 12 aircraft carriers into the army equipped with M-5 and M-9 flying boats.

Naval aviation of Nicholas II was created from scratch, but became the best in the world. However, about this Soviet history is also silent.

The first machine

A year before the First World War, a Russian designer, later Lieutenant General Fedorov, invents the world's first machine gun.

Fedorov assault rifle

Unfortunately, it did not work out to realize mass production in war conditions, but individual military units of the imperial army, nevertheless, received this advanced weapon at their disposal. In 1916, several regiments of the Romanian Front were supplied with Fedorov's assault rifles.

Shortly before the revolution, the Sestroretsk Arms Plant received an order for the mass production of these machines. However, the Bolsheviks seized power and the machine gun did not enter the imperial troops en masse, but later it was used by the Red Army and was used, in particular, in the fight against the white movement.

Later, Soviet designers (Degtyarev, Shpitalny) developed on the basis of the machine gun a whole family of unified models of small arms, including light and tank machine guns, coaxial and built aircraft machine gun installations.

Economic and industrial development

In addition to the world's best military developments, the Russian Empire enjoyed impressive economic growth.

Graph of the relative growth of the development of metallurgy (100% - 1880)

The shares of the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange were valued significantly higher than the shares of the New York Stock Exchange.

Growth in the value of shares, US dollars, 1865-1917

The number of international companies grew rapidly.

It is widely known, including the fact that in 1914, we were the absolute world leader in the export of bread.

At the beginning of the First World War, Russia's gold reserves were the largest in the world and amounted to 1 billion 695 million rubles (1,311 tons of gold, more than 60 billion dollars at the exchange rate of the 2000s).

Best time in Russian history

In addition to the absolute world records of imperial Russia of its time, the empire of Nicholas II also achieved those indicators that we are still unable to exceed.

Railways, in spite of Soviet myths, were not a misfortune for Russia, but its property. By lenght railways, by 1917, we ranked second in the world, behind only the United States. The pace of construction was supposed to close the gap. Since the reign of Nicholas II, there has never been such a speed in the construction of railways.

The graph of the increase in the length of railways in the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation

The problem of oppressed workers declared by the Bolsheviks, in comparison with today's reality, cannot be taken seriously.

The problem of bureaucracy, which is so urgent today, was also absent.

The gold reserve of the Russian Empire was not only the largest in the world at that time, but also the largest in the history of Russia since the death of the empire, right up to the present day.

1917 - 1,311 tons
1991 - 290 tons
2010 - 790 tons
2013 - 1,014 tons

Not only economic indicators are changing, but also the way of life of the population.

A man for the first time became an important buyer: kerosene lamps, sewing machines, separators, tin, galoshes, umbrellas, tortoiseshell combs, chintz. Ordinary students travel quietly across Europe.
The statistic reflects quite an impressive state of society:

In addition, it must be said about the rapid growth of the population. During the reign of Nicholas II, the population of the Russian Empire increased by almost 50 million people, that is, by 40%. And the natural growth of the population has increased to 3,000,000 people a year.

The development of new territories took place. For several years, 4 million peasants moved from European Russia to Siberia. Altai turned into the most important grain region, where oil was produced for export.

Nicholas II "bloody" or not?

Some opponents of Nicholas II call him "bloody". The nickname Nikolai "Bloody" went, apparently, from "Bloody Sunday" in 1905.

Let's analyze this event. In all textbooks it is drawn as follows: An allegedly peaceful demonstration of workers, led by priest Gapon, wanted to submit a petition to Nicholas II, which contained requests for better working conditions. People carried icons and royal portraits and the action was peaceful, but by order of the St. Petersburg Governor-General, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the troops opened fire. About 4,600 people were killed and wounded, and since then, January 9, 1905 has been called "Bloody Sunday." This, allegedly, was a senseless shooting of a peaceful demonstration.

And according to the documents, it follows that the workers from the factories were driven under threats, on the way they robbed the church, took away the icons, and in the process of the march the "peaceful demonstration" was closed by armed barrage detachments of revolutionaries. And, by the way, the demonstration, in addition to the icons, carried red revolutionary flags.

The provocateurs of the "peaceful" procession were the first to open fire. The first people killed were the police. In response, a company of the 93rd Infantry Regiment of the Irkutsk Regiment opened fire on an armed demonstration. In principle, there was no other way out for the police. They were doing their duty.

The combination that the revolutionaries pulled out in order to enlist the support of the people was simple. The civilians allegedly carried the petition to the tsar, and the tsar, instead of accepting them, allegedly shot them. Conclusion - the king is a bloody tyrant. However, the people did not know that Nicholas II at that moment was not in St. Petersburg at all, and he, in principle, could not accept the demonstrators, and not everyone saw who was the first to open fire.

Here is documentary evidence of the provocative nature of "Bloody Sunday":

The revolutionaries were preparing a bloody massacre for the people and the authorities with Japanese money.

On Sunday, Gapon appointed a procession to To the winter palace... Gapon suggests stocking up on weapons ”(from a letter from the Bolshevik SI Gusev to VI Lenin).

“I thought it would be good to give the whole demonstration a religious character, and immediately sent the workers to the nearest church for banners and icons, but they refused to give them to us. Then I sent 100 people to take them by force, and in a few minutes they brought them "(Gapon" The Story of My Life ")

“The police officers in vain tried to persuade me not to go to the city. When all the admonitions did not lead to any results, a squadron of the Horse Grenadier Regiment was sent ... In response, fire was opened. Lieutenant Zholtkevich, the bailiff's assistant, was seriously wounded, and the police officer was killed ”(from the work“ The Beginning of the First Russian Revolution ”).

Gapon's despicable provocation made Nicholas II "bloody" in the eyes of the people. Revolutionary sentiments were intensifying.

It must be said that this picture is strikingly different from the Bolshevik myth about the shooting of an unarmed crowd by forced soldiers under the command of officers who hate the common people. But with this myth, the communists and democrats have been shaping the people's consciousness for almost 100 years.

It is also indicative that the Bolsheviks called Nicholas II "bloody", on whose conscience hundreds of thousands of murders and senseless repressions.

The real statistics of repressions in the Russian Empire has nothing to do with Soviet myths or cruelty. The comparative indicator of repression in the Russian Empire is much lower than even now.

World War I

The first World War has also become a cliché dishonoring the last king. The war, along with its heroes, turned out to be forgotten and called "imperialist" by the communists.

At the beginning of the article, we showed the military power of the Russian army, which has no analogues in the world: aircraft carriers, aircraft, flying boats, the submarine fleet, the world's first machine guns, cannon armored vehicles and much more were used by Nicholas II in this war.

But, for the sake of completeness, we will also show the statistics of those killed and died during the First World War by countries.

As you can see, the army of the Russian Empire was the most tenacious!

Let us recall that we got out of the war after Lenin seized power in the country. After the tragic events, Lenin arrived at the front and surrendered the country to the almost defeated Germany. (A few months after the surrender, the allies of the empire (England and France) nevertheless defeated Germany, defeated by Nicholas II).

Instead of the triumph of victory, we got the burden of shame.

It must be clearly understood. We did not lose this war. Lenin surrendered his positions to the Germans, but this is his personal betrayal, and we defeated Germany, and our allies brought her defeat to the end, although already without our soldiers.

It is difficult to even imagine what kind of glory our country would have gained if the Bolsheviks had not surrendered Russia in this war, because the power of the Russian Empire would have been multiplied at times.

Influence in Europe in the form of control over Germany (which, by the way, would hardly have attacked Russia again in 1941 after that), access to the Mediterranean, the capture of Istanbul, during Operation Bosphorus, control in the Balkans ... All this should have become ours ... True, one would not even have to think about any revolution, against the background of the triumphant success of the empire. The image of Russia, the monarchy and personally of Nicholas II would become deservedly unprecedented.

As we can see, the empire of Nicholas II was progressive, the best in the world in many respects and rapidly developing. The population was happy and contented. There could be no question of any "bloodiness". Although the neighbors from the west were afraid of our rebirth like fire.

The largest French economist Edmond Téry wrote:

"If the affairs of the European nations from 1912 to 1950 go the same way as they went from 1900 to 1912, Russia in the middle of this century will dominate Europe, both politically and economically and financially."

Below are Western caricatures of Russia from the time of Nicholas II:

Unfortunately, the successes of Nicholas II did not stop the revolution. All achievements did not have time to change the course of history. They simply did not have enough time to settle down and change public opinion to the confident patriotism of the citizens of a great power. The Bolsheviks destroyed the country.

Now that there is no longer Soviet anti-monarchist propaganda, it is necessary to face the truth:

Nicholas II - the greatest Russian emperor, Nicholas II is the name of Russia, Russia needs a ruler like Nicholas II.

Andrey Borisyuk

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It is no longer a secret for anyone that the history of Russia has been distorted. This is especially true for the great people of our country. Who are presented to us in the form of tyrants, crazy or weak-willed people. One of the most slandered rulers is Nicholas II.

However, if we look at the numbers, we will see that much of what we know about the last king is a lie.

The basis of his rule by Nicholas II was the preservation of the principles of the state system, the strengthening of the Church, the granting of prudent freedoms based on Christian morality, the preservation of the great-power authority of the Empire, the improvement of the general welfare of the population through broad economic and economic transformations, and an increase in the level of education.

Russia was a huge territory of 19,179,000 square miles, or about 8,320,000 square kilometers. miles.

Administratively, it consisted of 97 provinces and regions, divided, in turn, into 816 conventional units.

N. Obruchev (The true image of the Tsar-Martyr as a person, Christian and Monarch) wrote:

The genius Russian scientist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, who was not only a chemist, but also an economist, and statesman in his remarkable work "To the Knowledge of Russia", published shortly before his death (in 1906), he gives a detailed picture of Russian well-being. Based on the statistical data of the All-Russian Population Census of 1897 and on the data of the Statistical Committee, cited by him in his report “ Population movement of European Russia in 1897. " (in 1900).

Population of Russia:

Mendeleev emphasizes that in 1897 the birth rate was 4.95%, the mortality rate was 3.14%, and the natural population growth rate was 1.81%. "I think it is not superfluous, writes Mendeleev, to draw attention to the fact that such a natural increase, which was found for 1897 (1.81%), is still unknown for any country." Comparing the United States and Argentina, Mendeleev points out that the population growth in these countries is greater because it consists of natural growth, increased by the immigration of the population from other countries. At the same time, he points to the most prosperous country in this regard, Germany, where the annual population growth is 1.5%. Further, Mendeleev cites the statistics of Ireland, where there is an obvious decline in the population, and also points to a number of countries in which the population is gradually dying out. Such a country after Great revolution corrupted by its revolutionary philosophy and the decline of morality, France became, whose population was systematically decreasing before the First World War. Mendeleev calculates that if from “a precaution we take 1.5% instead of 1.81% for the growth of the population of Russia, then in 1950 it will amount to 282.7 million people. According to Soviet statistics, the total population of the Soviet Union was 235 million in 1967, while, according to Mendeleev's calculations, it should have reached the figure of 360 million, at least. This is the "deficit" in the population of Russia, equal to 125 million people! According to Soviet statistics, the population growth in 1967 was 1.11%. There is something to think about.

"In Russia, annually," Mendeleev reports, "2,000,000 inhabitants arrive, that is, at every minute of the day and night, the total number of those born in Russia exceeds the number of deaths by 4 people."

The great Russian scientist draws the attention of the Russian public to the growth of the population, which by 2000 should reach 600,000,000 souls. Based on this, Mendeleev comes to the conclusion that in order to ensure and increase the well-being of the population, it is necessary to increase the growth of domestic industry, engage in land management, and raise the productivity of agriculture and labor in general. On the basis of the results of the census of data on the movement of the population, he comes to the firm conclusion that this issue is correctly raised and interpreted by the imperial government, as evidenced by the faster growth of the urban population at the expense of rural and the growth of peasant land tenure.

Industry

Concerning our industry, Mendeleev points out that the paper-spinning industry has conquered all Asian markets beyond any competition. He points out that the export of fine-quality and very cheap paper-spinning products such as chintz, red calico, satinet, "damn leather", etc., have completely supplanted the same goods of British industry in China and other Asian countries, including India.

Export abroad of sugar, tobacco, cigarettes, vodka, caviar, fish and other canned food reaches impressive proportions.

"Every Russian who has traveled abroad," Mendeleev writes, "knows that in Russia candy products of all kinds, from simple caramels and jams to premium sweets, are not only better than anywhere else, but also cheaper."

For my part (writes N. Obruchev, the author of the memoirs), I cannot but point out and I am sure that everyone who lived in Imperial Russia will confirm that such lemonades, which were made there, in their quality and taste, were nowhere abroad. and no now; especially in this respect stood out Moscow: "Fruit waters" Lanin and "Sitro" and "Klyukvenny" Kalinin.

Our canned food from Prokhorov, who produced Little Russian borscht, pike perch in mayonnaise, fried partridges and black grouse, sweet peas, etc. the same as different types of caviar, cigarettes, tobacco and vodka.

The statistics for the 20 years of the reign of the Tsar-Martyr gives the following information: the development of industry in Russia proceeded with giant steps - in 1914 there were 14,000 large factories in Russia, which already employed about 2,500,000 workers, producing goods with a total value of about 5 billion .gold rubles. In addition, a handicraft industry was developed, in which several million mainly land-poor peasants took part, who were engaged in this industry, as an aid to agriculture. Craftsmen made knives, scissors, shoes, felt boots, pottery, furniture, toys, and many art products made of ivory, silver and wood.

The Vladimir province was famous for icon painting, the Caucasus - for weapons and all kinds of decorations, Bukhara, Khiva and Turkestan - for carpets, Great Russia and Little Russia - for embroidery, Belarus - for cloth and the finest linen, Yaroslavl province - for felt boots and short fur coats, etc. In Russia, 30,000 fairs were held annually. , of which the most famous were the international fairs in Nizhny Novgorod.

Peasantry

The love of Nicholas II for the common people was not abstract: he systematically strove to improve his life and well-being, a number of laws and reforms carried out on their basis testify to this. This was especially pronounced in his reforms concerning the land management of the peasants. He understood well what the theorists of socialism did not understand, who had put forward the demagogic slogan "All the land to the peasants." The Tsar-Martyr was clearly aware that the division of the entire land equally utopian and would inevitably lead to agricultural. the country's products are in a catastrophic state in the coming decades. Only illiterate people and irresponsible demagogues could talk about the division of agricultural land. In 1914, the entire area of Russia in 19,179,000 sq. versts, lived 182.5 million inhabitants. If we divided the entire area of Russia equally, then on average 10.95 dessiatines would come out per capita. And the total number of these tithes included the areas occupied settlements, railways and other roads, lakes, swamps, mountains and vast expanses of deserts, tundra and forests. The sovereign was well aware of this, but in fact, radical reforms were needed to improve agricultural production. This required the destruction of communal ownership and stripes (i.e., the location of land plots of one farm in strips alternating with other people's plots).

The Tsar's conviction about the need for such a reform was shared by the greatest minds of Russia: prof. DI. Mendeleev, adjutant general N.N. Obruchev, prof. N.Kh. Bunge, prof. D.I. Pestrzhetsky, ministers D.S. Sipyagin and P.A. Stolypin, who began to carry out this reform in life.

It is interesting to note that S.Yu. Witte: “I must say that, on the one hand, I have not yet fully studied peasant question regarding the advantages of this or that method of peasant land ownership, did not establish a final view for himself. " And then we read - "Thus, I did not speak out either for the community or for personal ownership, but found that it would be wiser, until the peasant question in its entirety is clarified, to suspend the article."

Providing landless and landless peasants was a matter of special concern of the government. Since 1906, an intensive resettlement of peasants to Siberia began. The transfer of immigrants was carried out at the expense of the treasury. The Land Land Management Commission and the Resettlement Office issued loans and allowances to such peasants for setting up a farm. In Asian Russia, land was allocated for the resettlement of peasants, which were extremely suitable for agriculture and in the zone, the climate of which was the mildest and healthiest.

Russia by 1917 was a completely peasant country to a greater extent than any of the European countries. On the eve of the revolution, the peasants owned the entire arable land in Asian Russia and 80% of it in European Russia.

Improvement of agriculture, in other words, improvement of everyday life and economic well-being of 75% of the entire population of Russia was the constant concern of the Tsar-Martyr. Simultaneously with the reforms in land management, a lot was done to improve agriculture and to raise agricultural production. The number of primary, secondary and higher agricultural educational institutions grew rapidly.

Many varieties of fruit trees, vegetables, berries and cereals have been bred in Russia. The famous Russian scientist I.V. Michurin achieved a lot in this field. Turkestan and Caucasian peaches, grapes, apricots, pears and plums were the best in the world. Black Sea prunes have displaced in last years before the revolution, the famous French prunes. Winemaking grew; Russian Crimean and Caucasian wines, Don champagne, specific "Abrau-Dyurso", if not superior, then not inferior in quality to the French. New breeds of cattle and horses were bred.

According to the examinations of prof. DI. Mendeleev's climate in Russia was the least favorable for agriculture among all European countries. Agriculture especially suffered from droughts, when, under the influence of the wind blowing from the southeastern deserts of Asia, the entire harvest of the Volga region, southeast and south of Russia was burned at the root. “Before the revolution,” writes prof. Pestrzhetsky, - in 46 provinces there were 84 thousand grain-storage public-peasant stores. On January 1, 1917, stocks of barley, rye and wheat in stores were 190,456,411 poods - and this is only in bakery stores, not to mention other bins! "

According to statistical information for 1912, the Russian Empire had:

35.300.000 horses - in the second place were the USA (23.015.902 horses);

51.900.000 head of cattle - we were in II place after the USA (613.682.648 head);

84.500.000 sheep - we ranked II in world production after Australia (85.057.402 heads).

Tsarist Russia was the granary of Europe. “On average for 1909−1913, - says prof. Pestrzhetsky, - grain production in Russia amounted to 75,114,895 tons per year. In all other countries of the Old and New Worlds, 360,879,000 tons were harvested together with rice. Thus, the grain products of Russia accounted for 21% of the production of the whole world. Russia exported more grain, flour and seeds than the United States and Argentina jointly ”.

Science and education

Public education in Russia during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II developed rapidly. The budget of public education from 40,000,000 rubles. in 1894 it reached 400,000,000 million rubles in 1914. Tuition fees at Russian universities compared to those abroad were extremely low - 50 rubles a year. Students from peasants, workers and families with no income were exempted from tuition fees and received scholarships. Higher education was not the privilege of an exceptionally wealthy class, as it was abroad. Primary school education was generally free. Students and students in secondary educational institutions(senior grades) had the opportunity to earn by intelligent labor, mainly by lessons.

Former leader of the Trudovik faction of the First State Duma I. Zhilkin wrote: “Again, one significant feature is more and more prominent - the cause of public education is growing spontaneously.<…>A huge fact is taking place: Russia is becoming literate from being illiterate. The entire soil of the vast Russian plain parted, as it were, and took in the seeds of education - and at once the whole space turned green, the young shoots rustled. "

In 1906, the State Duma and the State Council adopted a bill on the introduction of universal education in Russia! This reform in the field of public education was to be completed in 1922. In this regard, 10,000 primary schools were built in Russia annually and 60 secondary educational institutions were opened.

Economy

In the reign of Nicholas II, as in the then USA, there was no income tax. The taxation in Russia was the lowest compared to other great powers in Europe.

According to statistics for 1912:

TAXES IN RUBLES PER CAPITAL OF THE POPULATION MADE

Despite this, the state revenues of Russia from 1.410.000.000 gold rubles in 1897 increased to 3.417.000.000 gold rubles in 1913. The gold reserve of the State Bank increased from 300.000.000 rubles in 1894 to 1.600.000.000 rubles in 1914. The amount of the state budget from 950,000,000 gold rubles in 1894 increased to 3,500,000,000 gold rubles in 1914. During all this time, the state budget of the Russian empire did not have a deficit.

The Sovereign Emperor patronized domestic investment and was an adamant opponent of foreign investment. Despite the restrictions on foreign capital, the economic prosperity of Russia, and in particular its industry, grew rapidly. WITH late XIX century, the industrial development of Russia was faster than in any other country. Cooperation was greatly encouraged in Russia, and in this respect, Russia, perhaps, also stood in first place in the world. In 1914 there were 45,000 cooperative savings banks in Russia and probably about 30,000 shops.

Labor legislation

The interests of the workers were protected by special legislation. Mandatory paybooks were introduced, in which hours of work and earnings were entered, work for minors was prohibited, adolescents from 14 to 16 years old could not work more than 8 hours, for men an 11-hour working day was established. Work in factories at night was prohibited for women and adolescents under 17 years of age. On December 12, 1904, state insurance for workers was introduced. Such a law did not exist in the United States for a very long time.

Zemstvos were provided free of charge to the rural and urban population health care and free treatment in hospitals and hospitals. The first country in the world to establish a department of public health was Russia.

Church transformations

The Tsar-Martyr brought a living stream into the religious and church life Russia. During his reign, glorifications took place: the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, St. Theodosius of Uglitsky, St. martyr Isidor, Saint Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov and many others. Missionary activity has intensified. The construction of temples grew. The number of Orthodox Christians from 15 million under Emperor Peter I increased to 115 million or more by the end of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II. In 1908, there were 51,413 churches in Russia.

Nicholas II accomplished an enormous work of state organization. The well-being of Russia during his reign very quickly reached an unprecedented height.

N. Obruchev "The true image of the Tsar-Martyr as a man, Christian and Monarch", based on the book "Nicholas II in memoirs and testimonies." - M .: Veche, 2008.

Outcomes

2005 marked twenty years since the beginning of perestroika and subsequent reforms. We invite our readers to familiarize themselves with two materials. The first is dedicated to the results of the twenty-year reign of Emperor NicholasII. This period is still interpreted as a blind, rotten, incapable of tyranny. The second material is also devoted to the twentieth anniversary - but already the contemporary period of Russian history.

SOME RESULTS OF THE BOARD OF NICHOLAS II

Sergey Oldenburg

During the twenty years of the reign of Nicholas II, the population of the empire increased by fifty million people - by 40%; natural population growth exceeded three million a year. Along with natural growth, the general level of well-being has noticeably increased.

Thus, the consumption of sugar from 25 million pounds per year (8 pounds per capita in 1894) exceeded 80 million pounds (18 pounds per capita) in 1913. The consumption of tea also increased (75 million kg in 1913; 40 million in 1890).

Thanks to the growth of agricultural production, the development of communication lines, the expedient supply of food aid, the "hunger years" at the beginning of the twentieth century are already a thing of the past. Crop failure no longer meant hunger: crop failure in some areas was covered by the production of other areas.

The harvest of cereals (rye, wheat and barley), which reached at the beginning of the reign, on average, a little more than two billion poods, exceeded in 1913-1914. four billion.

The number of manufactories per head of the population doubled: despite the fact that the production of the Russian textile industry increased by a hundred percent, the import of fabrics from abroad also increased several times.

Deposits in state savings banks increased from three hundred million in 1894 to two billion rubles in 1913.

Coal production increased continuously. The Donetsk basin, which in 1894 yielded less than 300 million poods, in 1913 already yielded over one and a half billion. In recent years, the development of new powerful deposits of the Kuznetsk Basin in Western Siberia has begun. Coal production throughout the empire more than quadrupled in twenty years. In 1913, oil production approached 600 million poods per year (two-thirds more than at the beginning of the reign).

The metallurgical industry grew rapidly in Russia. Pig iron smelting has almost quadrupled in twenty years; copper smelting - five times; production of manganese ore is also five times. In the field of mechanical engineering, in the most recent years, rapid growth has manifested itself: the fixed capital of the main Russian machine plants in three years (1911-1914) increased from 120 to 220 million rubles. The production of cotton fabrics from 10.5 million poods in 1894 doubled by 1911 and continued to grow further. The total number of workers in twenty years has approached from two million to five.

From 1,200 million at the beginning of the reign, the budget reached 3.5 billion. Year after year, receipts have exceeded estimates; the state always had free cash at its disposal. For ten years (1904-1913), the excess of ordinary income over expenses amounted to over two billion rubles. The gold reserve of the state bank increased from 648 million (1894) to 1604 million (1914). The budget increased without the introduction of new taxes, without raising the old ones, reflecting the growth of the national economy.

The length of railways, like telegraph wires, more than doubled. Increased and river fleet- the largest in the world. (There were 2,539 steamers in 1895, and 4,317 in 1906.)

The Russian army grew in approximately the same proportion as the population: by 1914 it consisted of 37 corps (not counting the Cossacks and irregulars), with a peacetime composition of over 1,300,000 people. After the Japanese war, the army was thoroughly reorganized. The Russian fleet, which suffered so severely in Japanese war, revived to a new life, and this was the great personal merit of the Tsar, who twice overcame the stubborn resistance of the Duma circles.

The growth of public education is evidenced by the following figures: by 1914 the expenditures of the state, zemstvos and cities on public education amounted to 300 million rubles (at the beginning of the reign - about 40 million).

On the number of books and periodicals in Russia in 1908, the following data are available: there were 2,028 periodicals, including 440 daily ones. Books and brochures published 23 852 titles, 70 841 000 copies, amounting to 25 million rubles.

The independent economic activity of the broad masses was expressed in the unprecedented rapid development of cooperation. Until 1897 in Russia there were only about a hundred consumer societies with a small number of members and several hundred small savings and loan associations ... By January 1, 1912, the number of consumer societies was approaching seven thousand ... Credit cooperatives in 1914 increased their fixed capital sevenfold in compared with 1905 and had up to nine million members.

Against the background of the general picture of the mighty growth of the Russian Empire, the development of its Asian possessions stood out. For twenty years, about 4 million settlers from the inner provinces have found a place for themselves in Siberia.

In the twentieth year of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, Russia reached an unprecedented level of material prosperity ... Foreigners noted the change taking place in Russia. At the end of 1913, the editor of the Economist Europeen, Edmond Tary, carried out a survey of the Russian economy on behalf of two French ministers. Noting striking successes in all areas, Teri concluded: “If the affairs of the European nations from 1912 to 1950 proceed as they did from 1900 to 1912, Russia by the middle of this century will dominate Europe, both politically and economically. and financially ”.

Here's what he wrote about last days reign of Nicholas II Winston Churchill: “Fate was not so cruel to any country as to Russia. Her ship went down when the harbor was in sight. She had already gone through the storm when it all came crashing down. All the sacrifices have already been made, all the work has been completed. Despair and betrayal seized power when the task had already been completed ...

In March, the Tsar was on the throne; The Russian Empire and the Russian army held out, the front was secured and the victory was undeniable.

According to the superficial fashion of our time, the tsarist system is usually interpreted as a blind, rotten, tyranny capable of nothing. But the analysis of the thirty months of the war with Germany and Austria was to correct these lightweight ideas. We can measure the strength of the Russian Empire by the blows that it endured, by the disasters that it experienced, by the inexhaustible forces that it developed, and by the restoration of strength that it was capable of.

In the government of states, when great events are happening, the leader of the nation, whoever he is, is condemned for failures and glorified for success ...

Now he will be slain. Intervenes dark hand first clothed with madness. The king leaves the stage. He and all those who love him are betrayed to suffering and death. His efforts are diminishing; his actions are condemned; his memory is denigrated ... Stop and say: who else turned out to be suitable? There was no shortage of talented and courageous people, people who were ambitious and proud in spirit, courageous and powerful. But no one was able to answer those few simple questions on which the life and glory of Russia depended. "

SOME RESULTS OF THE PERIOD OF Prestroika AND REFORMS

Nikolay Leonov
specially for Pravoslavie.Ru

The final objective criterion for assessing the success or failure of reformist efforts are statistical indicators characterizing the state of the state as a whole and the country's population. For twenty years of perestroika and reforms (1985-2005), historical Russia, which had more than 1000 years of life, ceased to exist. In 1991, contrary to the will of the overwhelming majority of the population of the USSR, expressed in the course of a national referendum, the political leaders of individual union republics took advantage of the weakness central government and announced the liquidation of the USSR. The Tsardom of Muscovy that had been created for centuries, which later became the Russian Empire, and then the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in one day on December 8, 1991 shrank to the size of the RSFSR, i.e. to the borders roughly corresponding to the middle of the 17th century. 5.5 million square meters were lost. km. territory (from 22.4 million to 17 million), on which 14 independent states arose, most of which took anti-Russian positions.

Of the 272 million population of the former USSR, only 146 million remained within Russia. More than 25 million ethnic Russians turned out to be abroad, who became second-class citizens in the new national states-limitrophes. Against the background of the global trend towards the reunification of nations (examples of Vietnam, Yemen, Germany, etc.), the Russian people found themselves in a position of disunity.

Geopolitical catastrophe in the territory historical Russia, had a detrimental effect on the state of its population, characterized by a steady process of extinction. The annual population decline from natural causes ranges from 700 to 800 thousand people. Fertility does not compensate for mortality. In terms of the number of suicides, Russia is one of the first in the world (60 thousand annually, of which 80% are men). The total outflow of the population abroad in the form of economic emigration, brain drain, etc., is estimated at 5 million people over the past twenty years. Russian government He sees no other ways to replenish labor reserves, except for the migration to Russia of citizens from the former Soviet republics, which will change the demographic composition of the country's population and bring all the attendant risks and dangers.

1985-2005 the well-being of the population of Russia has deteriorated sharply. Even according to official statistics, half of the country's citizens live either below or at the border of the minimum subsistence level. These fellow citizens of ours are more likely to survive than live. Bank savings of the population of Russia were twice devalued during this time. In 1992, they were virtually destroyed by the multiple and lightning-fast rise in prices; in August 1998, depositors were ruined as a result of the financial bankruptcy of the state and the depreciation of the ruble three to four times against foreign currencies.

The level of wages systematically lagged behind the rise in prices. By 2000, the cost of food and basic necessities had stabilized at the global level. By a combination of factors, Moscow has repeatedly become the most expensive city in the world to live in. At the same time, the average level of wages in Russia is about 10 times lower than in countries Western Europe and North America, to which Russia formally belongs, being included in the group of 8 most developed countries in the world.

The reaction to the collapsing poverty was the demoralization of a large part of the people, the urge to seek oblivion in alcohol and drugs. Alcohol consumption in Russia has reached 17 liters (in terms of pure alcohol) per capita per year, while the level of 8 liters is considered critical for public health. Drugs, previously known only to a narrow circle of the intelligentsia, began to seize broad strata of adolescents and young people. The drugs confiscated in one year by the customs authorities alone would be enough to produce almost 200 million single doses.

Multiple polls of the population on the question of whether they have improved their lives as a result of perestroika and reforms give a stable picture: from 5 to 8% answer in the affirmative, 25-30% say that they have maintained the same quality of life or slightly improved it, the rest admit, that they began to live worse.

1985-2005 there was a sharp social stratification of the population of Russia. The separated stratum of the richest people, contrary to tradition, often flaunts its wealth in the form of luxurious villas, expensive cars, which offend the vast majority of the population, makes its poverty even more painful and, naturally, hinders the formation of the unity of the nation and the success of government reforms.

Agriculture in Russia has suffered to a large extent from the perestroika-reform "transformations". The gross harvest of grain fell from 110 million tons to 78 million in 2004, sugar beet from 25 million tons to 21 million, potatoes from 38 million to 36 million tons. Against the background of a general decline in agricultural production, the only exceptions were sunflower and soybeans - the main raw materials for the production of vegetable oil. The situation is even worse in animal husbandry: the number of cattle decreased from 57 to 23 million heads, pigs from 38 to 14 million heads. Production of meat (including poultry) fell from 16 million tons to 8 million tons, and milk production from 56 million tons to 32 million. Currently, imported meat occupies more than a third of our domestic market, and milk is about 16%. Russia has lost the ability to provide itself with food, which poses a serious threat national security... (The data was announced at a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation on October 20, 2005)

Until now, the system of land tenure and land use has not been determined. There are about 16 million rural households in the country focused on self-sufficiency and small-scale production. In the absence of land and mortgage lending in the country, these farms, which do not have free financial resources and agricultural implements, are doomed to degradation. The process of formation of large modern agricultural complexes has begun, but their formation will take a lot of time. Farming as a type of farming has not taken root in Russia.

In industry all these years there have been similar destructive changes. Only oil and natural gas production survived and even slightly increased compared to 1985, the export of which abroad became the main source of gold and foreign exchange earnings. Ferrous metallurgy, aluminum smelting and the production of chemical fertilizers kept at an acceptable level, since the world market is extremely interested in their products. These types of production require either a large number scarce raw materials, or cheap electricity, or are associated with environmental costs, which makes Russia competitive.

The manufacturing industry was almost completely destroyed, with the exception of the automotive industry and the military-industrial complex (motor building, production of industrial Vehicle, machine tools, controls and communications, agricultural machinery, household equipment, etc.) The volume of industrial production decreased to 60% of the 1985 level, production was stopped at 70 thousand plants and factories. The average annual number of industrial and production personnel decreased from 20 million in 1992 to 11.8 million in 2004.

Most of the finished goods on which the country's livelihood depends, Russia imports from abroad: from screws and nails to computers and airplanes.

The grave socio-economic consequences of perestroika and reforms are explained by the acute political engagement of all the processes that took place in these years in Russia. As in 1917 the Bolsheviks sang "We will destroy the whole world of violence to the ground, and then ..." so the reformers of the 1985-2005 era were guided primarily by the ideas of destroying everything Soviet, creating guarantees of the irreversibility of a return to the previous model of society. Vain haste, ill-considered reforms, coupled with passive hostility towards them by the majority of the population - predetermined the failure of the reforms called democratic.

Russia came to the end of the analyzed period, nevertheless, with serious chances for revival. She was saved by the immense natural wealth given by the Lord, the patience and endurance of the population, not completely lost faith in the future. Thanks to the sale of raw materials, Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves have reached the highest level in its entire history. They amount to $ 180 billion. In the short term, our export earnings will remain high. There is an urgent need for smart, energetic leaders who can use these opportunities to make up for wasted time. Russia has retained the necessary scientific and technical backbone, it's up to the organizers.

It is critically important to reverse the negative tendencies of the moral and ethical degradation of society, to breathe into people faith in God, in the country, in its leaders, in themselves.

26 / 12 / 2005

Some results of the reign of Nicholas II

During the twenty years of the reign of Nicholas II, the population of the empire increased by fifty million people - by 40%; natural population growth exceeded three million a year. Along with the natural increase ... the general level of well-being has noticeably increased.

Thus, sugar consumption from 25 million pounds per year (8 pounds per capita in 1894) exceeded 80 million pounds (18 pounds per capita) in 1913. Tea consumption also increased (75 million kg in 1913; 40 million pounds). in 1890).

Thanks to the growth of agricultural production, the development of communication lines, the expedient supply of food aid, the "hunger years" at the beginning of the 20th century are already a thing of the past. Crop failure no longer meant hunger: crop failure in some areas was covered by the production of other areas.

The harvest of cereals (rye, wheat and barley), which reached at the beginning of the reign, on average, a little more than two billion poods, exceeded in 1913-1914. four billion.

Deposits in state savings banks increased from three hundred million in 1894 to two billion rubles in 1913.

The metallurgical industry grew rapidly in Russia. Pig iron smelting has almost quadrupled in twenty years; copper smelting - five times; production of manganese ore is also five times. In the field of mechanical engineering, in the most recent years, rapid growth has manifested itself: the fixed capital of the main Russian machine plants within a year (1911-1914) increased from 120 to 220 million rubles. The production of cotton fabrics from 10.5 million poods in 1894 doubled by 1911 and continued to grow further. The total number of workers in twenty years has approached from two million to five.

From 1200 million at the beginning of the reign, the budget reached 3.5 billion. Year after year, receipts have exceeded estimates; the state always had free cash at its disposal. For ten years (1904-1913), the excess of ordinary income over expenses amounted to over two billion rubles. The gold reserve of the state bank increased from 648 million (1894) to 1604 million (1914). The budget increased without the introduction of new taxes, without raising the old ones, reflecting the growth of the national economy.

The length of railways, like telegraph wires, more than doubled. The river fleet has also increased - the largest in the world. (There were 2539 steamers in 1895, in 1906–4317).

The Russian army grew in approximately the same proportion as the population: by 1914 it consisted of 37 corps (not counting the Cossacks and irregulars), with a peacetime composition of over 1,300,000 people. After the Japanese war, the army was thoroughly reorganized. The Russian fleet, which suffered so severely in the Japanese war, was revived to a new life, and this was the great personal merit of the Tsar, who twice overcame the stubborn resistance of the Duma circles.

On the number of books and periodicals in Russia in 1908, the following data are available: there were 2028 periodicals, including 440 daily ones. Books and brochures published 23 852 titles, 70 841 000 copies, amounting to 25 million rubles.

In the twentieth year of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, Russia reached an unprecedented level of material prosperity ... Foreigners noted the change taking place in Russia. At the end of 1913, the editor of the Economist European, Edmond Thery, commissioned two French ministers to conduct a survey of the Russian economy. Noting striking successes in all areas, Teri concluded: “If the affairs of the European nations from 1912 to 1950 proceed as they did from 1900 to 1912, Russia by the middle of this century will dominate Europe, both politically and economically. and financially ”.

Here is what Winston Churchill wrote about the last days of the reign of Nicholas II:

“Fate was not so cruel to any country as to Russia. Her ship went down when the harbor was in sight. She had already gone through the storm when it all came crashing down. All the sacrifices have already been made, all the work has been completed. Despair and betrayal seized power when the task had already been completed ...

In March, the Tsar was on the throne; The Russian Empire and the Russian army held out, the front was secured and the victory was undeniable.

In the government of states, when great events are happening, the leader of the nation, whoever he is, is condemned for failures and glorified for success ...

Now he will be slain. A dark hand, at first clothed with madness, intervenes. The king leaves the stage. He and all those who love him are betrayed to suffering and death. His efforts are diminishing; his actions are condemned; his memory is denigrated ... Stop and say: who else turned out to be suitable? There was no shortage of talented and courageous people, people who were ambitious and proud in spirit, courageous and powerful. But no one was able to answer those few simple questions on which the life and glory of Russia depended. "

From the book of S. S. Oldenburg "The Reign of Emperor Nicholas II"

V. A. Zhukovsky (1783-1852)

In our time, when everything is overturned, it is necessary to look with impartial eyes at those truths that serve as a foundation for everything and for which denial has produced this general destruction that threatens human society with savagery.

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The census during the reign of Quirinius The story of the Evangelist Luke (2,1-3) is also questioned. “In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to make a census of all the earth. This census was the first during the reign of Quirinius in Syria. And everyone went to enroll, each in his own

From the book Materialism and Empirio-Criticism the author Lenin Vladimir Ilyich

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Some results Orthodoxy has been behind it for more than one hundred years. It has had a significant impact on the historical course of the development of a number of peoples. Orthodox theologians themselves value their mission highly. Historical problems ideologists of modern Orthodoxy in

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Some Results “By the end of the imperial system, the Russian Church was an unquestionably contradictory organism. From the outside, she seemed crushed, burdened with an excessively complex ritual, conservative, forgetting about the earthly needs of a person, but inside her there was a different life,

From the book of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of the author

CHAPTER VI The zeal of St. Nicholas for the establishment of Orthodoxy and the eradication of heresies. - Destruction of the temple in honor of the pagan goddess Aphrodite. - The zeal of Saint Nicholas to eradicate the heresy of Arius and his participation in the First Ecumenical Council. - Saint Nicholas wonderfully

From the book Holiness and Saints in Russian Spiritual Culture. Volume II. Three centuries of Christianity in Russia (XII-XIV centuries) the author Toporov Vladimir Nikolaevich

CHAPTER VIII Blessed death of St. Nicholas. - The fate of the Church of Myrliki and the tomb of St. Nicholas. Rejoice, source of all healings. Rejoice, helper to the suffering suffering. Rejoice, renewing the old gray hairs. (Ikos 8)

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From book Holy Bible... Modern translation (CARS) author's Bible

Board, the gift ate ".: Spiritual gifts.

From the book of the Bible. New Russian translation (NRT, RSJ, Biblica) author's Bible

End of the reign of Jehu 32 In those days, the Eternal began to shrink the territory of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their land 33 east of Jordan, all the land of Gilead (the inheritance of Gad, Reuben and Manassa), from the city of Aroer, which is near the Arnon River, through Gilead to Bashan. 34 Other events

From the book Complete Years of Concise Teachings. Volume II (April - June) the author Dyachenko Grigory Mikhailovich

End of Rehoboam's Reign (1 Kings 14: 21-24, 29-31) 13 King Rehoboam established himself in Jerusalem and reigned. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Eternal chose among all the families of Israel to dwell there. Rehohovoam's mother

From the book Temples of Nevsky Prospect. From the history of heterodox and Orthodox communities of St. Petersburg the author (Nikitin) Archimandrite Augustine

End of Jehoshaphat's Reign (1 Kings 22: 41-50) 31 So Jehoshaphat ruled over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azuwa, she was the daughter of Shilha. 32 He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not shy away from them, doing what

From the author's book

End of Hezekiah's reign (2 Kings 20: 1-19; Isa. 38: 1-8; 39: 1-8) 24 In those days Hezekiah fell ill and was about to die. He prayed to the Eternal, and He answered him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah's heart was lifted up, and he did not respond to the mercy shown to him. For this, he and Judea and Jerusalem were angry

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End of Jehu's reign 32 In those days, the Lord began to shrink the territory of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites in all their land 33 east of Jordan, all the land of Gilead (the area of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from the city of Aroer, on the Arnon River, through the area of Gilead to the area of Bashan. 34

From the author's book

Lesson 2. Transfer of the honest relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (The life of St. Nicholas is a rule of faith, an image of meekness and teaches abstinence) I. Nowadays, St. Nicholas, who is pleased in church hymns and readings, was born in the Lycian city of Patara, and in the young

From the author's book

The era of the reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855) On February 2, 1827, in a rescript addressed to Archbishop Nerses Ashtaraketsi (future Catholicos of all Armenians Nerses V), Emperor Nicholas I expressed his favor to the Armenian people, who showed heroism during the Russian-Persian war (1826 .).

However, if we look at the numbers, we will see that much of what we know about the last king is a lie.

In 1894, at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, there were 122 million inhabitants in Russia. 20 years later, on the eve of the 1st World War, its population increased by more than 50 million; thus in Tsarist Russia the population increased by 2,400,000 per year. If the revolution had not happened in 1917, by 1959 its population should have reached 275,000,000.

Unlike modern democracies, Imperial Russia based its policy not only on deficit-free budgets, but also on the principle of significant accumulation of gold reserves. Despite this, state revenues from 1.410.000.000 rubles in 1897, without the slightest increase in the tax burden, steadily grew, while state expenditures remained more or less at the same level.

Over the last 10 years before the First World War, the excess of state revenues over expenditures was expressed in the amount of 2.400.000.000 rubles. This figure seems all the more impressive since during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, railway tariffs were lowered and redemption payments for land that were transferred to the peasants from their former landowners in 1861, and in 1914, with the outbreak of war, and all types of drinking taxes, were canceled.

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, by the law of 1896, a gold currency was introduced in Russia, and the State Bank was allowed to issue 300,000,000 rubles in credit notes unsecured with gold reserves. But the government not only never exercised this right, but, on the contrary, ensured the paper circulation of gold cash by more than 100%, namely: by the end of July 1914, credit notes were in circulation in the amount of 1,633,000,000 rubles, while the gold reserve in Russia it was equal to 1.604.000.000 rubles, and in foreign banks 141.000.000 rubles.

The stability of money circulation was such that even during the Russo-Japanese War, accompanied by widespread revolutionary unrest within the country, the exchange of banknotes for gold was not suspended.

In Russia, taxes, before the First World War, were the lowest in the whole world.

The burden of direct taxes in Russia was almost four times less than in France, more than four times less than in Germany and 8.5 times less than in England. The burden of indirect taxes in Russia was, on average, half that in Austria, France, Germany and England.

The total amount of taxes per capita in Russia was more than half that in Austria, France and Germany and more than four times less than in England.

Between 1890 and 1913 Russian industry quadrupled its productivity. Her income was not only almost equal to the income received from agriculture, but the goods covered almost 4/5 of the domestic demand for manufactured goods.

Over the last four years before the 1st World War, the number of newly established joint-stock companies increased by 132%, and the capital invested in them almost quadrupled.

In 1914, the State Savings Bank had deposits for 2,236,000,000 rubles.

The amount of deposits and equity in small credit institutions (on a cooperative basis) was in 1894 about 70,000,000 rubles; in 1913 - about 620,000,000 rubles (an increase of 800%), and by January 1, 1917 - 1,200,000,000 rubles.

On the eve of the revolution, Russian agriculture was in full bloom. In the two decades leading up to the 1914-18 war, the grain harvest doubled. In 1913, in Russia, the yield of the main cereals was 1/3 higher than that of Argentina, Canada and the United Kingdom. States combined.

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, Russia was the main breadwinner of Western Europe.

Russia supplied 50% of the world import of eggs.

During the same period, sugar consumption per inhabitant increased from 4 to 9 kg. in year.

On the eve of World War I, Russia produced 80% of the world's flax production.

Thanks to the large irrigation work in Turkestan, undertaken during the reign of the Emperor Alexander III, the cotton harvest in 1913 covered all the annual needs of the Russian textile industry. The latter doubled its production between 1894 and 1911.

The railway network in Russia covered 74,000 versts (one verst equals 1,067 km), of which the Great Siberian Way (8,000 versts) was the longest in the world.

In 1916, i.e. in the midst of the war, more than 2,000 miles of railways were built, which connected the Arctic Ocean (port of Romanovsk) with the center of Russia.

In Tsarist Russia in the period from 1880 to 1917, i.e. in 37 years, 58.251 km were built. For 38 years Soviet power, i.e. by the end of 1956, only 36,250 km had been built. roads.

On the eve of the war of 1914-18. the net income of the state railways covered 83% of the annual interest and amortization of the state debt. In other words, the payment of debts, both internal and external, was provided in a proportion of more than 4/5 by the income alone that Russian state from the operation of their railways.

It should be added that the Russian railways, in comparison with others, for passengers were the cheapest and most comfortable in the world.

The industrial development in the Russian Empire was naturally accompanied by a significant increase in the number of factory workers, whose economic well-being, as well as the protection of their life and health, were the subject of special concerns of the Imperial government.

It should be noted that it was in Imperial Russia, and moreover in the 18th century, during the reign of Empress Catherine II (1762-1796), for the first time all over the world, that laws on working conditions were issued: the labor of women and children was prohibited, in factories a 10-hour working day was set, etc. It is characteristic that the code of Empress Catherine regulating child and women's labor, printed in French and Latin, was banned for promulgation in France and England as “seditious”.

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, before the convocation of the 1st State Duma, special laws were issued to ensure the safety of workers in the mining industry, on railways and in enterprises that are especially dangerous to the life and health of workers.

Child labor under the age of 12 was prohibited, and minors and females could not be hired for factory work between 9 pm and 5 am.

The amount of penalty deductions could not exceed one third of the salary, and each penalty had to be approved by the factory inspector. Penalty money went to a special fund designed to meet the needs of the workers themselves.

In 1882, a special law regulated the work of children from 12 to 15 years old. In 1903, workers' elders were introduced, who were elected by the factory workers of the respective workshops. The existence of labor unions was recognized by law in 1906.

At that time, the Imperial social legislation was undoubtedly the most progressive in the world. This prompted Taft, then President of the Union. States, two years before the 1st World War, publicly declare, in the presence of several Russian dignitaries: "Your Emperor created such perfect working legislation that no democratic state can boast of."

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, public education reached an extraordinary development. In less than 20 years, loans allocated to the Ministry of Public Education, from 25.2 mil. rubles increased to 161.2 mil. This did not include the budgets of schools that received their loans from other sources (military, technical schools), or supported by local self-government bodies (zemstvos, cities), whose loans for public education increased from 70,000,000 rubles. in 1894 to 300,000,000 rubles. in 1913

At the beginning of 1913, the total budget of public education in Russia at that time reached a colossal figure, namely 1/2 billion rubles in gold.

Initial training was free of charge by law, and from 1908 it became compulsory. Since this year, about 10,000 schools have been opened annually. In 1913, their number exceeded 130,000.

In the twentieth century, Russia ranked first in Europe, if not the entire world, in terms of the number of women enrolled in higher educational institutions.

The reign of Nicholas II was the period of the highest rates of economic growth in the history of Russia. For 1880-1910 the growth rate of Russian industrial production exceeded 9% per year. According to this indicator, Russia came out on top in the world, ahead of even the rapidly developing United States of America (although it should be noted that on this issue, different economists give different grades, some put the Russian Empire in first place, others - the United States, but the fact that the growth rates were comparable is an indisputable fact). In the production of the main agricultural crops, Russia has come out on top in the world, growing more than half of the rye produced in the world, more than a quarter of wheat, oats and barley, and more than a third of potatoes. Russia has become the main exporter of agricultural products, the first "breadbasket of Europe". It accounted for 2/5 of all world exports of peasant products.

The successes in agricultural production resulted from historical events: the abolition of serfdom in 1861 by Alexander II and the Stolypin land reform during the reign of Nicholas II, as a result of which more than 80% of the arable land was in the hands of the peasants, and almost all of it in the Asian part. The area of the landowners' lands was steadily declining. The granting of the right to freely dispose of their land to the peasants and the abolition of communities was of tremendous state importance, the benefits of which, first of all, were realized by the peasants themselves.

The autocratic form of government did not hinder the economic progress of Russia. According to the manifesto on October 17, 1905, the population of Russia received the right to personal inviolability, freedom of speech, press, assembly, and unions. Political parties grew up in the country, and thousands of periodicals were published. Parliament - State Duma was elected by free expression of will. Russia was becoming a rule-of-law state - the judiciary was practically separated from the executive.

The rapid development of the level of industrial and agricultural production and a positive trade balance allowed Russia to have a stable gold convertible currency. The emperor attached great importance to the development of railways. Even in his youth, he participated in the laying of the famous Siberian road.

During the reign of Nicholas II in Russia, the best working legislation at that time was created, providing rationing of working hours, the choice of working elders, remuneration in case of accidents at work, compulsory insurance of workers against illness, disability and old age. The emperor actively contributed to the development of Russian culture, art, science, reforms of the army and navy.

All these achievements are economic and social development Russia are the result of the natural historical process of the development of Russia and are objectively associated with the 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov.

The French economist Teri wrote: "None of the European nations have achieved similar results."

The myth is that the workers were very poor.
1. Workers. The average wage of a worker in Russia was 37.5 rubles. We multiply this amount by 1282.29 (the ratio of the exchange rate of the tsarist ruble to the modern one) and we get the amount of 48,085 thousand rubles at the modern conversion.

2. Janitor 18 rubles or 23,081 rubles. for modern money

3. Second lieutenant (modern analogue - lieutenant) 70 rubles. or 89 760 p. on modern money

4. Policeman (ordinary police officer) 20, 5 p. or 26 287 p. for modern money

5. Workers (Petersburg). It is interesting that the average salary in Petersburg was less and amounted to 22 rubles 53 kopecks by 1914. Multiply this amount by 1282.29 and get 28890 Russian rubles.

6.Kukhka 5 - 8 rubles. or 6.5.-10 thousand for modern money

7. Teacher primary school 25 p. or 32050 p. on modern money

8. Gymnasium teacher 85 rub. or 108,970 p. for modern money

9 .. Senior janitor 40 p. or 51,297 p. on modern money

10. A puncher overseer (modern analogue - sectional) 50 rub. or 64 115 for modern money

11. Paramedic 40 p. or 51280 p.

12. Colonel 325 rub. or 416,744 p. for modern money

13. Collegiate assessor (middle class official) 62 rubles. or 79,502 p. for modern money

14. Privy councilor (high-class official) 500 or 641,145 for modern money. The same amount received an army general

And how much, you ask, did the groceries cost then? A pound of meat in 1914 cost 19 kopecks. The Russian pound weighed 0.40951241 grams. This means that a kilogram, if it were then a measure of weight, would cost 46.39 kopecks - 0.359 grams of gold, that is, in today's money, 551 rubles 14 kopecks. Thus, the worker could buy 48.6 kilograms of meat with his salary, if, of course, he wanted to.

Wheat flour 0.08 rub. (8 kopecks) = 1 lb (0.4 kg)
Rice lb 0.12 p. = 1 lb (0.4 kg)
Sponge cake 0.60 p. = 1 lb (0.4 kg)
Milk 0.08 p. = 1 bottle
Tomatoes 0.22 rub. = 1 lb
Fish (pike perch) 0.25 rub. = 1 lb
Grapes (raisins) 0.16 p. = 1 pound
Apples 0.03 RUB = 1 lb

A very decent life !!!

Hence the opportunity to support a large family.

Now let's see how much it cost to rent a house. Housing rent in St. Petersburg cost 25, and in Moscow and Kiev 20 kopecks per square yard per month. These 20 kopecks today amount to 256 rubles, and a square yard is 0.5058 m². That is, the monthly rent of one square meter in 1914 cost 506 rubles today. Our clerk would rent an apartment of one hundred square yards in St. Petersburg for 25 rubles a month. But he did not rent such an apartment, but was content with a basement and an attic closet, where the area was smaller, and the rental rate was lower. Such an apartment was rented, as a rule, by titular advisers who received a salary at the level of an army captain. The bare salary of the titular counselor was 105 rubles a month (134 thousand 640 rubles) a month. Thus, a 50-meter apartment cost him less than a quarter of his salary.

The myth of the weakness of the character of the king.

French President Loubet said: “They usually see Emperor Nicholas II as a kind, generous, but weak person. This is a deep mistake. He always has long thought out plans, the implementation of which is slowly achieved. Under visible timidity, the king has a strong soul and a courageous heart, unshakably faithful. He knows where he is going and what he wants. "

The royal service required the strength of character that Nicholas II possessed. During the Sacred Crowning on Russian throne On May 27, 1895, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow, in his address to the Emperor, said: “As there is no higher, so there is no more difficult on earth royal power, there is no burden heavier than the king's ministry. Through the visible anointing, may an invisible power from above be given to you, acting to elevate your royal prowess ... "

A number of arguments refuting this myth are given in the above-mentioned work by A. Eliseev.

So, in particular, S. Oldenburg wrote that the Tsar had an iron hand, many are only deceived by the velvet glove worn on it.

The presence of a strong will in Nicholas II is brilliantly confirmed by the events of August 1915, when he took on responsibilities Supreme Commander-in-Chief- against the wishes of the military elite, the Council of Ministers and everything " public opinion". And, I must say, he coped with these responsibilities brilliantly.

The emperor did a lot to improve the country's defenses, having learned the hard lessons of the Russo-Japanese war. Perhaps his most significant act was the revival of the Russian fleet, which saved the country at the beginning of the First World War. It happened against the will of military officials. The emperor was even forced to dismiss the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. Military historian G. Nekrasov writes: “It should be noted that, despite its overwhelming superiority in forces in the Baltic Sea, the German fleet did not make any attempts to break into The Gulf of Finland in order to bring Russia to its knees with one blow. Theoretically, this was possible, since most of the Russian military industry was concentrated in St. Petersburg. But in the way of the German fleet stood the Baltic Fleet, ready to fight, with ready mine positions. The price of a breakthrough for the German fleet was becoming unacceptably expensive. Thus, by the mere fact that he achieved the re-creation of the fleet, Emperor Nicholas II saved Russia from imminent defeat. This should not be forgotten! "

We especially note that the Emperor made absolutely all important decisions that contribute to victorious actions, he himself - without the influence of any "good geniuses." The opinion that the Russian army was led by Alekseev, and the Tsar was in the post of Commander-in-Chief for the sake of pro forma, is completely unfounded. This false opinion is refuted by Alekseev's own telegrams. For example, in one of them, when asked to send ammunition and weapons, Alekseev replies: "I cannot resolve this issue without the Highest permission."

The myth that Russia was a prison of nations.

Russia was a family of peoples thanks to the balanced and thoughtful policy of the Tsar. The Russian Tsar-Father was considered the monarch of all peoples and tribes living on the territory of the Russian Empire.

He pursued a national policy based on respect for traditional religions - the historical subjects of state building in Russia. And this is not only Orthodoxy, but also Islam. So, in particular, the mullahs were supported by the Russian Empire and received a salary. Many Muslims fought for Russia.

The Russian tsar honored the feat of all the peoples who served the Fatherland. Here is the text of the telegram, which serves as a vivid confirmation of this:

The Ingush regiment hit the German Iron Division like an avalanche. He was immediately supported by the Chechen regiment.

In the history of the Russian Fatherland, including our Preobrazhensky regiment, there was no case of a cavalry attack on an enemy unit of heavy artillery.

4.5 thousand killed, 3.5 thousand captured, 2.5 thousand wounded. In less than 1.5 hours, the iron division ceased to exist, with which the best military units of our allies, including the Russian army, were afraid to come into contact.

Send on my behalf, on behalf of the royal court and on behalf of the Russian army, fraternal heartfelt greetings to the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and brides of these brave eagles of the Caucasus, who laid the foundation for the end to the German hordes with their immortal feat.

Russia will never forget this feat. Honor and praise to them!

With fraternal greetings, Nicholas II.

The myth that Russia under the tsar was defeated in the First World War.

S.S. Oldenburg in his book "The Reign of Emperor Nicholas II", wrote: "The most difficult and most forgotten feat Emperor Nicholas II was that under incredibly difficult conditions he brought Russia to the threshold of victory: his opponents did not allow her to cross this threshold. "

General N. A. Lokhvitsky wrote: “... It took Peter the Great nine years to turn the conquered Narva into the Poltava victors.

Last Supreme Commander Imperial Army- Emperor Nicholas II did the same great job in a year and a half. But his work was appreciated by his enemies, and between the Emperor and his Army, and the victory "became a revolution."

A. Eliseev cites the following facts. The Tsar's military talents were fully revealed in the post of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The very first decisions of the new commander-in-chief led to a significant improvement in the situation at the front. So, he organized the Vilna-Molodechno operation (September 3 - October 2, 1915). The sovereign managed to stop a major German offensive, as a result of which the city of Borisov was captured. A timely directive was issued to them ordering an end to panic and retreat. As a result, the onslaught of the 10th German army was stopped, which was forced to withdraw - in places completely disordered. The 26th Mogilev Infantry Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Petrov (a total of 8 officers and 359 bayonets) made their way to the Germans in the rear and during a surprise attack captured 16 guns. In total, the Russians managed to capture 2,000 prisoners, 39 guns and 45 machine guns. “But most importantly,” notes the historian P. V. Multatuli, “the troops have again returned to confidence in the ability to beat the Germans.”

Russia has definitely begun to win the war. After the failures of 1915 came the triumphant 1916 - the year of the Brusilov breakthrough. During the battles on Southwestern Front the enemy lost one and a half million people killed, wounded and taken prisoner. Austria-Hungary was on the verge of defeat.

It was the Tsar who supported the Brusilov offensive plan, with which many military leaders did not agree. Thus, the plan of the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief MV Alekseev provided for a powerful blow to the enemy by forces of all fronts, with the exception of Brusilov's front.

The latter believed that his front was also quite capable of an offensive, with which other front commanders disagreed. However, Nicholas II resolutely supported Brusilov, and without this support the famous breakthrough would have been simply impossible.

The historian A. Zayonchkovsky wrote that the Russian army has reached "in terms of its size and technical supply of everything it needs, the greatest development for the entire war." The enemy was opposed by more than two hundred combat-ready divisions. Russia was preparing to crush the enemy. In January 1917, the 12th Russian army launched an offensive from the Riga bridgehead and caught the 10th German army by surprise, which found itself in a disastrous situation.

General Ludendorff, the chief of staff of the German army, who can in no way be suspected of sympathizing with Nicholas II, wrote about the situation in Germany in 1916 and the growth military power Russia:

“Russia is expanding its military formations. The reorganization undertaken by her gives a great increase in strength. In her divisions, she left only 12 battalions, and in the batteries only 6 guns each, and from the battalions and guns liberated in this way, she formed new combat units.

The battles of 1916 on Eastern Front showed an increase in the military equipment of the Russians, an increase in the number of firearms supplies. Russia moved some of its factories to the Donetsk Basin, dramatically increasing their productivity.

We understood that the numerical and technical superiority of the Russians in 1917 would be felt by us even more sharply than in 1916.

Our situation was extremely difficult and there was almost no way out of it. There was nothing to think about their own offensive - all reserves were necessary for defense. Our defeat seemed inevitable ... it was difficult with food. The rear was also badly damaged.

The prospects for the future were extremely bleak. "

Moreover, as Oldenburg writes, on the initiative of Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, in the summer of 1916, a commission was established to prepare a future peace conference in order to determine in advance what Russia's wishes would be. Russia was to receive Constantinople and the Straits, as well as Turkish Armenia.

Poland was to be reunited in personal union with Russia. The sovereign announced (at the end of December) c. Wielepolski that he thinks of free Poland as a state with a separate constitution, separate chambers and its own army (apparently, he meant something like the position of the Kingdom of Poland under Alexander I).

Eastern Galicia, Northern Bukovina and Carpathian Rus were subject to inclusion in Russia. The creation of a Czechoslovak kingdom was planned; on Russian territory, regiments were already formed from prisoners of Czechs and Slovaks.

B. Brazol "The Reign of Emperor Nicholas II in Figures and Facts"

The results of the reign of nicholas 2 are brief. Historical portrait of Nicholas II. Reforms and counter-reforms

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