The number of assassination attempts on Alexander 3 is a topic of heated debate by some researchers of his biography. The assassination attempt in 1887, which was supposed to take place on March 1, is an irrefutable fact. Then many people were arrested, a thorough investigation was carried out, which resulted in the execution of the main instigators. But regarding the assassination attempt on Alexander 3 on the train, the opinions of historians differ. The same picture is observed in relation to the doctor Zakhariev, whom some sources consider to be involved in the death of the emperor. How many attempts were actually made on Alexander 3? Who was behind this? What goals did he pursue? Our article talks about all this in detail.
What you need to pay attention to first of all
In order to thoroughly understand all the issues of interest, it is necessary to briefly characterize the personality of the emperor, his foreign and domestic policy, what successes were achieved during the years of his reign in the Russian Empire. Finally, take a closer look at populistorganizations, methods of promoting their political ideas. One cannot ignore the activities of the Russian special services of that time, their structure, composition, and methods of combating extremism.
This is a huge amount of information. Some points are not yet fully clear, so they are waiting for their researcher. The assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander 3 is an issue requiring comprehensive consideration.
Identity of the Emperor
The thorny path of the great Russian monarch was riddled with all sorts of surprises and challenges of fate. The courageous giant, possessing colossal physical strength, was simple in everyday life. He was prepared for military service, the Russian throne was intended for his older brother Nikolai. It so happened that he fell ill and died unexpectedly, without having time to either marry or leave heirs. Therefore, Alexander had to leave his military career and urgently "retrain as a king." Following the unpredictable "whims" of fate, he married the bride of his older brother, creating a strong and friendly family. Alexander 3 also tried to make the state strong, united and prosperous. But with what methods?
In everyday life, he did not like noisy companies, balls and idle talk. According to the documents of those years, he often sat up at work until 2-3 am, putting the good of the country above personal inconveniences and difficulties. Under him, Russia strengthened its economic, military, geopolitical power. Another of his merit is that under him the country did not wage a single war, so many called Alexander 3 a "peacemaker".
He realized that it would no longer be possible to lead vast Russia by patriarchal methods. He saw a way out in reforms and in the policy of a hard hand. Under his rule, the so-called "purges" of structures were not carried out with the identification and elimination of unreliable ones, but such conditions were created under which many intelligent specialists had to resign. A lot of dissatisfaction was also caused by his too harsh reforms, which did not bring visible improvements to the position of the people. No wonder there were those who wanted to remove the emperor from the throne.
If we consider the first attempt on Alexander 3 briefly, then it can be called an attempt by dilettantes, "pale youths with burning eyes", who naively believed that happiness for the people could be achieved only by eliminating the autocrats.
New Policy
The head of the Great Russian Empire had excellent teachers and advisers. His views were influenced by the tragedy that happened to his father. Alexander 2 was de alt a mortal blow when, without suspecting anything, he bent over the wounded. This was partly the result of his inconsistent policy. Errors have been taken into account. To maintain calm and peace, it was necessary not only to increase the military power of the state and optimize the work of the state apparatus, but also to smooth out social contradictions as much as possible.
"Manifesto on the inviolability of the autocracy" perfectly voiced the position of the sovereign in relation to liberal reforms. They were turning. Censorship appeared, state pressure on all spheres of life increased. Finally got around to making a decision.sore point with the peasantry. The poll tax was abolished. The rate of redemption payments of former landlord peasants has been reduced. The Peasants' Bank was established, which gave cheap loans for the purchase of land. A number of measures were taken that allowed everyone to go to Siberia and get land there.
Decrees touched on working conditions, concessions were made for women and children. But all the efforts made did not lead to the expected result. In general, the new economic program did not improve the situation of the poorest sections of the population, and social contradictions were not overcome. A vivid example of the current situation can be considered an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Alexander 3 in 1887. Here, various extremist organizations of the populist persuasion enter the scene.
Populism
This utopian ideology arose among the raznochintsy intelligentsia. Fascinated by the ideas of Herzen, the populists saw in the existing peasant community a necessary platform for building socialism, bypassing the capitalist formation. In their opinion, the path of Russia's development is special, because it is influenced by the mysteriousness of the "Russian soul". Capitalism is alien to Russian society, because it is a deeply immoral phenomenon at its core.
We all know well the sad fate of Alexander Ulyanov. The assassination attempt on Alexander 3, prepared by the Terrorist Faction group (was part of the Narodnaya Volya organization), of which brother V. I. Lenin, ended in failure, and its participants were executed. Blaming all troublesof a particular person or group of persons, while rejecting the objective historical laws of development, the members of the organization once again proved that they do not have a single picture of understanding the structure of the world. The attempt failed due to the frivolity of his organization. Unfortunately, people who did not share the views of the Narodniks were privy to the secret. That is, the members of the organization did not realize the seriousness of their actions.
Department of Public Security and Order
This organization, which is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire, was responsible for political investigation. She had a fairly extensive network of agents. The role of operatives who carry out surveillance, special operations, and the necessary prevention of opposition movements was performed by fillers. Auxiliary functions of surveillance and the preparation of timely reports on the situation fell on the "informers".
Strict selection for the ranks of the fillers was based on strict requirements for candidates. Filers could be men with an inconspicuous appearance, not younger than 30 years old, with excellent physical fitness. Particular attention was paid to moral and business qualities - attentiveness, observation, caution, courage, stress resistance, patience. The leadership of such a structure could not stand the romantics, considering them random people in intelligence.
"Informers" were recruited from the people. They could be anyone. Their inclusion in the staff of permanent employees was not provided for by the circulars, therefore, the payment for the services of informers was made based on the value of the information obtained. The reward was sometimes made by things(clothes, utensils, etc.).
In addition to surveillance, special attention was paid to reading someone else's correspondence. Perlustrators were responsible for it. The effectiveness of such methods is obvious, because it was from the correspondence that they learned about the impending assassination attempt on Alexander 3 with the participation of Ulyanov.
Provocateurs were effectively introduced. Such activity and filigree performance deserved high praise even from the founders of modern Western intelligence services. It was the Russian tsarist Okhrana that turned provocation into art. Many examples can be found in Russian history.
Year of assassination attempt on Alexander 3
The desire of home-grown bombers to time the death of their victim to a significant historical event was distinguished by particular cynicism. Discussing in a circle of like-minded people about the prospects for the liquidation of the monarch, the main organizer and ideological inspirer, Pyotr Shevyrev, as the deadline for the execution of the political assassination approached, suddenly felt “cognitive dissonance”, “destruction of the subtle spiritual constitution” and simply fled.
"Fighting" comrades were announced that he was happy to give his life in the name of the Russian people, but because of the developed tuberculosis, he had to temporarily leave for treatment. Therefore, the date of the heroic self-sacrifice had to be postponed indefinitely. The organization needed a new worthy leader.
Alexander Ulyanov took matters into his own hands. The attempt on Alexander 3 was decided to be carried out not far from the Admir alty. To this end, the members of the group stocked up on bombs, afterwhich went to patrol the surroundings in search of her object of liquidation. These activities took several days in February 1887. The Russian detective was seriously worried about the appearance of these young people on Nevsky Prospekt. On top of that, Andreyushkin (one of the terrorists) was overwhelmed with a strange desire to share his plans for the operation, which he did in good faith in a personal letter.
The expected result was the arrest of all members of the underground cell. The first assassination attempt on Alexander 3, committed under such tragicomic circumstances, only strengthened the reaction in the country, paving the way for repressive, harsh measures.
Crime and Punishment
After the arrest, the fate of the extremists was sad. Punishment did not escape the ideological inspirer - Peter Shevyrev. He was found in the Crimea and taken to the Shlisselburg fortress. Despite petitions for clemency from the organizers of the assassination attempt on Alexander 3, some of the participants in the conspiracy were executed by hanging. Others replaced the death pen alty with hard labor, exiled to different parts of the Russian Empire.
Royal train crash
Having escaped death at the hands of the bombers, the autocrat and his family survived a railway accident, which some Russian officials regarded as the second attempt on Alexander 3. This event occurred on October 17, 1888. The royal family was returning from the Crimea. On the railway embankment there was a derailment of wagons. Having miraculously escaped death, showing miracles of courage, the king held the roof of the car, which almost buried his family alive.
When everyone got out from under the rubble, the first thought that arose among the victims was that the collapse of the royal train was an attempt on Alexander 3. An investigation into the circumstances of the incident was appointed, but it did not bear any fruit. Representatives of various departments in every possible way denied their own guilt, nodding at each other. Given the futility of such searches, it was decided to stop looking for the perpetrators, limiting ourselves to high-profile resignations.
Versions of what happened
S. Yu. Witte, who then ran the Society of Southwestern Railways, argued that the cause of what happened was speeding and the presence of Newton's laws in nature. He did not want to admit that the railway was defective and inconsistent with the proper technical level.
Some researchers point to the obvious similarity of the accident to the one that occurred 9 years before the events described. Representatives of the notorious "Narodnaya Volya" mastered the method of derailing trains, due to the incredible effectiveness of such an event. In the autumn of 1879, a group of Sophia Perovskaya committed a similar act, but then no one was hurt then.
"The case of the rotten railroad tie", as some narrow-minded people sarcastically called this tragedy, was closed due to lack of evidence. Or not? Maybe there is another explanation for this? For example, such that the Russian special services of that time simply did not want to plant in the public mind even the thought of the possibility of committing such a crime, fearing repetition. Was itassassination attempt on Alexander 3? No definitive answer yet.
Killer Doctors
To voice all versions of what happened, it is necessary to touch on the issue of world Zionism. There are opinions that it was it that caused the death of the objectionable monarch of Russia. Indeed, during his reign, an anti-Semitic policy was pursued. Jews were forbidden to settle in the countryside, and those who lived in villages were forbidden to move. Bans were imposed on the lease of land and the acquisition of real estate outside the settled area.
The overexertion that the king endured during the accident, holding back the collapsed roof, affected his he alth. Diagnosis revealed kidney disease. There is an opinion of some historians that it was the Jewish doctors who sent the tsar-father to the next world. The name of the main culprit is called - Zakharyin Grigory Antonovich. He was a very respected person and an excellent specialist, he lectured at the university. Having examined the sick monarch, Zakharyin "accidentally" broke the expensive medicines that were on the bedside table near the bed of a high-ranking patient. Instead of them, he prescribed others and forbade the patient to be transported anywhere, so as not to worsen his condition. These recommendations have not been implemented. The king died. An autopsy showed that Zakharyin's diagnosis was 100% correct, but he was accused of being a murderer. Perhaps the message of the priest John of Kronstadt, who claimed to have heard the words of a doctor that the tsar was sentenced to death, played a role here. But this has not been officially proven.
Therefore, the question is: “How muchwas there an attempt on Alexander 3 in fact? - not yet closed. The only important thing is that in the pursuit of sensation or political capital, you can lose the Truth, which is intended to reveal such a science as history.
