Characteristics of the work “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion.” History of Pugachev

HISTORY OF THE PUGACHEV REVOLT

History of the Pugachev rebellion
Excerpts

CHAPTER TWO

In these troubled times, an unknown tramp wandered around the Cossack courtyards, hiring himself out as a worker first to one owner, then to another and taking up all sorts of crafts. Sn witnessed the pacification of the rebellion and the execution of the instigators; he went to the Irgiz monasteries for a while; from there, at the end of 1772, he was sent to buy fish in the Yaitsky town, where he stayed with the Cossack Denis Pyanov. He was distinguished by the impudence of his speeches, reviled his superiors and persuaded the Cossacks to flee to the region of the Turkish Sultan; he assured that the Don Cossacks would not be slow to follow them, that he had two hundred thousand rubles and seventy thousand worth of goods prepared at the border, and that some pasha, immediately upon the arrival of the Cossacks, should give them up to five million; For now, he promised everyone a salary of twelve rubles a month. Moreover, he said that two regiments were marching from Moscow against the Yaik Cossacks and that around Christmas or Epiphany there would certainly be a riot. Some of the obedient ones wanted to catch him and present him as a troublemaker to the commandant's office; but he disappeared with Denis Pyanov and was caught already in the village of Malykovka (which is now Volgsk) at the direction of a peasant who was traveling the same road with him. This tramp was Emelyan Pugachev, a Don Cossack and schismatic, who came with a false letter from across the Polish border, with the intention of settling on the Irgiz River among the schismatics there. He was sent into custody to Simbirsk, and from there to Kazan; and since everything related to the affairs of the Yaitsky army, under the circumstances of that time, could seem important, the Orenburg governor considered it necessary to notify the state Military Collegium about this with a report dated January 18, 1773.

Yaik rebels were not rare at that time, and the Kazan authorities did not pay much attention to the sent criminal. Pugachev was kept in prison no more strictly than other slaves. Meanwhile, his accomplices did not sleep.

PORTRAIT DESCRIPTION

...Emelyan Pugachev, Zimoveyskaya village, a serving Cossack, was the son of Ivan Mikhailov, who died long ago. He was forty years old, of average height, dark and thin; He had dark brown hair and a black beard, small and wedge-shaped. The upper tooth was knocked out in childhood, in a fist fight. On his left temple he had White spot, and on both breasts there are signs left over from an illness called black sickness. He did not know how to read and write and was baptized in a schismatic manner. About ten years ago he married a Cossack woman, Sofya Nedyuzhina, with whom he had five children. In 1770, he served in the second army, was present during the capture of Bendery, and a year later was released to the Don due to illness. He went to Cherkassk for treatment. Upon his return to his homeland, the Zimovey chieftain asked him at the village meeting where he got the brown horse on which he came home? Pugachev replied that he bought it in Taganrog; but the Cossacks, knowing his dissolute life, did not believe it and sent him to take written evidence of this. Pugachev left. Meanwhile, they learned that he was persuading some Cossacks settled near Taganrog to flee beyond the Kuban. It was supposed to hand Pugachev into the hands of the government. Returning in December, he was hiding on his farm, where he was caught, but managed to escape; I wandered for three months, I don’t know where; Finally, during Lent, one evening he secretly came to his house and knocked on the window. His wife let him in and let the Cossacks know about him. Pugachev was caught again and sent under guard to the detective, foreman Makarov, in the Nizhnyaya Chirskaya village, and from there to Cherkassk. He ran away from the road again and has not been to the Don since then. From the testimony of Pugachev himself, who was brought to the Office of Palace Affairs at the end of 1772, it was already known that after his escape he hid behind the Polish border, in the schismatic settlement of Vetka; then he took a passport from the Dobryansk outpost, saying he was from Poland, and made his way to Yaik, feeding on alms.

- All this news was made public; Meanwhile, the government forbade the people to talk about Pugachev, whose name worried the mob. This temporary police measure had the force of law until the late sovereign’s accession to the throne, when it was allowed to write and publish about Pugachev. To this day, elderly witnesses of the then turmoil are reluctant to answer curious questions.

PUGACHEV NEAR KURMYSH

On July 20, Pugachev swam across the Sura near Kurmysh. Nobles and officials fled. The mob met him on the shore with images and bread. An outrageous manifesto was read to her. The disabled team was brought to Pugachev. Major Yurlov, its chief, and a non-commissioned officer, whose name, unfortunately, has not been preserved, alone did not want to swear allegiance and denounced the impostor to his face. They were hanged and the dead were beaten with whips. Yurlov's widow was saved by her servants. Pugachev ordered government wine to be distributed to the Chuvash; hanged several nobles brought to him by their peasants, and went to Yadrinsk, leaving the city under the command of four Japanese Cossacks and giving them at their disposal sixty slaves who had attached themselves to it. He left behind him a small gang to detain Count Mellin. Mikhelson, who was going to Arzamas, sent Kharin to Yadrinsk, where Count Mellin was also in a hurry. Pugachev, having learned about this, turned to Alatyr; but, covering his movement, he sent a gang to Yadrinsk, which was repulsed by the governor and residents, and after this was met by Count Mellin and completely scattered. Mellin hurried to Alatyr, casually freed Kurmysh, where he hanged several rebels, and took the Cossack, who called himself a commander, with him like a tongue. The officers of the disabled team, who swore allegiance to the impostor, were justified by the fact that they took the oath not from a sincere heart, but to observe the interest of Her Imperial Majesty.

PUGACHEV IS CAUGHT...

Pugachev wandered around the same steppe. Troops surrounded him from everywhere; Mellin and Muffle, who also crossed the Volga, cut off his road to the north; a light field detachment was coming towards him from Astrakhan; Prince Golitsyn and Mansurov blocked him from Yaik; Dundukov and his Kalmyks scoured the steppe: patrols were established from Guryev to Saratov and from Cherny to Krasny Yar. Pugachev did not have the means to get out of the networks that constrained him. His accomplices, on the one hand seeing imminent death, and on the other - hope for forgiveness, began to conspire and decided to hand him over to the government.

Pugachev wanted to go to the Caspian Sea, hoping to somehow get into the Kyrgyz-Kaisak steppes. The Cossacks feignedly agreed to this; but, saying that they wanted to take their wives and children with them, they took him to Uzeni, the usual refuge of the local criminals and fugitives; on September 14 they arrived at the villages of the local Old Believers. The last meeting took place here. The Cossacks, who did not agree to surrender into the hands of the government, scattered. The others went to Pugachev's headquarters.

Pugachev sat alone, thoughtful. His weapon hung to the side. Hearing the Cossacks enter, he raised his head and asked what they wanted? They began to talk about their desperate situation and meanwhile, moving quietly, tried to shield him from the hanging weapons. Pugachev began again to persuade them to go to the Guryev town. The Cossacks replied that they had been following him for a long time and that it was time for him to go after them. "What? - said Pugachev, “do you want to betray your sovereign?” - "What to do!" - the Cossacks answered and suddenly rushed at him. Pugachev managed to fight them off. They retreated a few steps. “I saw your betrayal a long time ago,” said Pugachev and, calling his favorite, the Iletsk Cossack Tvorogov, extended his hands to him and said: “knit!” Tvorogov wanted to twist his elbows back. Pugachev did not give in. “Am I a robber?” - he said angrily. The Cossacks put him on horseback and took him to the Yaitsky town. All the way Pugachev threatened them with the revenge of the Grand Duke. One day he found a way to free his hands, grabbed a saber and a pistol, wounded one of the Cossacks with a shot and shouted that the traitors should be tied up. But no one listened to him anymore. The Cossacks, having approached the Yaitsky town, sent to notify the commandant about this. Cossack Kharchev and Sergeant Bardovsky were sent to meet them, received Pugachev, put him in the block and brought him to the city, straight to the guard captain-lieutenant Mavrin, a member of the investigative commission.

Mavrin interrogated the impostor. Pugachev opened up to him from the first word. “God wanted it,” he said. - to punish Russia through my damnation.” - Residents were ordered to gather in the city square; The rioters, who were kept in chains, were also brought there. Mavrin brought Pugachev out and showed him to the people. Everyone recognized him; the rioters lowered their heads. Pugachev loudly began to incriminate them and said: “You ruined me; For several days in a row you begged me to take on the name of the late great sovereign; I denied it for a long time, and when I agreed, everything I did was with your will and consent; you often acted without my knowledge and even against my will.” The rioters did not answer a word.

Suvorov, meanwhile, arrived at Uzen and learned from the hermits that Pugachev was tied up by his accomplices and that they took him to the Yaitsky town. Suvorov hurried there. At night he lost his way and found fires laid out in the steppe by thieving Kirghiz. Suvorov attacked them and drove them away, losing several people and among them his adjutant Maksimovich. A few days later he arrived in Yaitsky town. Simonov handed over Pugachev to him. Suvorov curiously questioned the glorious rebel about his military actions and intentions and took him to Simbirsk, where Count Panin was also supposed to come.

Pugachev was sitting in a wooden cage on a two-wheeled cart. A strong detachment with two cannons surrounded him. Suvorov never left his side.

Pushkin's work is inextricably linked with history. He was interested in important turning points in history: popular movements, the historical role of kings, the clash between state and personal.

Pushkin was attracted by bright historical figures and events. He is not only the author works of art on a historical topic, he can be considered a historian. Pushkin carefully studied historical documents, chronicles, historical stories and even oral historical traditions. He followed contemporary historical science, turned to ancient and world history

. This helped him understand Russia's place in the world historical process.

Pushkin was interested in the events of the Pugachev revolt since 1824. He studied newspapers and books, everything that was published about Pugachev. In 1833, Pushkin turned to the Minister of War, Count Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev, asking for permission to use materials from the military archive. He explained his desire by his intention to write “the history of the Generalissimo, Prince of Italy, Count Suvorov-Rymniksky.” However, his interest was directed towards the “peasant king” Emelyan Pugachev. When permission was received, Pushkin became acquainted with the materials of the Secret Expedition of the Military Collegium, archival materials of the General Staff, and why he began the “history of Pugachev.” He visited the places of the Pugachev riot - in Nizhny Novgorod

, Kazan, Siberian, Orenburg, Uralsk, where he recorded stories, songs, and legends of witnesses of the peasant war. In St. Petersburg, Pushkin turned to his office Imperial Majesty

In December 1834, “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion” was published. The book was greeted coldly, and the Minister of Public Education Uvarov S.S. excited, because Pushkin punched a hole in the decree about consigning to eternal oblivion the very name of Emelyan Pugachev.

Pushkin created the first in Russia scientific and artistic a chronicle of the events of the Pugachev rebellion, which to this day has not lost its significance. The events and rebels depicted by Pushkin differed significantly from the official point of view on the uprisings that shook Russia. Pushkin saw the reasons for the rebellion in the arbitrariness of officials who oppressed the Cossacks, in the cruel actions of the government administration, in the absence of laws, in the lack of rights of the enslaved people.

"The History of the Pugachev Rebellion" became the basis historical novel. In him social problems and events recede into the background. The author is interested in the characters of people, their mutual understanding, ideas about good and evil, duty, honor, conscience, and the meaning of life.

The novel “The Captain's Daughter” is inextricably linked with “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion”.

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Berdnikova Elena, gymnasium No. 13, 9th grade

Historical fact and its artistic embodiment.
“The History of the Pugachev Rebellion” and “The Captain’s Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin

God forbid we see a Russian rebellion,
senseless and merciless!

A.S. Pushkin

Introduction

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was undoubtedly prompted to write “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion” by the unsuccessful outcome of the Decembrist uprising, among whom were his friends, as well as by the unrest of peasants and military settlers in 1830, which again aggravated the issue of serfdom. As a person and citizen, this could not leave Pushkin indifferent. Therefore, in 1833, he obtained permission for a four-month trip to the sites of the Pugachev uprising - the Orenburg and Kazan provinces.
Pushkin traveled to the sites of Pugachev's uprising, collecting data and interviewing old witnesses who were still alive. Then I went to Boldino. Here he began working on “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion.”
On October 20, Pushkin returned to St. Petersburg. “The story...” was over.
But he did not stop there; now his goal was to write a fictional novel with a gripping plot that affirms the connection between two social groups. So in the same 1833, one of Pushkin’s best prose works was written - “The Captain’s Daughter”. The Pugachevshchina was supposed to be a warning to the nobility, which did not see the need for new forms of communication with the peasantry.

“The Captain's Daughter” - one of Pushkin’s most perfect and profound creations - has repeatedly been the subject of research attention. In the extensive literature on the issue, a number of studies by Yu.G. Osman should be especially highlighted, in particular, “From the Captain's Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin to “Notes of a Hunter” by I.S. Turgenev” and a chapter in the book by G.A. Gukovsky “Pushkin and the problem of realistic style.” Archival research and publication of documents, as well as a subtle analysis of the ideological content of the novel in the works of Yu.G. Osman, carried out on the broad ideological background usual for this researcher, and consideration of the artistic nature of the novel, its place in the history of the formation of Pushkin's realism in the book of G.A. .Gukovsky are highest achievements Soviet literary criticism in this area. And if certain provisions of these works can become the subject of scientific dispute, this does not detract from their importance as the basis for any further in-depth analysis of Pushkin’s work. A number of profound comments can be found in the works of B.V. Tomashevsky, V.B. Shklovsky, D.P. Yakubovich, E.N. Kupreyanova, N.K. Piksanov, D.D. Blagoy, Yu.M. Lotman and others .

This, however, does not mean that the problems of “The Captain’s Daughter” have been fully explored. Moreover, many cardinal issues of Pushkin’s position in “The Captain’s Daughter” still continue to remain controversial. This is, for example, the interpretation of the famous words about the “Russian revolt”. If Yu.G. Osman considers them a kind of tribute to censorship conditions, a reproduction of a protective point of view (equal to the views of Dashkova and Karamzin), exposed by the entire course of the narrative, evoking reader sympathy for Pugachev, then another authoritative expert on Pushkin’s work, B.V. Tomashevsky, wrote: “Left in the text of the novel the maxim was not at all caused by the need to present events. As for the views of Grinev, as the hero of the novel, on Pugachev and peasant movement, then Pushkin perfectly characterized them in other clearer words and in the very course of the action. If he kept this phrase, it was because it corresponded to Pushkin’s own system of views on the peasant revolution. Behind this phrase lies neither contempt for the Russian serf peasantry, nor disbelief in the strength of the people, nor any protective thoughts whatsoever. This phrase expresses that Pushkin did not believe in the final victory of the peasant revolution in the conditions in which he lived.”

In “The Captain's Daughter” Pushkin used facts collected while working on “History...”. , with the only difference that he made a narrative out of a simple statement of facts.

Part 1. Genre features of works.

In 1831, Pushkin enlisted as a “historiographer” and received permission to work in the archives. He persistently experiments with prose genres and tirelessly searches for new forms of literature. In a letter to V.D. He writes to Volkhovsky: “I am sending you my latest essay, “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion.” I tried in it to explore the military actions of that time and thought only about their clear presentation...” Of course, “History...” was written in the genre of historical research, in dry, concise language. P.V. Annenkov testifies: “Next to his historical work, Pushkin began, at the constant demand of his artistic nature, the novel “The Captain's Daughter,” which presented the other side of the subject - the side of the morals and customs of the era. The condensed and outwardly dry presentation he adopted in history seemed to find a complement in his exemplary novel, which has the warmth and charm of historical notes.”

In our comparative study, we will adhere to Pushkin’s own definition of the genre of “The Captain’s Daughter” as a novel, based on the definition given in the “Bolshoi encyclopedic dictionary": "A novel is a literary genre, an epic work of large form, in which the narrative is focused on the fate of an individual in his relation to the world around him, on the formation and development of his character and self-awareness. The novel is an epic of modern times; in contrast to the folk epic, where the individual and the folk soul are inseparable; in the novel, individual life and public life appear as relatively independent, but “private” inner life the individual is revealed in him “epicly”, i.e. with the identification of its generally significant and social meaning. A typical novel situation is a collision of the moral and human (personal) with the natural and social necessity. Since the novel develops in modern times, where the nature of the relationship between man and society is constantly changing, its form is essentially “open”. The main situation is each time filled with specific historical content and is embodied in various genre modifications. In the 1830s, the classical era of realistic social psychological novel". And although the dictionary does not mention either the name of A.S. Pushkin or his work “The Captain’s Daughter,” we, based on the definition, clearly call A.S. Pushkin is the founder of the genre of realistic socio-psychological novel.

Part 2. Comparative analysis of “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion” and the novel “The Captain’s Daughter”

The emergence of Pugachev as a historical figure was preceded by the revolt of the Yaitsky Cossacks. Let's carry out comparative analysis episodes of the novel with the participation of Pugachev and the corresponding episodes of “History...”. Here is a small material from “History...” On the Yaik River “in the fifteenth century, the Don Cossacks appeared, traveling along the Khvalynsky Sea. They wintered on its banks, which at that time were still covered with forest and safe in their solitude; in the spring they went to sea again, robbed until late autumn, and by winter they returned to Yaik. Moving upward from one place to another, they finally chose the Kolovratnoe tract, sixty miles from present-day Uralsk, as their permanent residence.”
That is, they lived freely and were not oppressed by anyone; at the behest of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, they settled in the desert lands along the Yaik River and the adjacent steppes: “The Yaik Cossacks obediently carried out services along with the Moscow order; but the houses retained the original image of their governance. Perfect equality of rights; atamans and elders, elected by the people, temporary executors of popular decrees; circles, or meetings, where every Cossack had a free vote and where all public affairs were decided by a majority vote; no written orders.”
This continued until the accession of Peter the Great.

The following quotes briefly show the main reasons for the start of the Yaitsky Cossack revolt, the behavior of the rebels and the pacification of the rebellion. Since “History...” contains a very large volume of material devoted to these events, we have highlighted only those quotes that, in our opinion, contain a story about the main events.
1) When comparing sources, it is clear that Pushkin softened the real reason the beginning of this revolt. After studying the historical document, it becomes clear that the state had a real intention to change social status Cossacks, and this is what caused indignation among the Cossacks and led to this terrible uprising.
“Peter the Great took the first measures to introduce the Yaik Cossacks into the general system of government. In 1720, the Yaitsk army was transferred to the department of the Military Collegium” “The Emperor himself appointed a military chieftain.”
2) From that moment on, internal strife began among the Cossacks, which the state tried to resolve with its intervention, but to no avail. Let us draw closer to the beginning of the rebellion and the refusal of the Cossacks, at the behest of the sovereign, to persecute the Kalmyks, who decided to leave Russia and come under the authority of the Chinese government in order to avoid oppression by the local authorities. “The Yaik army was ordered to set out in pursuit; but the Cossacks (except for a very small number) did not listen, and clearly turned out to be out of all service.” Further events became irreversible.
3) Here are some excerpts from the “Notes of Colonel Pekarsky about the riots of the Yaitskys, which are now Ural, Cossacks and about the impostor Emelyan Don Cossack Pugachev,” confirming our assumption:

“In 1770, it was ordered from the Yaitskys, which are now the Ural Cossacks, to form a Cossack squadron into the Moscow Legion; but they disobeyed and therefore in 1771, to investigate and force the formation of that squadron, Major General von Traubenberg was sent to the Yaitsky town of the Orenburg Corps and Captain Mavrin of the Guard was sent from St. Petersburg; the aforementioned Cossacks on their own behalf sent two Cossacks to St. Petersburg with a request to ask for the abolition of the formation of a squadron from them, who were taken under arrest there, and having shaved their beards and foreheads, they were sent in 1772 to Orenburg, to be assigned to the Alekseevsky Infantry Regiment.” .
Having paid special attention to such a word as “coercion,” we understand that this is nothing more than the open desire of the authorities to completely subjugate the Cossacks. The government provoked aggression on their part by arresting the Cossack ambassadors.
4) Here is another quote from “History...”:

“We learned that the government intended to form squadrons of Cossacks, and that it had already been ordered to shave their beards. Major General Traubenberg, sent to the Yaitskaya town for this purpose, incurred indignation” (I, 11).

In “The Captain's Daughter,” Pushkin described all these events so concisely that they fit into just two sentences:

“The reason for this was the strict measures taken by Major General Traubenberg to bring the army to proper obedience” (I, 11).
That is, the phrase “the government had the intention...” in “History...” was replaced with “measures already taken by the major general” in literary work.

The Cossacks took revenge on the offenders, after which the revolt followed. That is, we see that the author in the literary work, due to understandable circumstances, moved the center of the narrative from the actions of the government to the actions of the major general, so that this conflict looked like a conflict between the Cossacks and an official, and not between the Cossacks and the empress. Further, in the description of Traubenberg’s murder, there is also a desire to smooth out the severity of the conflict. This is how “History...” describes it:

“Traubenberg fled and was killed at the gates of his house.”
and in “The Captain's Daughter”:

“The consequence was the barbaric murder of Traubenberg...”

That is, in the literary work, Pushkin does not show Traubenberg’s cowardice and flight, but again uses exaggeration as a kind of artistic nod to those in power to show the cruelty of the Cossacks. So the Cossacks took revenge on the offenders, after which the rebellion was pacified. “History...” reads:

“Meanwhile, Major General Freiman was sent from Moscow to pacify them, with one company of grenadiers and artillery.”

“Freiman opened his way with grapeshot..., a pursuit was sent for those who had left, and almost everyone was recaptured” (I, 11).

The fact that the government was decisively opposed to the Cossacks is evidenced by the number of artillerymen who were sent to suppress the rebellion. Then the field teams consisted of 500 infantry, cavalry and artillery personnel. In 1775 they were replaced by provincial battalions. But again, Pushkin in “The Captain's Daughter” replaced this quote with another: “Finally, the pacification of the rebellion was completed with grapeshot and cruel punishments.” It is in this part, which tells about the uprising, that one can see how often he “softens” the descriptions in comparison with the historical source.”

This is how this riot ends. "Story…":

“The leadership has been entrusted to the Yaik commandant, Lieutenant Colonel Simonov. Military foreman Martemyan Borodin and foreman (simple) Mostovshchikov were ordered to be present in his office. The instigators of the riot were punished with a whip; about one hundred and forty people were exiled to Siberia; others were given up as soldiers (all fled); the rest are forgiven and taken a second oath. These are strict and necessary measures external order was restored; but calm was precarious. "It's only the beginning!" the forgiven rebels said: “Is this how we will shake Moscow?” – The Cossacks were still divided into two sides: those who agreed and those who disagreed (or, as the Military Collegium very accurately translated these words, into obedient and disobedient). Secret meetings took place in steppe villages and remote farmsteads. Everything foreshadowed a new rebellion. The leader was missing. The leader has been found"

In “The Captain's Daughter” there is material that also talks about the excitement of the people:

“Everything was already quiet, or seemed so; The authorities too easily believed the imaginary repentance of the crafty rebels, who were angry in secret and were waiting for an opportunity to resume the unrest.”

After such events, the Cossacks could not calmly continue their existence. In their souls and hearts there was a desire to free themselves and take revenge on the offenders, but it was impossible to act without a leader. Emelyan Pugachev became this leader. This is what “History...” says about the appearance of Emelyan Pugachev:

“In these troubled times, an unknown tramp wandered around the Cossack yards, hiring himself out as a worker first to one owner, then to another, and taking up all sorts of crafts. He witnessed the pacification of the rebellion and the execution of the instigators, and went to the Irgiz monasteries for a while; from there, at the end of 1772, he was sent to purchase fish in the Yaitskaya town, where he stayed with the Cossack Denis Pyanov. He was distinguished by the impudence of his speeches, reviled his superiors, and persuaded the Cossacks to flee to the region of the Turkish Sultan; he assured that the Don Cossacks would not be slow to follow them, that he had two hundred thousand rubles and seventy thousand worth of goods prepared at the border, and that some pasha, immediately upon the arrival of the Cossacks, should give them up to five million; For now, he promised everyone a salary of twelve rubles a month. Moreover, he said that two regiments were marching from Moscow against the Yaitsky Cossacks, and that there would certainly be a riot around Christmas or Epiphany. Some of the obedient ones wanted to catch and present as a troublemaker to the commandant's office; but he disappeared with Denis Pyanov, and was caught already in the village of Malykovo (which is now Volgsk) at the direction of a peasant who was traveling the same road with him. This tramp was Emelyan Pugachev, a Don Cossack and schismatic, who came with a false letter from across the Polish border, with the intention of settling on the Irgiz River, among the schismatics there. He was sent under guard to Simbirsk, and from there to Kazan; and since everything related to the affairs of the Yaitsky army, under the circumstances of that time, could seem important, the Orenburg governor considered it necessary to notify the state Military Collegium about this with a report dated January 18, 1773.”

Since then Yaik rebels were encountered at every turn, the Kazan authorities did not pay attention special attention on Pugachev. He was held in prison with other prisoners. But his accomplices did not forget about him, and on June 19, 1773, he escaped.

“One day, under the guard of two garrison soldiers, he walked around the city to collect alms. At the Castle Lattice (that was the name of one of the main Kazan streets) there was a ready-made troika. Pugachev, approaching her, suddenly pushed away one of the soldiers accompanying him; the other helped the convict sit down at the wagon and rode off with him out of the city” (II, 14).

After that, for 3 months he hid in the farmsteads from pursuit, when in early September he ended up on the farm of Mikhail Kozhevnikov with his main accomplice Ivan Zarubin, who announced to Kozhevnikov that the great person was in their region.

“He convinced Kozhevnikov to hide it on his farm. Kozhevnikov agreed. Zarubin left, and that same night before daylight he returned with Timofey Myasnikov and an unknown man, all three on horseback. The stranger was of average height, broad-shouldered and thin. His black beard was beginning to turn grey. He was wearing a camel coat, a blue Kalmyk cap and armed with a rifle. Zarubin and Myasnikov went to the city to issue a summons to the people, and the stranger, staying with Kozhevnikov, announced to him that he was Emperor Peter --- that the rumors about his death were false, that with the help of a guard officer, he went to Kyiv, where he was hiding near year” (II, 15).

In “The Captain's Daughter” there are quotes that carry the same meaning, but have a different form.
1. History…":

“This tramp was Emelyan Pugachev, a Don Cossack and schismatic..., announced to him that he was Emperor Peter ---...” (II, 15),

In "The Captain's Daughter":

“The Don Cossack and schismatic Emelyan Pugachev escaped from the guard, committing unforgivable insolence by taking on the name of the late Emperor Peter” (VI, 314).

We see that in “History...” the Don “Cossack and schismatic” is a clarification, but, as we noticed, this clarification appears in “History...” after the name of Emelyan Pugachev, and in “The Captain’s Daughter” before him, and therefore the same part These two sentences sound different. When the clarification comes after the word being clarified, it is separated by a comma; accordingly, a pause is formed during reading, which makes the quotation from “History...” intermittent, and the quotation from “The Captain’s Daughter,” in which there are no pauses, smooth and euphonious. The phrase “by taking on the name of the deceased...” tells us about the use of high style in writing, which is one of the author’s artistic techniques.

The second part of the quotes, in which we're talking about about the adoption of the name Peter, is distinguished by significant embellishment in the second case. When in “History...” there is a simple statement of facts, “that he is Emperor Peter ---”, the text of “The Captain's Daughter” is a narrative in which there are a lot of long and high definitions, having an exclusively decorative character: “Committing unforgivable insolence by taking on the name of the late Emperor Peter.” Undoubtedly, Pushkin used such a turn of phrase to express his sharply negative attitude towards the act of the impostor.
Here it would be appropriate to recall A.S. Pushkin’s poem “To Friends,” written earlier, in 1828:

No, I'm not a flatterer when I reign
I offer free praise:
I boldly express my feelings,
I speak the language of the heart.
(Collected works in 3 volumes, M., “Khud. lit-ra”, p. 414).

What did Pugachev look like externally? Oddly enough, in “History...” there is a rather brief description of the rebel’s appearance. People who describe him only mention his beard, height and build. From this we can conclude that he did not have any special distinctive features that distinguished him from the Cossack environment. Perhaps he himself understood this and sought to stand out from others like him in various ways. Here is his verbal portrait used by the author in “History...”:

“The stranger was of average height, broad-shouldered and thin” (I, 15),and in “The Captain's Daughter”:

“he was about forty years old, of average height, thin and broad-shouldered” (II, 289)

These quotes are identical in meaning, but differ in the order of the words “thin” and “broad-shouldered.” At first glance, there is no difference between them, but comparing the sound of the last sentences, you can notice that thanks to the rearrangement of words, the second is softer to the ear than the first: the long and difficult to pronounce word “broad-shouldered” comes before the shorter and simpler “thin” ”, then when reading, having reached it, one involuntarily slows down speech, while in the second quote the slowdown occurs on the last word, and a characteristic decrease in intonation occurs.
Also distinctive feature was his beard. This is how the author describes her in “The Captain’s Daughter”:

“His black beard showed a streak of gray” (II, 289),

And in “History...” -

“His black beard began to turn grey” (II, 15).

The literary text presupposes not so much an accurate conveyance of the hero’s appearance, but rather the impression that he makes, in this case, on Pyotr Grinev; the author uses the technique of replacing the phrase “beginning to turn grey,” possible in a continuing historical account, with “grey hair was showing” in order to convey the impression made by Pugachev on Peter, who cast a cursory glance at him. This is how a simple statement of facts turns into an artistic image.

We also come across a description of what Pugachev was wearing in his first meeting with Grinev.

“History...”: “He was wearing a camel’s coat...” (II, 15),

“The Captain's Daughter”: “he is wearing a tattered overcoat and Tatar trousers...” (II, 289).

Now we can say why in the chapter “Counselor” Pugachev gave Grinev the impression of a tramp: the Armenian is “ragged”, the trousers are most likely strangers. Here is the second description of Pugachev’s “Emperor” costume from “The Captain’s Daughter”:

“He is wearing a red Cossack caftan trimmed with braid. A tall sable hat with golden tassels was pulled down over his sparkling eyes” (VI, 324).

The use of this contextual antithesis is one of the most effective techniques used by Pushkin.

After Pugachev was “proclaimed” by Emperor Peter and after he made promises to fight for the Cossacks and those offended by the government, the rebels began to flock to him, increasing his gang “from hour to hour.” As soon as Pugachev felt the strength, he immediately moved towards the Yaitsky town. His goal was the liberation of the previously rebellious Cossacks, who would undoubtedly thank the impostor with their unquestioning submission. Liberation began with the shedding of blood.
This is confirmed in “The Captain’s Daughter”, in a letter to Captain Mironov from the general:

“...Emelyan Pugachev...gathered a villainous gang, caused outrage in the Yaitsky villages...” (VI, 289).

This man's name is associated with a lot of deaths. In “The Captain's Daughter” Grinev dreams horrible dream, in which Pugachev was, and with him a room filled with corpses, and bloody puddles... Here is what Pushkin says about this through the lips of his hero:

“I had a dream that I could never forget, and in which I still see something prophetic when I consider the strange circumstances of my life with it” (II, 288);

And here is what he writes in “History...”, in the note to chapter three:

“Pugachev was mowing hay at Sheludyakov’s farm. There is still an old Cossack woman alive in Uralsk who wore booties made by him. One day, having hired himself to dig ridges in a vegetable garden, he dug four graves. This circumstance was interpreted later as an omen of his fate” (98).

During the Pugachev uprising, many people were killed, the “rebel” often won. In “The Captain's Daughter” Pushkin notes with what courage and bravery Captain Mironov defended his fortress, but it was also taken. This is how the commandant of the Belgorod fortress Mironov died:

“Which commandant-” asked the impostor. Our constable stepped out from the crowd and pointed to Ivan Kuzmich. Pugachev looked menacingly at the old man and said to him: “How dare you resist me, your sovereign?” The commandant, exhausted from the wound, gathered his last strength and answered in a firm voice: “You are not my sovereign, you are a thief and an impostor, hear you!” Pugachev frowned gloomily and waved his white handkerchief. Several grabbed the old captain and dragged him to the gallows... and a minute later I saw poor Ivan Kuzmich lifted into the air” (VII, 324).

Each conquered city greeted Pugachev with the ringing of bells. There is a mention of this in both works.
"Story…":

“the bells began to ring…” (II, 20),

"Captain's daughter":

“The ringing of the bells has ceased; there was dead silence” (VII, 325).

Comparing these quotes, you can see that for “The Captain's Daughter” the author chose phrases that create a tense atmosphere of expectation: “The ringing has died down,” “there has come” not just silence, but “dead silence.” It is known from history that sovereigns were greeted in this way, and from the fact that Pugachev was also greeted in this way, we can conclude that the people showed their respect to the “tsar”, naively believing the impostor.

In the 18th century, the entire Russian people, from the upper classes to the lower ones, were deeply religious. Vera occupied place of honor in their hearts. Not a single important event was complete without visiting church: the birth of a child, christening, wedding, the start of a new project, death... Even at the birth of a child in the poorest family there were ways to baptize him. Knowing about this attitude of the people towards faith, Pugachev could use this for his own purposes. He understood perfectly well that if he once managed to force a person to swear an oath of faith, then, under pain of God's punishment, he would recognize only him as king.
"Story…":

“The priest was waiting for Pugachev with a cross and holy icons” (II, 20).

"Captain's daughter":

“Father Gerasim, pale and trembling, stood at the porch, with a cross in his hands, and seemed to silently beg him for the upcoming sacrifices” (VII, 325).

After several hours of taking the oath, Pugachev “announced Father Gerasim that he would have dinner with him” (VII, 326).

Indeed, Pugachev loved to have a good meal after a tiring oath. In the “History...” there is a mention of how the impostor and his accomplices, after the massacre of the commander-in-chief of the Iletsk town, organized a feast in their honor:

“Pugachev hanged the ataman, celebrated the victory for three days and, taking with him all the Iletsk Cossacks and the city cannons, went to the Rassypnaya fortress” (II, 16).

Most of the population, who swore allegiance to Pugachev, joined the gang and followed him.
"Captain's daughter":

“Pugachev left; the people rushed after him” (VII, 326),

“History...” (after the capture of the Rassypnaya fortress):

“The Cossacks changed things here too. The fortress was taken. The commandant, Major Velovsky, several officers and one priest were hanged, and the garrison company and one and a half hundred Cossacks were added to the rebels” (II, 17).

The most important, in my opinion, difference between a historical source and a literary work is that in “The Captain’s Daughter” the author presents Pugachev as the only leader of the uprising, while in “History...” we found the following interesting material:

“Pugachev was not autocratic. The Yaik Cossacks, the instigators of the rebellion, controlled the actions of the rogue, who had no other dignity except some military knowledge and extraordinary audacity. He did nothing without their consent; they often acted without his knowledge, and sometimes against his will. They showed him outward respect, in front of the people they followed him without hats and beat him with their foreheads; but in private they treated him as a comrade, and drank together, sitting with him in their hats and shirts, and singing barge hauler songs,” Among the main rebels, Zarubin (aka Chika), an associate and mentor of Pugachev, stood out from the very beginning of the rebellion. He was called a field marshal, and was the first in command of the impostor... The retired artillery corporal enjoyed the full power of attorney of the impostor. He, together with Padurov, was in charge of the written affairs of the illiterate Pugachev, and maintained strict order and obedience in the gangs of rebels... The robber Khlopusha, branded from under the whip by the hand of the executioner, with his nostrils torn out to the cartilage, was one of Pugachev’s favorites. Ashamed of his ugliness, he wore a net over his face, or covered himself with a sleeve, as if protecting himself from the frost. These are the kind of people who shook the state!” (III, 28).

These same Yaik Cossacks were very jealous of the impostor’s favorites. For example, at the beginning of the riot, Pugachev brought Sergeant Karmitsky closer to him, whom he took as a clerk. The Cossacks, when they captured the next fortress, drowned him, and when Pugachev asked about him, they said that he simply ran away. Another example: after the capture of the Nizhne-Ozerskaya fortress, Major Kharlov was hanged, the bandit liked his young widow, and he took her to him. He became attached to her and fulfilled her wishes. She alarmed the jealous villains, and Pugachev was forced to give Kharlova and her brother to them to be torn to pieces. They were shot.

It is not surprising that Pushkin mentions Pugachev’s accomplices in “The Captain’s Daughter.” In the chapter “Rebel Settlement,” he emphasizes that his accomplices do not want to leave Pugachev alone with Grinev, assuming friendly relations between them.

“Speak boldly in front of them,” Pugachev told me, “I’m not hiding anything from them” (XI, 347).

Thus, historical materials allow us to conclude that, in fact, Pugachev was not autocratic to a certain extent, while Pugachev, the literary hero, seems to us to be powerful and independent.

In Pugachev’s circle, it was customary to assign distinguished robbers the names of the elite of Catherine’s time. In “History...” Chika was called a field marshal, but here is a mention of this found on the pages of “The Captain’s Daughter”:

“My field marshal seems to be speaking the point,” “Listen, field marshal,” and this is how for the second time he addresses the quarreling Beloborodov and Khlopusha: “Gentlemen generals,” Pugachev proclaimed importantly. - “It’s enough for you to quarrel” (VI, 350).

But Pugachev assigned “titles” not only to robbers. Here is some material in the note to chapter 3 of “History...”:

“It seems that Pugachev and his accomplices did not consider the importance of this travesty. They also jokingly called the Berdskaya settlement - Moscow, the village of Kargale - Petersburg, and the Sakmarskaya town - Kiev” (102).

We know that Pugachev walked with his gang from the Kyrgyz-Kaisak lands, committing robberies and violence. The Orenburg fortress was the last in the chain of the Sakmara line, and it had more time to prepare for the attack of the robbers. This fortress was stronger and larger than others. She was an outpost of the state in the confrontation with the rebels, which is why it was so important for Pugachev to conquer her. All the events described in “The Captain's Daughter” take place during the siege of Orenburg. At this time, Pugachev settled in Berdskaya Sloboda. This is how “History...” describes it:

“The autumn cold arrived earlier than usual. On October 14, frosts began; On the 16th it snowed. On the 18th, Pugachev, having set his camp on fire, with all his burdens went back from Yaik to Sakmara and settled down near the Berdskaya settlement, near the summer Sakmara valley, seven miles from Orenburg. From then on, his travels never ceased to disturb the city, attack foragers and keep the garrison in constant fear” (III, 25).

Berdskaya settlement was located on the Sakmara River. It was surrounded by strongholds and slingshots, and there were batteries in the corners. There were up to two hundred yards in it. Having settled here, Pugachev turned it into a place of murder and debauchery. Almost the entire time the siege of Orenburg lasted, the bandits were on its territory. Therefore, it is not surprising that a lot is said about her both in “History...” and in “The Captain’s Daughter”, and in the latter an entire chapter is named in her honor. This rebellious settlement was the meeting place between Pugachev and Grinev.
Seeing that Orenburg was strong, Pugachev decided to starve it out. The fact that Orenburg was in a difficult situation can be read not only in “History...”:

“The situation in Orenburg was becoming terrible. Flour and cereals were taken away from the residents, and daily distributions began to be made to them. Horses have long been fed with brushwood” (IV, 37),

But also in “The Captain’s Daughter”:

“All the fugitives agree that there is famine and pestilence in Orenburg, that they eat carrion there...” (XI, 349).

Perhaps luck would have continued to favor the impostor if the pacification of the rebels had not been entrusted to A.I. Bibikov. Chief General Bibikov, thanks to his military experience and knowledge of this matter, was able to liberate the dying Orenburg. General Freiman, Major Kharin, Major General Mansurov, Prince Golitsin, Lieutenant Colonel Grinev served under his command... Lieutenant Colonel Grinev and Pyotr Grinev, the hero of the story “The Captain's Daughter,” are not the same person. In the missing chapter from “The Captain's Daughter”, which tells about the adventures of our main character, the names have been replaced. The name Grinev is in the name of Bulanin, and the name Zurina is in the name of Grinev. This chapter was not included in the final edition of The Captain's Daughter and is preserved in a draft manuscript entitled “The Omitted Chapter.” This chapter has a different style of writing from the others, and it is less like a narrative and more like a pure statement of facts. At first A.S. Pushkin wanted to include it in the novel, but then he changed his mind, since there could be confusion in the minds of readers, and the whole novel would simply turn into a second “History...”.
After a series of defeats, Pugachev, pursued by Mikhelson and Kharin, was forced to flee beyond the Volga, where his arrival threw the people into confusion. Here are quotes that talk about this:
"Story…":

“The entire western side of the Volga rebelled and was handed over to the impostor” (VIII, 68),

"Captain's daughter":

“We were approaching the banks of the Volga; Our regiment entered the village** and stopped there to spend the night. The headman announced to me that on the other side all the villages had rebelled, Pugachev’s gangs were roaming everywhere” (“Missed Chapter”, 375).

But, despite the temporary success, Pugachev’s affairs went from bad to worse. Pursued by troops, the impostor was wounded, many were taken prisoner, and the bandits began to think about handing Pugachev over to the government. Pugachev’s main defeat in “The Captain’s Daughter” is discussed very briefly:

“Pugachev fled, pursued by Ivan Ivanovich Mikhelson. We soon learned about its complete defeat” (XIII, 364).

In “History...” a lot is written about this in detail:

“Pugachev stood at a height, between two roads. Mikhelson bypassed him at night and stood against the rebels. In the morning Pugachev again saw his formidable persecutor... The battle did not last long. Several cannon shots upset the rebels. Mikhelson hit them. They fled, abandoning the guns and the entire train... This defeat was the last and decisive” (VIII, 75).

But Pugachev was not captured:

“Pugachev wanted to go to the Caspian Sea, hoping to somehow get into the Kyrgyz-Kaisak steppes” (VIII, 76.

The Cossacks decided to hand over their leader to the government. This is how it is described in “Itoria...”:

“Pugachev sat alone, thoughtful. His weapon hung to the side. Hearing the Cossacks enter, he raised his head and asked what they wanted. They began to talk about their desperate situation, and meanwhile, quietly moving, tried to shield him from the hanging weapons. Pugachev began again to persuade them to go to Guryev’s town. The Cossacks replied that they had been following him for a long time and that it was time for him to go after them” (VIII, 76).

So they betrayed their comrade. Having tied him up, they went to the Yaitsky town, where upon arrival, under the supervision of Suvorov, they transported him to Moscow.
The author describes Pugachev’s execution in the same sparing and restrained manner in “The Captain’s Daughter.” Not a word is said either about the rebel’s repentance or about his quartering. What actually happened is said only in “History...”.

“The sleigh stopped opposite the porch of the execution place. Pugachev and his favorite Perfilyev, accompanied by a confessor and two officials, had barely ascended the scaffold when the commanding word was heard: to the guard, and one of the officials began to read the manifesto. When the reader pronounced the name and nickname of the main villain, as well as the village where he was born, the chief police officer asked him loudly: are you a Don Cossack, Emelka Pugachev? He answered just as loudly: so, sir, I am a Don Cossack, Zimovets village, Emelka Pugachev. Then, throughout the duration of the manifesto, he, looking at the cathedral, often crossed himself... After reading the manifesto, the confessor said a few words to them, blessed them and left the scaffold. The man who read the manifesto followed him. Then Pugachev, having made several bows to the ground with the sign of the cross, turned to the cathedrals, then with a hurried look began to say goodbye to the people; bowed in all directions, saying in an intermittent voice: forgive me, Orthodox people; let me go where I was rude to you... forgive me, Orthodox people! At this word the executor gave a sign: the executioners rushed to undress him; they tore off a white sheepskin coat; They began to tear the sleeves of the silk crimson caftan. Then he clasped his hands, fell backward, and in an instant his bloody head was already hanging in the air...
The executioner had a secret command to reduce the torment of the criminals. The arms and legs of the corpse were cut off, the executioners carried them to the four corners of the scaffold, the head was shown later and stuck on a high stake” (VIII, 79).

“Thus ended the rebellion, started by a handful of disobedient Cossacks, intensified by the unforgivable negligence of the authorities, and which shook the state from Siberia to Moscow, and from the Kuban to the Murom forests. It took a long time for perfect calm to prevail. Panin and Suvorov remained in the pacified provinces for a whole year, establishing weakened rule in them, restoring cities and fortresses, and eradicating the last branches of the suppressed rebellion. At the end of 1775, a general forgiveness was announced, and the whole matter was ordered to be consigned to eternal oblivion. Catherine, wanting to destroy the memory of a terrible era, destroyed ancient name rivers, whose banks were the first to witness disturbances. The Yaik Cossacks were renamed Ural Cossacks, and their town was called by the same name. But the name of the terrible rebel still resounds in the lands where he raged. The people vividly remember the bloody time, which - so expressively - he called Pugachevism” (VIII, 80).

This is how Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin ends his “History of the Pugachev Rebellion.”

Conclusion.

After studying this material, it becomes clear that Pushkin did not take the position of either side. Having seen the split of society into two opposing forces, he realized that the reason for such a split lies not in anyone’s evil will, not in the low moral qualities of one side or another, but in deep social processes that do not depend on the will or intentions of people. Therefore, a one-sided didactic approach to history is deeply alien to Pushkin. He sees the fighting parties not as representatives of order and anarchy, not as fighters for a “natural” contractual society and as violators of primordial human rights. He sees that each side has its own historically and socially based “truth”, which excludes the possibility for it to understand the reasons of the opposing camp. Moreover, both nobles and peasants have their own concept of legitimate power and their own bearers of this power, whom each side, with equal grounds, considers legitimate.
Pushkin clearly sees that, although the “peasant king” borrows the external signs of power from the noble statehood, its content is different. Peasant power is more patriarchal, more directly connected with the controlled masses, devoid of officials and painted in the tones of family democracy.
The realization that social reconciliation of the parties is excluded, that in the tragic struggle both sides have their own class truth, revealed to Pushkin in a new way the question that had long worried him about cruelty as an inevitable companion of social struggle.
“The Captain's Daughter” - one of Pushkin’s most perfect and profound creations - has repeatedly been the subject of research attention.
By the time of its creation, Pushkin’s position had changed: the idea of ​​​​the cruelty of the peasants was replaced by the idea of ​​​​the fatal and inevitable bitterness of both warring parties. He began to carefully record the bloody massacres committed by government supporters. In “Notes on Rebellion” he gave many examples that were not in favor of the latter.
Pushkin was faced with a phenomenon that amazed him: the extreme cruelty of both warring sides often stemmed not from the bloodthirstiness of certain individuals, but from a clash of irreconcilable social concepts.

For Pushkin in “The Captain's Daughter,” the right path is not to move from one camp of modernity to another, but to rise above the “cruel age,” preserving humanity, human dignity and respect for the living lives of other people. For him, this is the true path to the people.

Literature

1. Pushkin “Complete Works” volume 8-9, 16. M., Resurrection, 1995
2. Yu.M. Lotman “Pushkin”, St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, 1997
3. A.S. Pushkin, collection op. V 3 volumes, M., “Hood. literature", 1985.
4. P.V. Annenkov. Materials for the biography of Pushkin. M. 1984.
5. TSB, M., 2000.
6. Yu.G. Osman. “From “The Captain's Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin to “Notes of a Hunter” by I.S. Turgenev."
7. G.A. Gukovsky. "Pushkin and the problem of realistic style."

For a long time, A. Pushkin collected and carefully worked on material about the leader of the rebellious popular uprising, Emelyan Pugachev. It was very interesting to him, since it turned out to be the largest rebellious uprising in the history of the Russian state, which is why it was so interesting to the disgraced poet. Having studied this interesting historical phenomenon in Russian life, he was able to create his unique story “The Captain's Daughter,” which shows the fate of his homeland, and the entire people of Rus'. Therefore, it is precisely about the content of this Pushkin story that we can say that it is filled with philosophical depth, has a historical, as well as the deepest moral meaning.

According to the plot, the main line of Pushkin's story is, naturally, the rebellious uprising of E.I. Pugacheva. The beginning of the work tells about the protagonist’s childhood, education and parents. But this is only the first few chapters, and then this peaceful and calm narrative is disrupted by the author himself, who introduces Emelyan Pugachev into the action of his novel. And now the life of the characters is determined by the peasant rebel Emelyan Pugachev. And the author shows how terrible this “Pugachevism” turns out to be. From the history of the Russian state it is known that the Pugachev rebellion turned out to be the most terrible, sometimes cruel, but wide in scope. And the author of the work tries to convey this atmosphere that reigns in his country.

But in Pushkin’s novel, at first there appears simply an image of the people, rebellious and exciting, but at first it arises very weakly, practically from conversations. But all events are developing, picking up speed, and soon all actions are happening rapidly and quickly. Especially when Captain Mironov receives a letter about the beginning of a peasant revolt, controlled by the troublemaker Pugachev.

Alexander Pushkin writes about how worried the Russian people are: the peasants are grumbling, but this angry murmur cannot find a way out. And at this very opportune moment Pugachev appears. But who is he? Emelyan Pugachev pretends to be the emperor. He makes it clear that he is Peter III. It turns out to be simple: he just ends up in the right place when needed and when for it. the right time is coming. Pugachev is a strong personality. He is endowed with all the qualities that are necessary for a leader, which is why he was so easily able to rally the masses behind him and lead this rebellious movement.

Pushkin’s description of how, after the siege of the Belogorsk fortress, which was ruled by Captain Mironov, and where Pushkin’s hero Petrusha served, Pugachev himself entered the city, is interesting. All the people joyfully come out with bread, as is customary, and salt to respectfully meet him, considering him a liberator. They even bow to him with respect, to the ground, and in the settlement the bells ring in his honor. Despite the fact that he is the leader of the rebellion, his people greet him as a real, and not a false, emperor. But the author also shows the other side of this uprising. And this rebel leader already looks completely different when he brutally deals with officers who were already old and had many services to their homeland. The same fate befalls a defenseless woman, the wife of the commandant of the fortress, Vasilisa Yegorovna.

But no matter how surprising it may be, Pugachev’s people are not despised for murder and do not think of condemning him. But the officers, and the defenseless and already elderly woman, were not guilty of anything before them. In addition, everyone in the city knew them very well, respected them for their kindness and responsiveness, appreciated them, but for some reason at that moment they did not remember and did not at least show pity or compassion for them. And this last minute For these people, no one even thought about it for a minute. Everyone forgot about them, carried away by Pugachev. And everyone accepted this execution of the Mironov couple and the old officer Ivan Ignatovich as an inevitable measure. And this clearly shows the mercilessness of the uprising, its cruelty.

But then the author does not try to somehow justify Pugachev and the cruelty of his uprising; on the contrary, he shows that the leader of the rebels begins to drink with his comrades. But nevertheless, Pushkin affirms in his story the idea that among the rebels there are strong relationships, there is also camaraderie. And most importantly, these people have a common idea, a goal and even enormous confidence in their abilities.

And Pyotr Grinev becomes an involuntary witness to the relations between the rebels when he is present both at their feast and at the “council”, in which only those closest to him took part: Pugachev himself, Beloborodov and Khlopusha, a convict known to many. And readers see Emelyan Ivanovich in a completely different light. So, the author portrays him as a decisive person who has principles. He is, first of all, a people's defender.

And Khlopusha, who was able to escape from hard labor, is also presented by the writer as an intelligent and far-sighted politician. He is calculating, but he stuck to his rules about honesty. Thus, he believed that the enemy should be faced in a fair and open fight. And the third member of the council, Belobrodov, acts as a bright and ardent opponent of the nobility. This is to suggest to him the idea of ​​executing all the nobles who are captured by them. And he doesn’t care what personal qualities they have.

Alexander Pushkin perfectly shows all three leaders of this uprising, depicting them not only vividly, but with certain individual traits. They all have the same idea of ​​justice in the world, and this unites them. There is a chapter in the story that indicates that Pugachev’s path will end tragically, just like his case. Emelyan talks about his desire to go to Moscow, but then he himself admits, regretting, to Petrusha Grinev that he has people who can betray at the right opportunity, whom he does not trust at all and he is very afraid of this. So the author shows that Pugachev, despite the fact that he sees that his struggle will be suppressed, still does not consider it completely devoid of meaning.

And Emelyan Pugachev himself, according to the author, helps to show the people’s character, desires and hopes of the people. And even if this uprising was defeated, it had to happen in order to understand that history will always be on the side of a person striving for freedom. A people striving for freedom must fight for their freedom and rights. The author admires such rebels, showing quite realistic pictures of rebellion. But at the same time, the author is not going to conceal or hide the fact that there was a lot of dark sides. This includes robbery and unjustified cruelty.

And the author, calling the rebellion senseless, cruel and merciless, still points out its enormous and most important significance. He understands perfectly what the role of the people is in history, and tries to reveal and show it in his poem. Today, this unusual Pushkin story is one of the most remarkable works of literature, telling about an unusual uprising of peasants.

The main cause of popular unrest, including the uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev, was the strengthening of serfdom and the increased exploitation of all segments of the black population. The Cossacks were unhappy with the government's attack on their traditional privileges and rights. The indigenous peoples of the Volga and Urals regions experienced oppression both from the authorities and from the actions of Russian landowners and industrialists. Wars, famines, and epidemics also contributed to popular uprisings. (For example, the Moscow plague riot of 1771 arose as a result of a plague epidemic brought from the fronts of the Russian- Turkish war.)

MANIFESTO OF THE "AMPER"

“The autocratic emperor, our great sovereign, Peter Fedorovich of All Russia and so on... In my named decree it is depicted to the Yaitsk army: as you, my friends, served the former kings to the last drop of your blood... so you will serve for your fatherland to me, the great sovereign Emperor Peter Fedorovich... Wake up by me, the great sovereign granted: Cossacks and Kalmyks and Tatars. And those that were... wine to me... in all wines I forgive and reward you: with bark from the top to the mouth, and with earth, and with herbs, and with money, and with lead, and with gunpowder, and with grain rulers.”

IMPOSTERS

In September 1773, the Yaik Cossacks could hear this manifesto of “the miraculously saved Tsar Peter III.” The shadow of “Peter III” appeared in Russia more than once in the previous 11 years. Some daredevils called themselves Tsar Peter Fedorovich, announced that they wanted, following the freedom of the nobility, to give freedom to the serfs and favor the Cossacks, working people and other common people, but the nobles set out to kill them, and they had to hide for the time being. These impostors quickly ended up in the Secret Expedition, opened under Catherine II to replace the dissolved office of secret investigative affairs, and their lives ended on the chopping block. But soon a living “Peter III” appeared somewhere on the outskirts, and the people seized on rumors about the new “miraculous salvation of the emperor.” Of all the impostors, only one, the Don Cossack Emelyan Ivanovich Pugachev, managed to ignite the flames of the peasant war and lead the merciless war of commoners against the masters for the “peasant kingdom.”

At his headquarters and on the battlefield near Orenburg, Pugachev played the “royal role” perfectly. He issued decrees not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of his “son and heir” Paul. Often in public, Emelyan Ivanovich took out a portrait of the Grand Duke and, looking at it, said with tears: “Oh, I feel sorry for Pavel Petrovich, lest the accursed villains destroy him!” And another time the impostor declared: “I myself no longer want to reign, but I will restore the Tsarevich to the reign.”

“Tsar Peter III” tried to bring order to the rebellious people. The rebels were divided into “regiments” led by elected or appointed “officers” by Pugachev. He made his bet 5 versts from Orenburg in Berd. Under the emperor, a “guard” was formed from his guards. On Pugachev's decrees they put a “big state seal" Under the “tsar” there was a Military Collegium, which concentrated military, administrative and judicial power.

Pugachev also showed birthmarks to his associates - everyone was then convinced that kings had “special royal marks” on their bodies. A red caftan, an expensive hat, a saber and a decisive appearance completed the image of the “sovereign”. Although Emelyan Ivanovich’s appearance was unremarkable: he was a Cossack in his thirties, of average height, dark complexion, his hair was cut in a circle, his face was framed by a small black beard. But he was the kind of “king” that the peasant fantasy wanted to see: dashing, insanely brave, sedate, formidable and quick to judge the “traitors.” He executed and complained...

He executed landowners and officers. Complained ordinary people. For example, the artisan Afanasy Sokolov, nicknamed “Khlopusha,” appeared in his camp, seeing the “tsar,” he fell at his feet and obeyed: he, Khlopusha, was in the Orenburg prison, but was released by Governor Reinsdorf, promising to kill Pugachev for money. “Emperor Peter III” forgives Khlopushu, and even appoints him as a colonel. Soon Khlopusha became famous as a decisive and successful leader. Pugachev promoted another people's leader Chika-Zarubin to count and called him nothing less than “Ivan Nikiforovich Chernyshev.”

Among those granted soon were working people and assigned mining peasants who arrived to Pugachev, as well as the rebel Bashkirs led by the noble young hero-poet Salavat Yulaev. The “king” returned their lands to the Bashkirs. The Bashkirs began to set fire to Russian factories built in their region, while the villages of Russian settlers were destroyed, the inhabitants were slaughtered almost entirely.

YAIC COSSACKS

The uprising began on Yaik, which was not accidental. The unrest began in January 1772, when the Yaitsky Cossacks with icons and banners came to their “capital” Yaitsky town to ask tsarist general remove the ataman who oppressed them and part of the foreman and restore the former privileges of the Yaik Cossacks.

The government at that time pretty much pushed back the Yaik Cossacks. Their role as border guards declined; Cossacks began to be torn away from home, sent on long campaigns; the election of atamans and commanders was abolished back in the 1740s; At the mouth of the Yaik, fishermen erected, with the royal permission, barriers that made it difficult for fish to move up the river, which hit hard one of the main Cossack industries - fishing.

In the Yaitsky town, a procession of Cossacks was shot. The soldier corps, which arrived a little later, suppressed the Cossack indignation, the instigators were executed, the “disobedient Cossacks” fled and hid. But there was no peace on Yaik; the Cossack region still resembled a powder magazine. The spark that blew him up was Pugachev.

THE BEGINNING OF PUGACHEVSHCHNIKA

On September 17, 1773, he read out his first manifesto in front of 80 Cossacks. The next day he already had 200 supporters, and on the third - 400. On October 5, 1773, Emelyan Pugachev with 2.5 thousand associates began the siege of Orenburg.

While “Peter III” was on its way to Orenburg, news about it spread throughout the country. In the peasant huts they whispered how everywhere the “emperor” was greeted with “bread and salt”, the bells were solemnly ringing in his honor, the Cossacks and soldiers of the garrisons of small border fortresses opened the gates without a fight and went over to his side, the “bloodsucking nobles” “the king” without he executes those who delay, and bestows their things on the rebels. First, some brave men, and then whole crowds of serfs from the Volga ran to Pugachev in his camp near Orenburg.

PUGACHEV NEAR ORENBURG

Orenburg was a well-fortified provincial city, it was defended by 3 thousand soldiers. Pugachev stood near Orenburg for 6 months, but was never able to take it. However, the army of the rebels grew, at some moments of the uprising its number reached 30 thousand people.

Major General Kar rushed to the rescue of besieged Orenburg with troops loyal to Catherine II. But his detachment of one and a half thousand was defeated. The same thing happened with the military team of Colonel Chernyshev. The remnants of government troops retreated to Kazan and caused panic among the local nobles there. The nobles had already heard about Pugachev’s brutal reprisals and began to scatter, abandoning their houses and property.

The situation was serious. Catherine, in order to support the spirit of the Volga nobles, declared herself a “Kazan landowner.” Troops began to converge on Orenburg. They needed a commander in chief - a talented and energetic person. Catherine II could compromise her beliefs for the sake of benefit. This time decisive moment at the court ball, the empress addressed A.I. Bibikov, whom she did not like for her closeness to her son Pavel and “constitutional dreams,” and with a gentle smile asked him to become commander-in-chief of the army. Bibikov replied that he had devoted himself to serving the fatherland and, of course, accepted the appointment. Catherine's hopes were justified. On March 22, 1774, in a 6-hour battle near the Tatishchev Fortress, Bibikov defeated Pugachev’s best forces. 2 thousand Pugachevites were killed, 4 thousand were wounded or surrendered, 36 guns were captured from the rebels. Pugachev was forced to lift the siege of Orenburg. It seemed that the revolt had been suppressed...

But in the spring of 1774, the second part of Pugachev’s drama began. Pugachev moved east: to Bashkiria and the mining Urals. When he approached the Trinity Fortress, the easternmost point of the rebel advance, his army numbered 10 thousand people. The uprising was overwhelmed by the elements of robbery. The Pugachevites burned factories, took away livestock and other property from assigned peasants and working people, destroyed officials, clerks, and captured “gentlemen” without pity, sometimes in the most savage way. Some commoners joined the detachments of Pugachev’s colonels, others formed detachments around the factory owners, who distributed weapons to their people in order to protect them and their lives and property.

PUGACHEV IN THE VOLGA REGION

Pugachev's army grew due to the detachments of the Volga peoples - the Udmurts, Mari, Chuvash. Since November 1773, the manifestos of “Peter III” called on the serfs to deal with the landowners - “disturbers of the empire and destroyers of the peasants”, and to take the nobles’ “houses and all their property as rewards.”

On July 12, 1774, the Emperor took Kazan with a 20,000-strong army. But the government garrison locked itself in the Kazan Kremlin. Tsarist troops led by Mikhelson came to his aid. On July 17, 1774, Mikhelson defeated the Pugachevites. “Tsar Peter Fedorovich” fled to the right bank of the Volga, and there the peasant war unfolded again on a large scale. The Pugachev manifesto of July 31, 1774 granted freedom to the serfs and “freed” the peasants from all duties. Rebel groups arose everywhere, acting at their own peril and risk, often without communication with each other. It is interesting that the rebels usually destroyed the estates not of their owners, but of neighboring landowners. Pugachev with the main forces moved to the Lower Volga. He took on small towns with ease. Detachments of barge haulers, Volga, Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks stuck to him. The powerful fortress of Tsaritsyn stood in the way of the rebels. Under the walls of Tsaritsyn in August 1774, the Pugachevites suffered a major defeat. The thinned rebel troops began to retreat back to where they came from - to Southern Urals. Pugachev himself with a group of Yaik Cossacks swam to the left bank of the Volga.

On September 12, 1774, former comrades betrayed their leader. “Tsar Peter Fedorovich” turned into the fugitive rebel Pugach. Emelyan Ivanovich’s angry shouts no longer had any effect: “Who are you knitting? After all, if I don’t do anything to you, then my son, Pavel Petrovich, will not leave a single person among you alive!” The bound “king” was taken on horseback to the Yaitsky town and handed over to an officer there.

Commander-in-Chief Bibikov was no longer alive. He died in the midst of suppressing the riot. The new commander-in-chief Pyotr Panin (the younger brother of Tsarevich Pavel's tutor) had a headquarters in Simbirsk. Mikhelson ordered Pugachev to be sent there. He was escorted by the famous commander of Catherine, recalled from the Turkish war. Pugachev was transported in a wooden cage on a two-wheeled cart.

Meanwhile, Pugachev’s comrades-in-arms, who had not yet laid down their arms, spread a rumor that the arrested Pugachev had nothing to do with “Tsar Peter III.” Some peasants sighed with relief: “Thank God! Some Pugach was caught, but Tsar Peter Fedorovich is free!” But in general, the rebel forces were undermined. In 1775, the last pockets of resistance in forested Bashkiria and the Volga region were extinguished, and the echoes of the Pugachev rebellion in Ukraine were suppressed.

A.S. PUSHKIN. "THE HISTORY OF PUGACHEV"

“Suvorov never left his side. In the village of Mostakh (one hundred and forty versts from Samara) there was a fire near the hut where Pugachev spent the night. He was taken out of the cage, tied to a cart along with his son, a playful and brave boy, and all night; Suvorov himself guarded them. In Kosporye, opposite Samara, at night, in rough weather, Suvorov crossed the Volga and came to Simbirsk in early October... Pugachev was brought straight to the courtyard of Count Panin, who met him on the porch... “Who are you?” - he asked the impostor. “Emelyan Ivanov Pugachev,” he answered. “How dare you, juror, call yourself a sovereign?” - Panin continued. “I’m not a raven,” Pugachev objected, playing with words and speaking, as usual, allegorically. “I am a little raven, but the raven still flies.” Panin, noticing that Pugachev’s audacity amazed the people crowded around the palace, hit the impostor in the face until it bled and tore out a tuft of his beard...”

EXECUTIONS AND EXECUTIONS

The victory of government troops was accompanied by atrocities no less than what Pugachev committed against the nobles. The enlightened empress concluded that “in the present case, execution is necessary for the good of the empire.” Prone to constitutional dreams, Pyotr Panin realized the call of the autocrat. Thousands of people were executed without trial. On all the roads of the rebellious region there were corpses lying around, displayed for edification. It was impossible to count the peasants punished with whips, batogs, and whips. Many had their noses or ears cut off.

Emelyan Pugachev laid his head on the block on January 10, 1775, in front of a large crowd of people on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow. Before his death, Emelyan Ivanovich bowed to the cathedrals and said goodbye to the people, repeating in an intermittent voice: “Forgive me, Orthodox people; forgive me what I have done wrong to you.” Several of his associates were hanged along with Pugachev. The famous chieftain Chika was taken to Ufa for execution. Salavat Yulaev ended up in hard labor. The Pugachev era is over...

The Pugachev era did not bring relief to the peasants. The government's policy towards the peasants became harsher, and the scope of serfdom expanded. By decree of May 3, 1783, the peasants of the Left Bank and Sloboda Ukraine were transferred to serfdom. The peasants here were deprived of the right to transfer from one owner to another. In 1785, the Cossack elders received the rights of the Russian nobility. Even earlier, in 1775, the free Zaporozhye Sich was destroyed. The Cossacks were resettled to Kuban, where they formed the Kuban Cossack army. The landowners of the Volga region and other regions did not reduce quitrents, corvee and other peasant duties. All this was exacted with the same severity.

“Mother Catherine” wanted the memory of the Pugachev era to be erased. She even ordered the river where the riot began to be renamed: and Yaik became the Ural. The Yaitsky Cossacks and the Yaitsky town were ordered to be called Ural. The village of Zimoveyskaya, the birthplace of Stenka Razin and Emelyan Pugachev, was christened in a new way - Potemkinskaya. However, Pugach was remembered by the people. The old people seriously said that Emelyan Ivanovich was Razin come to life, and he would return to the Don more than once; Songs were heard throughout Rus' and legends circulated about the formidable “emperor and his children.”