History and facts of the 1917 revolution. Interesting facts about the October Revolution

The history of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century was rich in various kinds of events. In 1914, the First World War began, which became, in fact, one of the main reasons for all subsequent troubles and misfortunes that befell the country. The February Revolution, the subsequent October Revolution, the Civil War and, finally, the establishment of Soviet power, the emergence of a new totalitarian state. Some of these events largely determined the further course of world history.

Causes of the October Revolution.

After the events of February 1917, the power of the country was in the hands of the Provisional Government. Here it is definitely worth saying that the councils of workers’ and peasants’ deputies actively prevented him from working.

The composition of the Provisional Government was not constant; ministers replaced each other every now and then. Meanwhile, the situation in the country was deteriorating. The economy fell into complete decline. The financial crisis that hit Russia has reached unprecedented proportions. The treasury, of course, was full, but not with money, but with unpaid bills. Inflation reduced the price of the ruble to 7 pre-revolutionary kopecks. There were problems with supplying cities, and there were queues outside stores. It became restless, and rallies and strikes took place more and more often. Everyone put forward their own demands. Peasant uprisings began in the villages, which the authorities were unable to resist. Certain preconditions were taking shape for a change of power and new upheavals.

How was the October Socialist Revolution prepared?

At the end of August 1917, the leadership of the Soviets in large cities passed into the hands of the Bolsheviks. The party is growing stronger and beginning to grow in numbers. Under her, the Red Guard was formed, which constitutes the power fist of the political struggle. The main demands of the party are the resignation of the Provisional Government and the formation of a new government from representatives of the revolutionary proletariat and peasantry.

Perhaps the Bolsheviks could have organized “October” earlier. The actions of party members were affected by the absence of their leader, Lenin, in Russia. Vladimir Ilyich hid in Finland, from where he sent his directives and instructions to Petrograd. Opinions within the party were divided. Those who believed that power should be taken right now, someone suggested that we hesitate - only workers and soldiers are for us,” we will not stand.

Meanwhile, Lenin continued to send letters to the city of Peter I, in which he spoke of the need to prepare an uprising and seize power. He believed that if the people in Moscow and Petrograd suddenly rose up, the current government would not stand. On October 7, Lenina returns to Russia. Revolution becomes inevitable.

The revolution was well prepared. On the 12th, Trotsky, who headed the Petrograd Soviet, established the Military Revolutionary Committee. On the 22nd, Bolshevik agitators went to all military units in Petrograd. The October Revolution began on October 25, 1917. There were fierce street battles in Petrograd and Moscow. The number of victims of those events is difficult to calculate. Bandits and criminals, from whom the Red Guard was predominantly formed, were opposed by beardless cadets. On the night of the 26th, the rebels managed to capture the Winter Palace. The ministers of the Provisional Government were imprisoned.

Interesting facts about the October Revolution.

1. On the night when bloody battles were taking place on the streets of Petrograd, Lenin reached Smolny with a wig on his head, a bandaged cheek and a fake passport, at five o’clock in the morning, when the fighting was already ending. But on his way there were numerous Cossack and Junker cordons. How this happened is a big mystery. Trotsky led the actions of the rebels during the absence of the leader.

2. Lenin instantly issued the “Decree on Land”. Divide and distribute. And Vladimir Ilyich was not at all embarrassed that this document completely copied the agrarian program of the Socialist Revolutionaries.

3. The soldiers did not want to go to the front at all. Lenin was sensitive to the mood of people. “A world without indemnities!” Yep, we agree. But it just couldn't be done. Civil War, War with Poland, shameful Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Here you are, soldiers and “World without indemnities”, you just bring me into power with bayonets.

4. The myth that the Bolsheviks were the main driving force behind the events of those days. The Social Revolutionaries enjoyed great influence in the army, and anarchists in the navy. Without them, the uprising would have failed.

5. The Red Guard units were formed from former criminals and deserters. The fighters received salaries from the Bolsheviks, and they, in turn, from Germany

Revolution(from Late Lat. revolutio- turn, revolution, transformation, reversal) - a radical, radical, deep, qualitative change, a leap in the development of nature, society or knowledge, associated with an open break with the previous state.

The collection of facts is accompanied by a soundtrack - the most famous song of the Great French Revolution " Marseillaise».

At the Ploshchad Revolyutsii metro station in Moscow there are 76 bronze workers, peasants, soldiers, sailors and other proletarians. #1188

The October Revolution of 1917 was the first political event in the world, information about which (the Appeal of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee “To the Citizens of Russia”) was broadcast on the radio. #2663

October 25 (November 7, new style) 1917 at 9 p.m. 40 min. By order of Commissar A.V. Belyshev, the cruiser's gunner, Evdokim Pavlovich Ognev, fired a blank shot from the side gun, which served as the signal for the assault on the Winter Palace. #2142

After the February Revolution, by decree of the Provisional Government of March 10, 1917, the Police Department was abolished. By the resolutions of the Provisional Government “On the approval of the militia” and “Temporary regulations on the militia”, issued on April 17, 1917, the “people's militia” was established. #3039

According to surveys by the Sociological Opinion Foundation in 2001, 61% of those surveyed could not name the name of any member of the State Emergency Committee. Only 16% were able to name at least one last name correctly. 4% remembered the head of the State Emergency Committee Gennady Yanaev. #4654

As a result of the coup d'etat on May 10, 1952, Fulgencio Batista came to power in Cuba and established a military-police dictatorship in the country. The coup caused discontent among progressive-minded youth, the most radical group of which was led by a young lawyer and aspiring politician Fidel Castro Ruz. #4653

During the struggle against independence, the rebels wore ropes as a sign of contempt for their enslavers, which meant their readiness to die - to be hanged on these ropes, from which, according to one version, aiguillettes originated. #4649

During the struggle for independence, when George Washington was still the commander-in-chief of the rebel army, they tried to poison him with a tomato, which was then considered poisonous. #4650

The world-famous two-color full-face portrait of Ernesto Che Guevara has become a symbol of the romantic revolutionary movement. It was created by Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick from a 1960 photograph taken by Cuban photographer Alberto Korda. Che's beret bears the José Martí star, a distinctive feature of the Comandante, received from Fidel Castro in July 1957 along with this title. #2892

In 1816, the national anthem of Russia became the English anthem “God Save the King,” translated by Zhukovsky and supplemented by Pushkin. The more familiar “God Save the Tsar” was written in 1833. After the February Revolution of 1917, the anthem of Russia became “La Marseillaise,” and after the October Revolution, “Internationale.” #4651

1. Bread is to blame

The revolution began with the grain crisis. At the end of February 1917, due to snow drifts, the schedule for freight transportation of bread was disrupted, and rumors spread about an imminent transition to bread rationing. Refugees arrived in the capital, and some bakers were drafted into the army. Lines formed at the bread shops, and then riots began. Already on February 21, a crowd with the slogan “Bread, bread” began to destroy bakery shops.

2. Putilov workers

On February 18, workers at the fire monitor stamping workshop of the Putilov plant went on strike, and workers from other workshops joined them. Just four days later, the plant administration announced the closure of the enterprise and the dismissal of 36,000 workers. Proletarians from other plants and factories spontaneously began to join the Putilovites.

3. Protopopov’s inaction

Appointed Minister of Internal Affairs in September 1916, Alexander Protopopov was confident that he had the entire situation under control. Trusting the convictions of his minister about security in Petrograd, Nicholas II left the capital on February 22 for headquarters in Mogilev. The only measure taken by the minister during the days of the revolution was the arrest of a number of leaders of the Bolshevik faction. The poet Alexander Blok was sure that it was Protopopov’s inaction that became the main reason for the victory of the February Revolution in Petrograd. “Why is the main platform of power - the Ministry of Internal Affairs - given to the psychopathic chatterbox, liar, hysteric and coward Protopopov, who is maddened by this power?” - Alexander Blok wondered in his “Reflections on the February Revolution”.

4. Revolt of housewives

Officially, the revolution began with unrest among Petrograd housewives forced to stand in long lines for long hours for bread. Many of them became workers in weaving factories during the war. By February 23, about 100,000 workers from fifty enterprises were already on strike in the capital. The demonstrators demanded not only bread and an end to the war, but also the overthrow of the autocracy.

5. All power is in the hands of a random person

Drastic measures were needed to suppress the revolution. On February 24, all power in the capital was transferred to the commander of the Petrograd Military District, Lieutenant General Khabalov. He was appointed to this post in the summer of 1916, without having the necessary skills and abilities. He receives a telegram from the emperor: “I command you to stop the riots in the capital tomorrow, which are unacceptable during the difficult time of the war with Germany and Austria. NICHOLAY." A military dictatorship by Khabalov was to be established in the capital. But most of the troops refused to obey him. This was logical, since Khabalov, who was previously close to Rasputin, served his entire career at headquarters and in military schools, without having the authority among the soldiers necessary at the most critical moment.

6. When did the king learn about the beginning of the revolution?

According to historians, Nicholas II learned about the beginning of the revolution only on February 25 at about 18:00 from two sources: from General Khabalov and from Minister Protopopov. In his diary, Nikolai first wrote about the revolutionary events only on February 27 (the fourth day): “Unrest began in Petrograd several days ago; Unfortunately, troops also began to take part in them. It’s a disgusting feeling to be so far away and receive fragmentary bad news!”

7. Peasants' revolt, not soldiers' revolt

On February 27, a massive transition of soldiers to the side of the people began: in the morning 10,000 soldiers rebelled. By the evening of the next day there were already 127,000 rebel soldiers. And by March 1, almost the entire Petrograd garrison had gone over to the side of the striking workers. Government troops were melting away every minute. And this is not surprising, because the soldiers were yesterday’s peasant recruits, not ready to raise bayonets against their brothers. Therefore, it is more fair to consider this rebellion not a soldier’s, but a peasant’s. On February 28, the rebels arrested Khabalov and imprisoned him in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

8. The first soldier of the revolution

On the morning of February 27, 1917, senior sergeant major Timofey Kirpichnikov raised and armed the soldiers subordinate to him. Staff Captain Lashkevich was supposed to come to them to send, in accordance with Khabalov’s order, this unit to quell the unrest. But Kirpichnikov persuaded the platoon leaders, and the soldiers decided not to shoot at the demonstrators and killed Lashkevich. Kirpichnikov, as the first soldier to raise his weapon against the “royal system,” was awarded the Cross of St. George. But punishment found its hero; on the orders of the monarchist Colonel Kutepov, he was shot in the ranks of the Volunteer Army.

9. Arson of the Police Department

The police department was a stronghold in the struggle of the tsarist regime against the revolutionary movement. The capture of this law enforcement agency became one of the first goals of the revolutionaries. Director of the Police Department Vasiliev, foreseeing the danger of the events that had begun, ordered in advance that all documents with the addresses of police officers and secret agents be burned. The revolutionary leaders sought to be the first to get into the Department building, not only in order to take possession of all the data on criminals in the empire and solemnly burn them, but also in order to destroy in advance all the incriminating evidence on them in the hands of the former government. Thus, most of the sources on the history of the revolutionary movement and the tsarist police were destroyed during the February Revolution.

10. “Hunting season” for the police

During the days of the revolution, the rebels showed particular cruelty to police officers. Trying to escape, former servants of Themis changed clothes and hid in attics and basements. But they were still found and put to death on the spot, sometimes with monstrous cruelty. The head of the Petrograd security department, General Globachev, recalled: “The rebels scoured the whole city, looking for policemen and police officers, expressed wild delight at finding a new victim to quench their thirst for innocent blood, and there was no mockery, mockery, insults and torture that the animals did not try on their victims."

11. Uprising in Moscow

Following Petrograd, Moscow also went on strike. On February 27, it was declared under a state of siege, and all rallies were prohibited. But it was not possible to prevent the unrest. By March 2, train stations, arsenals and the Kremlin had already been captured. Representatives of the Committee of Public Organizations of Moscow and the Moscow Council of Workers' Deputies, created during the days of the revolution, took power into their own hands.

12. “Three Powers” ​​in Kyiv

News of the change of power reached Kyiv on March 3. But unlike Petrograd and other cities of the Russian Empire, in Kyiv it was not dual power that was established, but triple power. In addition to the provincial and district commissars appointed by the Provisional Government and the local Councils of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies that were being formed, a third force entered the political arena - the Central Rada, initiated by representatives of all parties participating in the revolution to coordinate the national movement. And immediately a struggle began within the Rada between supporters of national independence and supporters of an autonomous republic in a federation with Russia. Nevertheless, on March 9, the Ukrainian Central Rada declared its support for the Provisional Government headed by Prince Lvov.

13. Liberal conspiracy

Back in December 1916, the idea of ​​a palace coup had matured among liberals. The leader of the Octobrist party, Guchkov, together with cadet Nekrasov, were able to attract the future Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance of the Provisional Government Tereshchenko, Chairman of the State Duma Rodzianko, General Alekseev and Colonel Krymov. They planned to intercept the emperor on his way from the capital to headquarters in Mogilev no later than April 1917 and force him to abdicate the throne in favor of the rightful heir. But the plan was implemented earlier, already on March 1, 1917.

14. Five centers of “revolutionary ferment”

The authorities knew not about one, but about several centers of the future revolution. The palace commandant, General Voeikov, at the end of 1916, named five centers of opposition to autocratic power, as he put it, centers of “revolutionary ferment”: 1) the State Duma, headed by M.V. Rodzianko; 2) Zemstvo Union led by Prince G.E. Lvov; 3) City Union headed by M.V. Chelnokov; 4) Central Military-Industrial Committee headed by A.I. Guchkov; 5) Headquarters headed by M.V. Alekseev. As subsequent events showed, they all took a direct part in the coup d'etat.

15. Nikolai's last chance

Did Nicholas have a chance to retain power? Perhaps if he had listened to “fat Rodzianko.” In the afternoon of February 26, Nicholas II receives a telegram from State Duma Chairman Rodzianko, who reports anarchy in the capital: the government is paralyzed, food and fuel transport is in complete disorder, and there is indiscriminate shooting in the street. “It is necessary to immediately entrust a person with confidence to form a new government. You can't hesitate. Any delay is like death. I pray to God that this hour of responsibility does not fall on the Crown Bearer.” But Nikolai does not react, complaining only to the Minister of the Imperial Court Fredericks: “Again this fat man Rodzianko has written to me all sorts of nonsense, to which I will not even answer him.”

16. Future Emperor Nicholas III

Back at the end of 1916, during negotiations between the conspirators, the main contender for the throne as a result of the palace coup was considered Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the army at the beginning of the First World War. In the last pre-revolutionary months, he served as governor in the Caucasus. The proposal to occupy the throne was received by Nikolai Nikolaevich on January 1, 1917, but two days later the Grand Duke refused. During the February Revolution, he was in the south, where he received news of his appointment again as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, but upon his arrival at Headquarters in Mogilev on March 11, he was forced to abandon his post and resign.

17. The Tsar's Fatalism

Nicholas II knew about the conspiracies being prepared against him. In the fall of 1916, he was informed about this by the palace commandant Voeikov, in December by the Black Hundred member Tikhanovich-Savitsky, and in January 1917 by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Prince Golitsyn, and the aide-de-camp Mordvinov. Nicholas II was afraid to act openly against the liberal opposition during the war and completely entrusted his life and the life of the Empress to the “will of God.”

19. Rodzianko tried to save the royal family

In the February days, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was in Tsarskoye Selo with her children. After Nicholas II left for Headquarters in Mogilev on February 22, all the royal children fell ill with measles one after another. The source of the infection, apparently, were young cadets - playmates of Tsarevich Alexei. On February 27, she writes to her husband about the revolution in the capital. Rodzianko, through the empress’s valet, urged her and her children to immediately leave the palace: “Leave anywhere, and as quickly as possible. The danger is very great. When the house is on fire and sick children are carried out.” The Empress replied: “We won’t go anywhere. Let them do what they want, but I won’t leave and I won’t destroy my children.” Due to the grave condition of the children (the temperature of Olga, Tatiana and Alexei reached 40 degrees), the royal family could not leave their palace, so all the guards battalions loyal to the autocracy were gathered there. Only on March 9, “Colonel” Nikolai Romanov arrived in Tsarskoe Selo.

20. Betrayal of allies

Thanks to intelligence and the ambassador in Petrograd, Lord Buchanan, the British government had complete information about the impending conspiracy in the capital of its main ally in the war with Germany. On the issue of power in the Russian Empire, the British crown decided to rely on the liberal opposition and, through its ambassador, even financed them. By promoting the revolution in Russia, the British leadership got rid of a competitor in the post-war issue of territorial acquisitions of the victorious countries.
When on February 27, deputies of the 4th State Duma formed a Provisional Committee headed by Rodzianko, which took full power in the country for a short time, it was the allied France and Great Britain that were the first to recognize the de facto new government - on March 1, the day before the abdication still a legitimate king.

21. Unexpected renunciation

Contrary to popular belief, it was Nicholas, and not the Duma opposition, who initiated the abdication of Tsarevich Alexei. By decision of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, Guchkov and Shulgin went to Pskov with the aim of abdicating Nicholas II. The meeting took place in the carriage of the royal train, where Guchkov suggested that the emperor abdicate the throne in favor of little Alexei, with the appointment of Grand Duke Mikhail as regent. But Nicholas II declared that he was not ready to part with his son, so he decided to abdicate in favor of his brother. Taken by surprise by such a statement from the tsar, the Duma envoys even asked Nicholas for a quarter of an hour to confer and still accept the abdication. On the same day, Nicholas II wrote in his diary: “At one o’clock in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy feeling of what I had experienced. There is treason and cowardice and deceit all around!”

22. Isolation of the Emperor

A key role in the emperor's decision to abdicate was played by the chief of staff, General Alekseev, and the commander of the Northern Front, General Ruzsky. The sovereign was isolated from sources of objective information by his generals, who were participants in the conspiracy to carry out a palace coup. Most army commanders and corps commanders expressed their readiness to march with their troops to suppress the uprising in Petrograd. But this information was not communicated to the king. It is now known that in the event of the emperor’s refusal to relinquish power, the generals even considered the physical elimination of Nicholas II.

23. Loyal commanders

Only two military commanders remained loyal to Nicholas II - General Fyodor Keller, who commanded the 3rd Cavalry Corps, and the commander of the Guards Cavalry Corps, General Huseyn Khan Nakhichevansky. General Keller addressed his officers: “I received a dispatch about the abdication of the Sovereign and about some kind of Provisional Government. I, your old commander, who shared with you hardships, sorrows, and joys, do not believe that the Sovereign Emperor at such a moment could voluntarily abandon the army and Russia.” He, together with General Khan Nakhichivansky, offered the king to provide himself and his units to suppress the uprising. But it was already too late.

24. Lvov was appointed by decree of the abdicated emperor

The Provisional Government was formed on March 2 after an agreement between the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the Petrograd Soviet. But the new government, even after the abdication, required the consent of the emperor to appoint Prince Lvov at the head of the government. Nicholas II signed a decree to the Governing Senate on the appointment of Lvov as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 2 o'clock in the afternoon on March 2, for the legitimacy of the document an hour earlier than the time set in the abdication.

25. Mikhail’s self-recusal on Kerensky’s initiative

On the morning of March 3, members of the newly formed Provisional Government arrived to Mikhail Romanov to decide on the issue of accepting the throne. But there was no unity among the deputation: Miliukov and Guchkov insisted on accepting the throne, Kerensky called for refusal. Kerensky was one of the most ardent opponents of the continuation of autocracy. After a personal conversation with Rodzianko and Lvov, the Grand Duke decided to renounce the throne. A day later, Mikhail issued a manifesto calling on everyone to submit to the authority of the Provisional Government until the convening of the Constituent Assembly. Ex-Emperor Nikolai Romanov reacted to this news with the following entry in his diary: “God knows who advised him to sign such a nasty thing!” This was the end of the February Revolution.

26. The Church supported the Provisional Government

Dissatisfaction with the policies of the Romanovs had been smoldering in the Orthodox Church since Peter's reforms. After the first Russian revolution, discontent only intensified, since the Duma could now pass laws concerning church issues, including its budget. The Church sought to regain from the sovereign the rights lost two centuries ago and transfer them to the newly installed patriarch. During the days of the revolution, the Holy Synod did not take any active part in the struggle on either side. But the king's abdication was approved by the clergy. On March 4, the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod of Lvov proclaimed “freedom of the Church,” and on March 6, it was decided to serve a prayer service not for the reigning house, but for the new government.

27. Two anthems of the new state

Immediately after the start of the February Revolution, the question arose about a new Russian anthem. The poet Bryusov proposed organizing an all-Russian competition to choose new music and words for the anthem. But all the proposed options were rejected by the Provisional Government, which approved the “Workers' Marseillaise” as the national anthem with the words of the populist theorist Pyotr Lavrov. But the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies proclaimed the "International" as the anthem. Thus, dual power remained not only in the government, but also in the issue of the national anthem. The final decision on the national anthem, like many other issues, had to be taken by the Constituent Assembly.

28. Symbols of the new government

A change in the state form of government is always accompanied by a revision of all state symbols. Following the anthem, which appeared spontaneously, the new government had to decide the fate of the double-headed imperial eagle. To solve the problem, a group of specialists in the field of heraldry was assembled, who decided to postpone this issue until the Constituent Assembly. It was temporarily decided to leave the double-headed eagle, but without any attributes of royal power and without St. George the Victorious on the chest.

29. Not only Lenin “slept through” the revolution

In Soviet times, it was always emphasized that only on March 2, 1917, Lenin learned that the revolution had won in Russia, and instead of the tsarist ministers, there were 12 members of the State Duma in power. “Ilyich lost sleep from the moment the news of the revolution arrived,” Krupskaya recalled, “and at night the most incredible plans were made.” But besides Lenin, all other socialist leaders “slept through” the February Revolution: Martov, Plekhanov, Trotsky, Chernov and others who were abroad. Only the Menshevik Chkheidze, because of his duties as head of the corresponding faction in the State Duma, found himself in the capital at a critical moment and headed the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

30. Non-existent February Revolution

From 2015, in accordance with the new concept of studying national history and the historical and cultural standard, which establishes uniform requirements for school history textbooks, our children will no longer study the events of February-March 1917 as the February Revolution. According to the new concept, there is now no division into the February and October revolutions, but there is the Great Russian Revolution, which lasted from February to November 1917. The events of February-March are now officially called the “February Revolution”, and the October ones are called the “seizure of power by the Bolsheviks.”

where did the money for the revolution come from, whose spy was Lenin, how the revolution defended itself and how it devoured its children
Fact 1. The February Revolution, which overthrew the power of the Tsar, was bourgeois-democratic; the Bolshevik Party at the time of its occurrence was underground, numbered only 24 thousand members and did not play a decisive role.

Fact 2. By October, the size of the party increased 15 times compared to March. The party had about 350 thousand members, up to 60% of whom were advanced workers.

Fact 3. The elections to the Constituent Assembly of 1917 took place in several electoral districts into which the country was divided. Any citizen over 20 years old or a person serving in the army over the age of 18 could become a voter. Women could also participate in the elections, which was a novelty not only in Russia, but in most countries.

Source: echo-2013.livejournal.com

Fact 4. The new government was born not only with the slogan “All power to the Soviets!”, but also with the slogan “Ensure the immediate convocation of the Constituent Assembly!” Lenin arrived in October 1917 from Finland and prepared a plan for an armed uprising, as a result of which on November 7, 1917. The Bolshevik Party almost bloodlessly seized power in Petrograd.

Fact 5. The meeting of the Constituent Assembly opened on January 5 (18), 1918 in the Tauride Palace in Petrograd. However, the meeting was dispersed by the anarchist sailor Zheleznyakov with the words “I ask you to stop the meeting, the guard is tired and wants to sleep.” This phrase has gone down in history.

Fact 6. Internal (Russian) sources of financing for the revolutionaries were: textile magnate Savva Morozov through his mistress, actress Maria Fedorovna Andreeva; bandit raids by revolutionaries on banks and money convoys (the so-called “ex”); membership fees, donations and other sources.

Fact 7. External sources of funding came from countries that wanted to weaken Russia and supported the revolutionaries as a subversive “fifth column”: American Zionists; Japan and Germany.

Fact 8. After the Bolsheviks took power, palaces, including the Winter Palace, were plundered, banks, jewelry stores, and cash offices were seized. Lenin instructed Dzerzhinsky to urgently register all persons who could potentially have heirlooms and savings. Then the valuables were expropriated for the cause of the revolution. After six months of Bolshevik rule, Parvus carried out an audit of the loot: in the end, 2.5 billion gold rubles at the 1913 exchange rate.

Jewish joke on the topic: “Night. Security officers knock on the door of the jeweler Rabinovich and demand from the owner who opened it, “According to our information, you have 7 kilograms of gold, give them to the revolution!” Rabinovich: “Gentlemen, let me clarify – not 7, but 77 kilograms” and shouts inside the apartment to his wife, “Sara, my darling, come here - they’ve come for you!”

Fact 9. In the summer of 1917, the Provisional Government issued an order to arrest Lenin as a German spy. There were the following reasons for this: in his works and articles, Lenin took a position for the defeat of Russia in the war with Germany; the Bolshevik party, led by Lenin, was financed by the German government; Lenin and a large group of 32 Russian revolutionary emigrants traveled from Switzerland through Germany with the knowledge and control of the German authorities, then through Sweden and Finland to Russia in April 1917.

Lenin's speech to the soldiers leaving for the Polish front on May 5, 1920. On the steps of the podium are Trotsky and Kamenev. Source: maxpark.com

Fact 10. Nicholas II was arrested in March 1917 by the chief of staff, General Alekseev, and his wife and children were arrested at the same time in March personally by General Kornilov. Then the royal family found itself in the hands of the Bolsheviks, they were exiled to Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), where in 1918 they were shot on the orders of Yakov Sverdlov.

Fact 11. After October in Russia in 1917-1922, hundreds of nationwide and peasant uprisings took place, directed against both the Red and White authorities.
The harsh methods of the dictatorship of the Bolshevik government caused resistance on the territory of Belarus: August 5, 1918. A riot broke out in the Mogilev division stationed in Orsha, which was supported by the Smolensk regiment, but they were suppressed within two days by Bolshevik troops arriving from Vitebsk and Smolensk. In November 1918, almost the entire Vitebsk province was engulfed in anti-Bolshevik uprisings, which also arose in the Porech and Belsky districts of the Smolensk province and in the Mogilev province. In 1920, several uprisings took place in Slutsk district, the largest of which took place in November. Rebels numbering up to 4 thousand fought for freedom for about a month. The slogan of the rebels was: “Neither Polish lords, nor Moscow communists.” All uprisings in Belarus were brutally suppressed by troops and police. After 1920, the rebels switched to guerrilla warfare. In some districts of Belarus, the partisan anti-Soviet movement continued until 1926 and later.

I. V. Simakov. Poster dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the revolution and the 4th Congress of the Comintern

Fact 12. According to updated data from historians and demographers, the population of Russia at the beginning of 1918 was 148 million people. By the beginning of 1923, the population of Russia was 137.4 million, but 18.9 million of them were born after 1917, and if they are subtracted from 148 million, the surviving pre-revolutionary population will be 118.5 million, and 29.5 million (19, 9% - every fifth) in 1918-1922 disappeared as a result of the outbreak of civil war, red and white terror, total famine, and epidemics. By the end of 1922, according to official data, there were 7 million homeless children in the country - children who had lost both parents. This was the 5-year “price” of the October Revolution.

Fact 13. Already in the summer of 1918, prominent Petrograd Bolsheviks Uritsky M.S. were killed by their own comrades for appropriating valuables looted by the revolution and sent to foreign banks. and Volodarsky M.M. The people were told that they had fallen at the hands of the enemies of the revolution, for which hundreds of people were arrested and shot.
Subsequently, they began to get rid of many unwanted prominent revolutionaries from the Menshevik and Socialist Revolutionary parties, who had ceased to be “fellow travelers” of the Soviet regime, as well as the Bolsheviks, who could interfere with Stalin’s power. The leader of the assault on Winter Palace, Antonov-Ovseenko, was shot, and a similar fate to the “enemies of the people” befell the majority of the “Leninist Guard.” 70% of the members of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, elected at the 17th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in 1934, were repressed, almost the entire counting commission for the elections of the Central Committee at this congress was shot, according to the results of which 30% of the 1059 delegates of the congress were against the election of Stalin to the Central Committee, and against Kirov - only 4 votes. Soon Kirov himself was liquidated, which served as the basis for the so-called Great Terror. Its consequences include, first of all, the extermination of three generations of Bolsheviks.

Fact 14. Many of our streets, squares, and villages received revolutionary names in honor of prominent domestic and foreign revolutionaries and military leaders. Pre-revolutionary street names, reflecting the former way of life, have largely disappeared from the signs, continuing to live in the memory of the population for several decades. The main squares and streets were named after Lenin and decorated with his monuments. The streets of Dzerzhinsky (now Pokrovskaya again), Azina, Sovetskaya, Oktyabrskie, Sverdlov, Uritsky, Kirov, Volodarsky, Vorovsky, Voykova, Kommunisticheskaya, Krupskaya, Bebel, Frunze, Chapaev and others appeared.

I grew up on 1st Krasina Street, went to school on Revolutionary Street, worked on Krylov (Commissar) Street.

In the 1990s, while in a conference room in the Oblselstroy building at 120 Moskovsky Prospekt, I saw a map with the names of collective and state farms in the Vitebsk region: the names of various party congresses, Lenin's Way, Light Ray, Hero of Labor, Path to Communism, Red Partisan and etc. Because of this commitment to revolutionary toponymy and former ideals, our Belarus was called by some “the preserve of communism.”

Fact 15. In 1967, on the eve of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the Order of the October Revolution was established. According to the statute of the order, it was awarded to citizens of the USSR and foreigners, organizations, enterprises, labor collectives, military units and formations, republics, territories, regions, cities. The award was made for certain merits, which included: outstanding services in building socialism; achievements in science, culture, national economy; courage and courage shown in the fight against enemies of the state; merits in strengthening the defense; active activities aimed at developing and deepening friendly ties between the peoples of the USSR and other states.

Order of the October Revolution.

November 7 is a red day on the calendar. Most Russians associate this day (albeit somewhat vaguely) with red carnations, Lenin on an armored car and the statement that “the lower classes do not want the old way, but the upper classes cannot do it in the new way.” On this “revolutionary” day, we will present just a few facts about the Great October Socialist Revolution or the October Revolution - as you prefer.

During the Soviet years, November 7 was a special holiday and was called the “Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution.” After the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the start date of the revolution shifted from October 25 to November 7, but they did not rename the event that had already occurred and the revolution remained “October”.

The revolutionary salvo turned out to be empty

The Great October Revolution began on October 25, 1917 at 21:40 local time. The signal for the start of active actions by the revolutionaries was a shot from the gun of the cruiser Aurora. The shot was fired towards the Winter Palace on the orders of Commissioner A.V. Belyshev, and was fired by Evdokim Pavlovich Ognev. It is noteworthy that the legendary shot at the Winter Palace was fired with a blank charge. Why this happened is still unknown today: either the Bolsheviks were afraid to destroy the palace, or they did not want unnecessary bloodshed, or there were simply no warheads on the cruiser.

The most high-tech revolution

The revolutionary events of October 25 are not much different from most armed riots or insurrections that have occurred in European history. However, the October Revolution became the most “high-tech revolution” in human history. The fact is that after the last center of resistance was suppressed in St. Petersburg, and control over the city passed to the revolutionaries, the first revolutionary radio address to the people in history took place. Thus, at 5:10 a.m. on October 26, an “Appeal to the People of Russia” was heard, in which the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee announced the transfer of power to the Soviets.

The assault on Zimny ​​is one of the most controversial events in history

The legendary storming of the Winter Palace is covered by historians in different ways. Some portray this event as perhaps the greatest feat of the revolutionaries, others describe the bloody atrocities of the sailors during the assault. According to the documents of the Military Revolutionary Committee, the losses of the revolutionaries during the assault amounted to only 6 people, and even those were listed as victims of an accident. In the comments to the losses in some lists you can find the following notes: “they were blown up by a grenade of an unknown system due to personal negligence and imprudence.” There is no information at all about the killed defenders of Zimny, but the archives are replete with notes that a cadet, officer or soldier such and such was released to such and such after the capture of Zimny, on his word of honor not to take part in battles against the revolutionaries. However, there were still battles on the streets of Petrograd.

Revolutionaries - lawless people or humanists

Modern historians love to convict revolutionaries of all sorts of crimes. So, for example, one of the most striking episodes is the case of the sailors who, after the capture of Winter Palace, plundered the wine cellar, got drunk and filled all the lower rooms with wine. However, it is not difficult to guess that this incriminating information could only become known from the archives of the revolutionaries themselves, which means that these actions were not only not encouraged, but were also regarded as a military crime.

It is worth noting that reports often contain information that on the night of October 25-26, soldier so-and-so helped local residents get home, bypassing the streets of Petrograd on which firefights took place. They say that they still roam the streets of St. Petersburg today.

However, revolutionaries were never soft and sweet people. Rather, predatory, quarrelsome and dishonest. Lenin considered Trotsky a competitor and wrote nasty things about him. Trotsky, in turn, considered Lenin to be a dishonest and unprincipled person by revolutionary standards and also “threw mud” as best he could. Lenin’s trick is well known when he began to publish a newspaper called “Pravda” parallel to Trotsky.

Lenin - bloody dictator or leader of the proletariat

On October 25 at 10 o’clock in the morning, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin addressed the appeal “To the Citizens of Russia”:
“The provisional government has been overthrown... The cause for which the people fought: the immediate proposal of a democratic peace, the abolition of landlord ownership of land, workers' control over production, the creation of the Soviet government, this cause is secured.”.

Lenin is one of the most ambiguous and contradictory personalities in the history of the revolution and Russia. Albert Einstein, being a rare humanist, respected Lenin as a man who was able to direct all his strength to achieve the goal of social equality and justice. However, Einstein also wrote that, to his deepest regret and disappointment, he could not approve of the methods by which Vladimir Ilyich achieves this good goal. It is also worth adding that Albert Einstein would later write that the Soviet Union became for him one of his greatest disappointments in world history.

It is worth noting that Vladimir Ilyich is one of the few political figures who did not leave his autobiography. In the archives they found only one piece of paper on which Lenin made an attempt to begin a biography, but there was no continuation.

Modern points of view on revolutionary events vary greatly: some endlessly criticize the actions of revolutionaries, others defend them, while others take a centrist position, some try to get to the bottom of the truth and judge events impartially. In any case, this event once and for all changed the course of Russia's development and left a significant mark on world history. However, it turns out that in Spain a coup d'état occurs every year, although not seriously, but...