#Decembrists

[russia-libertaire]

The Union of Salvation

'The first Russian secret society, the Union of Salvation, began with a restrictive and nonimperial concept of the nation: its initial aim was "resistance to the Germans in the Russian state service." However, it soon broadened its agenda and turned to promoting the "welfare of Russia" by advancing the idea of regulating serfdom, or possibly abolishing it and transforming the autocracy into a constitutional monarchy. This was the first time a political movement had been created in Russia with such an ambitious aim, and how it was to be accomplished was never really settled. To give the movement's ideas wider currency, the Union of Salvation turned itself into the Union of Welfare, with a public arm devoted, like the masons, to philanthropy, education, justice, and morality. These were laid out in a Green Book, which bound every member to seek public office if possible, but in any case to promote the aims of the union through personal example, practical activity, and the denunciation of official abuses. Members were required to be male, Christian, nonserf, and Russian. The exclusion of serfs was characteristic … the Union was unambiguously elitist, as its concept of citizenship implied. The Green Book did not recommend freeing the serfs, merely treating them humanely on the grounds that "subordinates are also people." The members of the Union later became known as Decembrists, because of the attempted coup in 1825 which grew out of their activity. But most of them, even those in its secret wing, had no definite political strategy in mind. For the most part, if they took its ideals seriously, they did so by trying to live out its precepts in everyday life. As Iurii Lotman has shown, they were trying to overcome the duality which existed between the Enlightenment culture in which they had been educated and the reality of life at court and on their estates, where most relationships were unadornedly hierarchical. They did not so much reject social etiquette as try to behave as if they really felt the sentiments normally expressed only for convention's sake. Many of them rejected the prevailing patriarchal notions of family life, seeing marriage not mainly as a means of perpetuating the rod (kin), but rather as a partnership of two equal adults joined by mutual affection and committed to the humane upbringing of children. In reaction against hierarchy and frivolity, they practiced an intense cult of sincerity and friendship among equals. The poet Aleksandr Pushkin grew up in this environment, and although he was never a Decembrist himself, his early poetry celebrated precisely those ideals. They were part of the atmosphere in which young nobles lived; the main significance of the movement was that its members tried to practice them consistently even in a discouraging environment.'

Russia and the Russians, by Geoffrey Hosking

[annebrontesrequiem]

Similarities between the Decembrists and the June Rebellion discuss

[crazykotyara12]

Their correspondence during the Decembrist revolt

[raspberrybluejeans]

Does anyone have any Christmas or generally wintery albums they recommend?

I just have a few more weeks I need to fill up in December for my album a week challenge thing!

[wittespin]

The Mariner's revenge song

One of my friends gave the idea that this song really fit with Mole, And honestly. I had to draw it out right on the spot.

[microcosme11]

Movie poster for Union of Salvation

I love this poster. Union of Salvation (2019) is a movie about the Decembrists, of whom I know almost nothing. The movie has great costumes, handsome men, but also looks depressing as hell.

[music-crush]

Colin Meloy

Happy birthday Colin Patrick Henry Meloy, frontman for The Decembrists!

[katarinas-redemption]

"When you love someone, you have no control. That's what love is. Being powerless."

[deathzgf]

cant even obsessively research john laurens . because of woke

[slaughterlmao]

rip decembrists you would have loved thrash metal

[russia-libertaire]

The Decembrists

'The sudden death of Alexander I, on 19 November 1825, faced the secret societies with a sudden and grave dilemma. They had no fully matured plan of action, but if they were going to act at all this was the ideal moment, especially since there was some confusion over the succession: Konstantin, the next in line, had orally renounced the throne but never confirmed his intention in writing. The conspirators had little support among the common people or even among rank-and-file soldiers, for whom their ideas had no resonance. In the end on 14 December, when Konstantin's renunciation was confirmed and his younger brother Nicholas was preparing to take the oath, the Northern Society [of the Union of Welfare] drew up such battalions as they could muster on Senate Square and declared for Konstantin. The officers deliberately decieved their men into thinking that Konstantin would abolish serfdom and improve soldiers' terms of service. The leaders lacked all conviction or sense of direction. Trubetskoi, appointed provisional "dictator," simply disappeared and was later found to have taken refuge in the Austrian embassy. General Miloradovich, governor-general of St. Petersburg, whom Nicholas had sent to Parley with the rebel troops, was shot and killed, and eventually Nicholas reluctantly gave orders to disperse the insurgent units with artillery. When the cannons opened fire, the soldiers fled the square. The Southern Society mobilized some troops which at one stage were on the point of attacking Kiev, but were swiftly dealt with by a cavalry detachment. The fiasco of December 1825 was a critical moment in Russia's evolution. The Decembrists were nobles and army officers who tried to act as if the service state wanted genuine service and as if civil society really existed. Actually it did, among their tiny elite, but that was precisely what cut them off from the mass of people. Vacillating between the empire which has raised them up and the people they wished to serve (however paternalistically), they could devise no sensible political course. When plunged into action in spite of themselves, they had no confidence in themselves and could not summon sufficient seriousness of purpose or popular support to achieve anything.'

Russia and the Russians, by Geoffrey Hosking

[lorawant2sleep]

do you ever feel sorry for famous artists of the past because of the bullshit advertisements and mass market products that their legacy is turned into?

[todoga]

I refuse to explain what's happening in these sketches 🙈 (maybe Wikipedia can do it)

[tak-byvayet]

[cryptidclaw]

I FUCKING REMEMBERRRRR

"Your Ghost" and "Rusalka, Rusalka" by The Decemberists

Something something Leave Luanne from 35MM being a Mapleshade and Goldenflower song

Can i elaborate? No. Is the song good for them individually? Idk. I just think them both being luanne and its a fucked up mix of both their stories is so. <3 women

YASSSS

I was waiting to respond to this bec I was trying to remember the song i was playing on repeat thinking about them but I cant fucking remember what it wasss ToT

[deathzgf]

random soviet historian ... save me ... random soviet historian save me random soviet historian