Results

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

SOME RESULTS OF THE REIGN OF NICHOLAS II

Sergey Oldenburg

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

Thanks to the growth of agricultural production, the development of communications, and the expedient supply of food aid, the “hunger years” at the beginning of the twentieth century have already become a thing of the past. A crop failure no longer meant famine: the shortage in certain areas was covered by the production of other areas.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The length of railways, as well as telegraph wires, more than doubled. The river fleet has also increased - the largest in the world. (There were 2,539 steamships in 1895, and 4,317 in 1906.)

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

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

The following data is available on the number of books and periodicals in Russia in 1908: there were 2,028 periodicals, including 440 daily. Books and brochures were published in 23,852 titles, 70,841,000 copies, worth 25 million rubles.

The economic activity of the broad masses was expressed in the unprecedentedly rapid development of cooperation. Before 1897, in Russia there were only about a hundred consumer societies with a small number of participants and several hundred small savings and loan partnerships... Already by January 1, 1912, the number of consumer societies was approaching seven thousand... Credit cooperatives in 1914 increased their fixed capital by seven times compared to 1905 and numbered up to nine million members.

Against the background of the overall picture of the mighty growth of the Russian Empire, the development of its Asian possessions stood out. Over the course of twenty years, about 4 million migrants from the interior provinces found a place for themselves in Siberia.

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

Here is what Winston Churchill wrote about the last days of the reign of Nicholas II: “Fate has never been as cruel to any country as to Russia. Her ship sank while the harbor was in sight. She had already weathered the storm when everything collapsed. All the sacrifices have already been made, all the work has been completed. Despair and betrayal took hold of power when the task was already completed...

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

According to the superficial fashion of our time, the tsarist system is usually interpreted as a blind, rotten tyranny, incapable of anything. But an analysis of the thirty months of war with Germany and Austria should have corrected these facile ideas. We can measure the strength of the Russian Empire by the blows it suffered, by the disasters it survived, by the inexhaustible forces it developed, and by the recovery of which it was capable.

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

They're about to kill him. A dark hand intervenes, at first invested with madness. The king leaves the stage. He and all those who love him are given over to suffering and death. His efforts diminish; his actions are condemned; his memory is being defamed... Stop and say: who else turned out to be suitable? There was no shortage of talented and courageous people, ambitious and proud in spirit, courageous and powerful people. But no one was able to answer those few simple questions on which the life and glory of Russia depended.”

SOME RESULTS OF THE PERIOD OF PERESTROIKA AND REFORM

Nikolay Leonov
especially for Pravoslavie.Ru

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

Of the 272 million population of the former USSR, only 146 million remained within Russia. More than 25 million ethnic Russians ended up abroad, becoming second-class citizens in the new national limitrophe states. Against the backdrop of a global trend towards the reunification of nations (examples of Vietnam, Yemen, Germany, etc.), the Russian people found themselves in a disunited position.

The geopolitical catastrophe that broke out on the territory of historical Russia had a detrimental effect on the state of its population, which is characterized by a steady process of extinction. The annual population loss from natural causes ranges from 700 to 800 thousand people. Fertility does not compensate for mortality. In terms of the number of suicides, Russia has taken one of the first places in the world (60 thousand annually, of which 80% are men). The total outflow of the population abroad in the form of economic emigration, brain drain, etc. is estimated at 5 million people over the twenty years. The Russian government does not see any other ways to replenish the labor reserves other than the migration of citizens from the former Soviet republics to Russia, which will change the demographic composition of the country's population and bring all the associated risks and dangers.

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

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

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

Repeated surveys of the population on the question of whether they have become better off as a result of perestroika and reforms give a consistent picture: from 5 to 8% answer in the affirmative, 25-30% say that they have maintained the same quality of life or slightly improved it, the rest admit that that life has become worse.

For 1985-2005 There was a sharp social stratification of the Russian population. A distinguished stratum of the richest people, contrary to traditions, often flaunts their wealth in the form of luxurious villas and expensive cars, which offends the vast majority of the population, makes their poverty even more painful and, naturally, hinders the formation of national unity and the success of government reforms.

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

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

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

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

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

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

By the end of the analyzed period, Russia, however, approached with serious chances for revival. It was saved by the enormous natural resources given by the Lord, the patience and endurance of the population, and the not completely lost faith in the future. Thanks to the sale of raw materials, Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves reached the highest level in its entire history. They amount to 180 billion dollars. In the near future, our export income will remain at a high level. There is an urgent need for smart, energetic leaders who can use these favorable opportunities to make up for lost time. Russia has retained the necessary scientific and technical backbone, it’s up to the organizers.

It is critically important to reverse the negative trends in the moral degradation of society, to inspire people with faith in God, in the country, in its leaders, in themselves.

26 / 12 / 2005

Reign of Nicholas II (briefly)

Reign of Nicholas II (briefly)

Nicholas II, the son of Alexander III, was the last emperor of the Russian Empire and ruled from May 18, 1868 to July 17, 1918. He was able to receive an excellent education, was fluent in several foreign languages, and was also able to rise to the rank of colonel in the Russian army, field marshal and admiral of the fleet of the British army. Nicholas had to ascend the throne after the sudden death of his father. At that time the young man was twenty-six years old.

From childhood, Nicholas was prepared for the role of the future ruler. In 1894, a month after the death of his father, he married the German princess Alice of Hesse, later known as Alexandra Feodorovna. Two years later, the official coronation took place, which took place in mourning, because due to the huge crush of people who wanted to see the new emperor with their own eyes, many people died.

The emperor had five children (four daughters and a son). Despite the fact that doctors discovered hemophilia in Alexei (son), he, like his father, was being prepared to rule the Russian Empire.

During the reign of Nicholas II, Russia was in the stage of economic ascension, but the political situation within the country worsened every day. It was the emperor's failure as a ruler that led to internal unrest. As a result, after the dispersal of the workers’ rally on January 9, 1905 (this event is also known as “Bloody Sunday”), the state was ablaze with revolutionary sentiments. The revolution of 1905-1907 took place. The result of these events is the nickname among the people of the king, whom people dubbed Nicholas “Bloody.”

In 1914, the First World War began, which negatively affected the state of Russia and aggravated the already unstable political situation. The unsuccessful military operations of Nicholas II lead to the fact that in 1917 an uprising began in Petrograd, which resulted in the abdication of the Tsar from the throne.

In the early spring of 1917, the entire royal family was taken under arrest and later sent into exile. The execution of the entire family took place on the night of July sixteenth to seventeenth.

Here are the main reforms during the reign of Nicholas II:

· Managerial: the State Duma was formed, and the people received civil rights.

· Military reform carried out after the defeat in the war with Japan.

· Agrarian reform: land was assigned to private peasants rather than to communities.

It’s no longer a secret that the history of Russia is distorted. This especially applies to the great people of our country. Which are presented to us in the image of tyrants, crazy or weak-willed people. One of the most slandered rulers is Nicholas II.

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

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

Unlike modern democracies, Imperial Russia based its policy not only on deficit-free budgets, but also on the principle of significant accumulation of gold reserves. Despite this, state revenues grew steadily from 1,410,000,000 rubles in 1897, without the slightest increase in the tax burden, while state expenditures remained more or less at the same level.

Over the last 10 years before the First World War, the excess of state revenues over expenses amounted to 2,400,000,000 rubles. This figure seems all the more impressive since during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, railway tariffs were lowered and redemption payments for lands transferred to the peasants from their former landowners in 1861 were abolished, and in 1914, with the outbreak of the war, all types of drinking taxes were abolished.

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, by law of 1896, a gold currency was introduced in Russia, and the State Bank was authorized to issue 300,000,000 rubles in credit notes not backed by gold reserves. But the government not only never took advantage of this right, but, on the contrary, ensured paper circulation of gold cash by more than 100%, namely: by the end of July 1914, bank notes were in circulation in the amount of 1,633,000,000 rubles, while the gold reserve in Russia it was equal to 1,604,000,000 rubles, and in foreign banks 141,000,000 rubles.

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

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

The burden of direct taxes in Russia was almost four times less than in France, more than 4 times less than in Germany and 8.5 times less than in England. The burden of indirect taxes in Russia was on average half as much as in Austria, France, Germany and England.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Russia supplied 50% of the world's egg imports.

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

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

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

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

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

In Tsarist Russia in the period from 1880 to 1917, i.e. in 37 years, 58,251 km were built. For 38 years of Soviet power, i.e. by the end of 1956, only 36,250 km had been built. expensive

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

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

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

It should be noted that it was in Imperial Russia, and moreover in the 18th century, during the reign of Empress Catherine II (1762-1796), for the first time in the whole world, laws were issued regarding working conditions: the work of women and children in factories was prohibited a 10-hour working day was established, etc. It is characteristic that the code of Empress Catherine, which regulated child and female labor, printed in French and Latin, was prohibited from publication in France and England as “seditious.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the 20th century, Russia ranked first in Europe, if not in the whole world, in terms of the number of women studying in higher educational institutions.

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

Successes in agricultural production were the result of historical events: the abolition of serfdom in 1861 by Alexander II and the Stolypin land reform during the reign of Nicholas II, as a result of which more than 80% of arable land ended up in the hands of peasants, and almost all of it in the Asian part. The area of ​​landowners' lands was steadily declining. Granting peasants the right to freely dispose of their land and the abolition of communities had enormous national significance, the benefits of which, first of all, the peasants themselves were aware of.

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

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

During the reign of Nicholas II, the best labor legislation for those times was created in Russia, providing for the regulation of working hours, the choice of worker elders, remuneration for industrial accidents, compulsory insurance of workers against illness, disability and old age. The Emperor actively promoted the development of Russian culture, art, science, and reforms of the army and navy.

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

The French economist Théry wrote: “Not a single European nation has achieved such results.”

The myth is that workers lived very poorly.
1. Workers. The average salary of a worker in Russia was 37.5 rubles. Let us multiply this amount by 1282.29 (the ratio of the Tsarist ruble exchange rate to the modern one) and get an amount of 48,085 thousand rubles in modern terms.

2. Janitor 18 rubles or 23081 rubles. with modern money

3. Second lieutenant (modern equivalent - lieutenant) 70 rub. or 89,760 rub. with modern money

4. Policeman (ordinary police officer) 20.5 rubles. or 26,287 rub. with modern money

5. Workers (St. Petersburg). It is interesting that the average salary in St. Petersburg was lower and by 1914 amounted to 22 rubles 53 kopecks. Let's multiply this amount by 1282.29 and get 28890 Russian rubles.

6. Cook 5 - 8 r. or 6.5.-10 thousand in modern money

7. Primary school teacher 25 rub. or 32050 rub. with modern money

8. Gymnasium teacher 85 rub. or 108970 rub. with modern money

9.. Senior janitor 40 rub. or 51,297 rub. with modern money

10..District warden (modern analogue - local police officer) 50 rub. or 64,115 in modern money

11. Paramedic 40 rub. or 51280 rub.

12. Colonel 325 rub. or 416,744 rub. with modern money

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

14. Privy Councilor (high-class official) 500 or 641,145 in modern money. An army general received the same amount

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

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

A very worthy life!!!

Hence the opportunity to support a large family.

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

The myth about the weakness of the king's character.

French President Loubet said: “People usually see Emperor Nicholas II as a kind, generous, but weak man. This is a deep mistake. He always has long-thought-out plans, the implementation of which he slowly achieves. Beneath his apparent timidity, the king has a strong soul and a courageous heart, unshakably loyal. He knows where he's going and what he wants."

Tsar's service required strength of character, which Nicholas II possessed. During the Holy Coronation to the Russian Throne on May 27, 1895, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow in his address to the Sovereign said: “Just as there is no higher, so there is no more difficult on earth royal power, there is no burden heavier than royal service. Through visible anointing may invisible power from above be given to you, acting to exalt your royal virtues..."

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

Thus, in particular, S. Oldenburg wrote that the Tsar had an iron hand; many are only deceived by the velvet glove he wore.

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

The Emperor did a lot to improve the country's defense capability, having learned the hard lessons of the Russo-Japanese War. Perhaps his most significant act was the revival of the Russian fleet, which saved the country at the beginning of the First World War. It happened against the will of military officials. The Emperor was even forced to dismiss Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. Military historian G. Nekrasov writes: “It must be noted that, despite its overwhelming superiority in forces in the Baltic Sea, the German fleet made no attempts to break into the Gulf of Finland in order to bring Russia to its knees with one blow. Theoretically, this was possible, since most of Russia's military industry was concentrated in St. Petersburg. But in the way of the German fleet stood the Baltic Fleet, ready to fight, with ready-made mine positions. The cost of a breakthrough for the German fleet was becoming unacceptably expensive. Thus, only by the fact that he achieved the reconstruction of the fleet, Emperor Nicholas II saved Russia from imminent defeat. This should not be forgotten!”

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

The myth that Russia was a prison of nations.

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

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

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

TELEGRAM

The Ingush regiment fell on the German iron division like a mountain avalanche. He was immediately supported by the Chechen regiment.

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

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

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

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

With fraternal greetings, Nicholas II.

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

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

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

The last Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, Emperor Nicholas II, did the same great work in a year and a half. But his work was appreciated by his enemies, and between the Sovereign and his Army and victory “there was a revolution.”

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

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

It was the Emperor who supported Brusilov’s offensive plan, with which many military leaders did not agree. Thus, the plan of the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief M.V. Alekseev provided for a powerful strike on the enemy by forces of all fronts, with the exception of the Brusilov Front.

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

Historian A. Zayonchkovsky wrote that the Russian army achieved “in terms of its numbers and technical supply with everything necessary, the greatest development in the entire war.” More than two hundred combat-ready divisions confronted the enemy. Russia was preparing to crush the enemy. In January 1917, the Russian 12th Army launched an offensive from the Riga bridgehead and took the German 10th Army by surprise, which found itself in a catastrophic situation.

The chief of staff of the German army, General Ludendorff, who cannot be suspected of sympathizing with Nicholas II, wrote about the situation in Germany in 1916 and about the increase in the military power of Russia:

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

The battles of 1916 on the Eastern Front showed an increase in Russian military equipment and an increase in the number of firearms supplies. Russia has moved some of its factories to the Donetsk basin, greatly increasing their productivity.

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

Our situation was extremely difficult and there was almost no way out of it. There was no point in thinking about our own offensive - all reserves were needed for defense. Our defeat seemed inevitable... food supply was difficult. The rear was also seriously damaged.

The prospects for the future were extremely bleak."

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

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

Eastern Galicia, Northern Bukovina and Carpathian Rus' were to be included in Russia. The creation of a Czechoslovak kingdom was planned; regiments of captured Czechs and Slovaks were already being formed on Russian territory.

B. Brasol “The reign of Emperor Nicholas II in figures and facts”

Some results of the reign of Nicholas II

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

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

Thanks to the growth of agricultural production, the development of communications, and the expedient supply of food aid, the “hunger years” at the beginning of the 20th century have already become a thing of the past. A crop failure no longer meant famine: the shortage in certain areas was covered by the production of other areas.

The grain harvest (rye, wheat and barley), which reached an average of slightly more than two billion poods at the beginning of the reign, exceeded in 1913–1914. four billion.

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

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

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

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

From 1200 million at the beginning of the reign, the budget reached 3.5 billion. Year after year, the amount of receipts exceeded estimates; the state always had free cash. Over ten years (1904–1913), the excess of ordinary income over expenses amounted to over two billion rubles. The gold reserves of the State Bank increased from 648 million (1894) to 1604 million (1914). The budget grew without introducing new taxes or raising old ones, reflecting the growth of the national economy.

The length of railways, as well as telegraph wires, more than doubled. The river fleet has also increased - the largest in the world. (There were 2,539 steamships in 1895, and 4,317 in 1906).

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

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

The following data is available on the number of books and periodicals in Russia in 1908: there were 2,028 periodicals, including 440 daily. Books and brochures were published in 23,852 titles, 70,841,000 copies, worth 25 million rubles.

The economic activity of the broad masses was expressed in the unprecedentedly rapid development of cooperation. Before 1897, in Russia there were only about a hundred consumer societies with a small number of participants and several hundred small savings and loan partnerships... Already by January 1, 1912, the number of consumer societies was approaching seven thousand... Credit cooperatives in 1914 increased their fixed capital by seven times compared to 1905 and numbered up to nine million members.

Against the background of the overall picture of the mighty growth of the Russian Empire, the development of its Asian possessions stood out. Over the course of twenty years, about 4 million migrants from the interior provinces found a place for themselves in Siberia.

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

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

“Fate has never been as cruel to any country as to Russia. Her ship sank while the harbor was in sight. She had already weathered the storm when everything collapsed. All the sacrifices have already been made, all the work has been completed. Despair and betrayal took hold of power when the task was already completed...

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

According to the superficial fashion of our time, the tsarist system is usually interpreted as a blind, rotten tyranny, incapable of anything. But an analysis of the thirty months of war with Germany and Austria should have corrected these facile ideas. We can measure the strength of the Russian Empire by the blows it suffered, by the disasters it survived, by the inexhaustible forces it developed, and by the recovery of which it was capable.

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

They're about to kill him. A dark hand intervenes, at first invested with madness. The king leaves the stage. He and all those who love him are given over to suffering and death. His efforts diminish; his actions are condemned; his memory is being defamed... Stop and say: who else turned out to be suitable? There was no shortage of talented and courageous people, ambitious and proud in spirit, courageous and powerful people. But no one was able to answer those few simple questions on which the life and glory of Russia depended.”

From the book by S. S. Oldenburg “The Reign of Emperor Nicholas II”

V. A. Zhukovsky (1783–1852)

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