/lit/ - Literature

>>17603968
The Decemberists
After winning the Napoleonic wars, (cue Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture), Alexander I seemingly had united Russia after tumultuous centuries of revolt and ethnic clashes. However, a seed had been planted within the military class of Russia, having experience the wealth and freedoms in France which stemmed from liberal philosophies. From Catherine the Great to the last Tsar Nicholas II, all would have to wrestle with the admiration of the French revolution in contrast the fears of how it could destroy the order of Russian society. The first major event of this revolt against the Tsar came in 1825. Alexander had just died, and in the confusion who the next Tsar would be, 3000 soldiers would gather in Senate square, having built up a covert network of liberal-minded military groups, demanding a constitutional monarchy and the abolition of serfdom. Nicholas I would use artillery to end the standoff and crush the revolt. However, it was a symbolic victory, and began a century of violence and rebellion in Russia.