Project "Military settlements", Arakcheev: reforms, pros and cons

Military settlements existed in Russia between 1810 and 1857. The system was designed to provide the army with a reserve in case of war. Its implementation was marked by ambiguity and a lot of excesses.

Prerequisites

The first military settlements existed in Russia long before Alexander I. In the 17th-18th centuries they appeared on the outskirts of the state to protect civilians from nomads living to the south and east of the country's borders. At various times, many military settlements were on the Volga, in the vicinity of Orenburg and in the Caucasus. Most of them by the end of the reign of Catherine the Great was disbanded. Soldiers were attributed to the Cossack troops. Someone has merged with the ordinary urban population.

When Alexander I came to power in 1801, he decided to return this old army system (only in an updated form and for other purposes). The main conductor of the reform the tsar appointed his approximate - Count Alexei Arakcheev. The nobleman at first did not even want to take up this matter, but he nevertheless agreed, fearing otherwise to lose such an important influence on him for the young emperor.

Assignment of military settlements

What were the military settlements inspired by? Arakcheev, following his monarch, was guided by the Prussian experience. There was a well-functioning army reserve system, which was used in the event of a large-scale conflict.

It was for the rapid replenishment of troops in case of urgent necessity that military settlements were needed. Arakcheev, in addition, had to offer Alexander Pavlovich a system that could save the country from the outdated recruitment set.

Help Budget

If the reform succeeds, the treasury could save on the preparation of spare parts. In fact, it was optimization to replenish the budget. The Emperor wanted to redistribute the freed funds and direct them to the transformation in agriculture. First of all, Alexander was impatient to buy peasants from the landlords and help them get rid of serfdom (later it was only possible in the Baltic states and Finland).

What else did the military settlements of Arakcheev have to help? From year to year, the lower military ranks continued to suffer from a low material condition and separation from the family. The reform had to correct this state of affairs. In the military settlement, the soldier not only served the fatherland, but also lived next to his relatives, while having his own farm. This allowed the family to engage in cultivating the land, growing crops, etc. With proper management of subsidiary farming, the soldier could feed himself, even after retiring.

The beginning of the reform

In 1810 the first military settlements appeared. Arakcheev chose the musketeer regiment in the Mogilev province to demonstrate the project. The Count himself worked out a settlement plan, prepared drawings, etc. An important feature of the reform was that the peasants who had previously lived on the land where the soldiers were were moved to the southern provinces by a state decree.

According to the plan, only lower ranks (rank and file non-commissioned officers) occupied military settlements. Arakcheev ordered to start to choose only the best soldiers with a good reputation. Since households were supposed to lead families, mostly married employees were sent to new settlements. Few bachelors received an order to tie themselves up in marriage with local peasants. For all this, the state even issued cash benefits to the poorest privates so that they could play a wedding and buy at least a few things for their farm. The treasury also shared agricultural implements, livestock and seeds.

From the very appearance of the plan on paper, some of the approximate dissuaded Alexander to take up this venture, but the emperor rigidly insisted on his own (which in his youth was unusual for him). The emperor hoped that with the creation of military settlements in Russia a new social class will appear that will support the forthcoming liberal reforms of power.

After the War of 1812

Because of the onset of the Patriotic War of 1812, the introduction of military settlements was suspended. Arakcheev could see with his own eyes how his Mogilev regiment, the first to test the reform, fought at the front. He was included in the army. When the surviving part of the soldiers returned to their military settlement, it turned out that it was looted by the peasants. In addition, the rank and file were bad business executives. They were not accustomed to agricultural work.

The treasury began to incur serious losses. Then the emperor himself decided to make some changes to the military settlements of Arakcheev. In short, they consisted in the fact that from that moment on authorities ceased evicting the peasants who had lived on the lands where the next regiment was settling. Moreover, local villagers were not only left in their native places, but also enlisted in the military settlement. This allowed to smooth out the economic angles - the farms began to bring rich crops and reached self-sufficiency.

Doing business

According to the rules, soldiers' families were to give half of their crops to a common fund (the other could dispose of them at their own discretion). Agriculture was hampered by strict regulations, which were based on Arakcheev's misconceptions about working on the ground.

The authorities tried to help the soldiers by various means. For example, in the settlements were issued German colonists who had the necessary professional experience. However, even their advice had no effect. By the end of the reign of Alexander I, the settlements were annually given 35 million rubles of income, while the treasury spent on them 26. But at this level of expenditure the army was not manned to the end.

Service life of the lower ranks

Arakcheev's famous reform on military settlements determined new terms of service for soldiers. A resident of a rural settlement could retire after 45 years. If he received a serious injury in battle, a man was recognized as an invalid and also paid a state allowance.

If the villager had children without land, serving in the army, he could transfer to them the farm that he received from the state. Persons with disabilities were exempted from land work, but they were employed as servants in hospitals and other public institutions, where their work could be of public benefit.

Mutual relations of superiors and soldiers

What else was the establishment of military settlements? AA Arakcheev insisted that the life of their residents should have been completely regulated. The most insignificant violations of charters and other norms were severely punished (including corporal punishment).

All work on the ground was controlled by the authorities. Since the adults did not have time to raise their offspring because of the tight schedule, the children were also mainly state-run (in schools and other special institutions). Growing daughters were married in accordance with the decision of their superiors.

Administration and officers differed in bribery and reluctance to delve into issues of housekeeping. It was a systemic problem. The creation of the first military settlements led by Arakcheev led to this situation, because neither the count nor his assistants fought against the unauthorized behavior of the authorities. As a result, among the soldiers began to grow discontent.

Riots

The creation of military settlements led to many conflicts. Arakcheev in 1831 received a report that a riot began in the Novgorod province. The soldiers were unhappy with their superiors before, but now they opposed the administration with weapons in their hands. The cause for the escalation of stress was the epidemic of cholera. The authorities, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, blocked the roads throughout European Russia.

In military settlements, rumors began spreading that the administration itself specifically infects soldiers, poisoning bread and water. Cholera disorders broke out in Staraya Russa. At first, the authorities reacted sluggishly to what had happened, believing that local garrisons would cope with discontent themselves. In fact, the riot only grew. In August 1831, the regular army took part in the suppression of the riots. After the hotbeds of unrest were suppressed, arrests began. More than three thousand people were convicted.

Appearance of counties

Alexander I died in 1825, but his successor and younger brother Nicholas I, despite all the doubtfulness of the reform, decided to keep the military settlements. However, he also realized that the establishment of military settlements is not completely enough. At the beginning of his reign, he instructed to develop a draft of their transformation.

As a result, in 1831 (according to the Imperial Decree of the Emperor), the former military settlements were transformed into soldiers' districts. They ceased to be the property of the regiments. Soldiers settled in the districts according to the pre-Aleksander rules and regulations. For example: in Novgorod province, there were 14 new districts. The reform was largely dictated by the recent cholera riots.

Abolition of military settlements

In 1855 the reign of Alexander II began. The monarch came to power in a difficult situation. Russia was losing the Crimean War, and the country was facing an economic crisis. Father Alexander Nicholas I was distinguished by excessive conservatism. For thirty years of his reign, he almost did not change the state and military structure of the country. During this time, the mechanisms developed by Alexander I are outdated. In many ways, it was precisely because of this that the Crimean War was lost.

In the series of these useless symbols of the old era were the military settlements Arakcheeva. Advantages and disadvantages of the system were ordered to study in detail the officer and writer Dmitry Stolypin. For this he went to the Caucasus, where at that time there were the most military settlements. The Inspector saw a deplorable picture. The local population lived in the most cramped conditions, many did not even have cattle. The aged buildings needed repairs, which the treasury could not afford. In other words, farms in military settlements were unprofitable and became an economic burden. Stolypin, who returned to St. Petersburg, shared his observations with the tsar. In 1857, Alexander II decided to abolish the military settlements. Thus, the Arakcheyev project on military settlements lasted 47 years.