How the Russian Emperor spoke to the West. The brightest quotes of Alexander III

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

It was during the reign of Emperor Alexander III that Russia did not fight for a day (except for the conquest of Central Asia, which ended with the capture of Kushka in 1885) - for this the tsar was called a "peacemaker".

Everything was settled exclusively by diplomatic methods, and, moreover, without any regard for "Europe" or anyone else. He believed that there was no need for Russia to look for allies there and interfere in European affairs.

We know his words, which have already become winged: “In the whole world we have only two loyal allies - our army and navy. All the rest, at the first opportunity, will take up arms against us."

He did not interfere in the affairs of other countries, but he did not allow his country to be pushed around. Here's one example.

A year after his accession to the throne, the Afghans, urged on by British instructors, decided to bite off a piece of territory belonging to Russia.

The tsar's order was laconic: "Cast out and teach a lesson, as it should!", Which was done.

The British Ambassador to St. Petersburg was ordered to protest and demand an apology. " We will not do this "- said the emperor and on the dispatch of the British ambassador wrote a resolution: “ There is nothing to talk to them about. "

After that, he awarded the head of the border detachment, the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.

After this incident, Alexander III formulated his foreign policy very briefly: "I will not allow anyone's encroachment on our territory!"

Another conflict began to mature with Austria-Hungary due to Russia's interference in the Balkan problems. At a dinner in the Winter Palace, the Austrian ambassador began to discuss the Balkan issue in a rather harsh manner and, getting excited, even hinted at the possibility of Austria mobilizing two or three corps. Alexander III was calm and pretended not to notice the harsh tone of the ambassador.

Then he calmly took the fork, bent it in a loop and threw it towards the device of the Austrian diplomat and said very calmly: "Here's what I'll do with your two or three cases."

Alexander III had a persistent dislike of liberalism. His words are known:

Reference:

The population of Russia grew from 71 million in 1856 to 122 million in 1894, including the urban population from 6 million to 16 million. Smelting of pig iron from 1860 to 1895 increased 4.5 times, coal production - 30 times, oil - 754 times.

Railway network in 1881-92 grew by 47%.

In 1891, construction began on the strategically important Trans-Siberian Railway, which connected Russia with the Far East.

The number of Russian river steamers increased from 399 in 1860 to 2539 in 1895, and sea ships from 51 to 522.

At this time, the industrial revolution ended in Russia, and the machine industry replaced the old manufactories. New industrial cities (Lodz, Yuzovka, Orekhovo-Zuevo, Izhevsk) and entire industrial regions (coal and metallurgical in Donbass, oil in Baku, textile in Ivanovo) have grown.

The volume of foreign trade, which did not reach 200 million rubles in 1850, exceeded 1.3 billion rubles by 1900. By 1895, domestic trade grew 3.5 times compared with 1873 and reached 8.2 billion rubles.

Quotes:

Russia has no friends. They are afraid of our enormity. We have only two reliable friends: the Russian army and the Russian fleet!

I was not afraid of Turkish bullets and now I have to hide from the revolutionary underground in my country. - said in 1881 when he moved to Gatchina, where the emperor spent almost all of his reign.

I am glad that I was in the war and saw myself all the horrors inevitably associated with the war, and after that I think that every person with a heart cannot desire war, and every ruler to whom God has entrusted the people must take all measures to to avoid the horrors of war.

When the Russian Emperor is fishing, Europe can wait.

World peace would have been ensured by the Russian State under the scepter of Alexander III, who was respected and feared outside its borders in Europe. Proof that this was so was the following fact: during one of his favorite walks along the Finnish skerries, during the vacation of Emperor Alexander III, a conflict occurred in Europe on the basis of Algerizas, which threatened to erupt on the scale of the First World War, and they were serious the interests of our new ally, France, are affected. The Minister of Foreign Affairs considered it his duty to telegraph to the Imperial Apartment that the Tsar should have interrupted his vacation and arrived in St. Petersburg to take personal part in the negotiations that took place over the outbreak of the conflict, which threatened to turn into an armed clash between the European Powers. When the Czar was informed of the contents of the telegram, he, having calmly listened to it, ordered his Minister to reply with the words quoted above.

Alexander III was not evil and had a good sense of humor, as evidenced, in particular, by the following curious incident. Once a certain soldier Oreshkin got drunk in a tavern and began to brawl; They tried to reason with him, pointing to the portrait of the emperor hanging in the tavern, but the soldier replied: "I didn’t give a damn about your sovereign the emperor!" He was arrested and a case was opened about insulting the reigning person, but Alexander III, having become acquainted with the case, stopped the zealous officials, and wrote on the folder: “Stop the case, release Oreshkin, henceforth not hang my portraits in taverns, tell Oreshkin that I am on him spit too."

Upon learning that the father of his great-grandfather, Emperor Pavel Petrovich, was the favorite of Catherine II, Count Saltykov, and not Peter III, he remarked: “Glory to you, Lord! So, I have at least a little bit of Russian blood in me."

He did not tolerate untidiness either in business or in his personal life. According to his own statements, he could forgive an official for dishonesty in business or in behavior only once, in case of his repentance, and the second time, the dismissal of the offender inevitably followed. He could not stand his relatives (for example, the Grand Dukes Konstantin Nikolaevich and Nikolai Nikolaevich, Prince George of Leuchtenberg) who had love affairs with dancers, actresses, etc. and openly demonstrated them.

The death of the Russian Tsar shocked Europe, which is surprising against the background of the usual European Russophobia.

French Foreign Minister Flourens said:

“Alexander III was a true Russian Tsar, which Russia had not seen for a long time before him … Emperor Alexander III wished Russia to be Russia, so that she, first of all, was Russian, and he himself set the best examples of this. He showed himself the ideal type of a truly Russian person"

Even the Marquis of Salisbury, hostile to Russia, admitted:

“Alexander III saved Europe many times from the horrors of war. According to his deeds, the sovereigns of Europe should learn how to govern their peoples"

Alexander III was the last ruler of the Russian state who actually cared about the protection and prosperity of the Russian people … He took care of every penny of the Russian people, the Russian state, as the best owner could not keep it ….