Statesman of the Russian Empire Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin. Pyotr Stolypin: short biography

Among the people ready to shoulder an unbearable burden was Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin, the "great reformer" and "enemy of the revolution." The one who wanted to see Russia as a great power.

Born April 2, 1862 in Dresden. At the age of 12, he was first enrolled in a gymnasium in Vilna (now Vilnius), and then continued his studies in Orel, where his father, a lieutenant general, was transferred. In 1881 he was admitted to the natural department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University, from which he graduated brilliantly, with a PhD in Physics and Mathematics, and Professor Dmitry Mendeleev praised his preparation in chemistry. He entered the civil service at the age of 22 and four years later was granted the first court rank. Before receiving the post of Minister of the Interior, and then heading the entire cabinet, he managed to lead several provinces: Kovno (with its center in the city of Kovno, now Kaunas), Grodno and Saratov. He carried out agrarian and developed social reforms. He was a supporter of harsh government measures and stifled the revolutionary spirit of the masses in the bud. He survived ten assassination attempts, during the eleventh he was mortally wounded by a terrorist. He died in Kyiv on September 18, 1911.

Career of Pyotr Stolypin

In most cases, Aries are strong and hardworking. And if you give them a handful of good genes, there will be no price for Aries. Stolypin's performance and genes were excellent. In not so distant relatives, he had talented people and not the last in the state: all the leaders of the nobility, generals, heroes standing for Russia to the death, Chancellor Alexander Gorchakov and even Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov himself, who is Stolypin's second cousin. The father of the future reformer gave his son an upbringing in the best traditions of the Russian nobility and bequeathed to do his best to serve his country. As soon as his son was elected a county leader of the nobility, he immediately began to rally the peasants into communities, build people's houses with a library, cinema and theater. And to think about how a free peasantry can lift the country to unprecedented economic heights.

While Stolypin was looking at European economic management, Stolypin himself was no less closely looked at by Nicholas II. As a result, the energetic Pyotr Arkadyevich, an official with an impeccable personal reputation, was sent to raise the provinces larger, more intricate, where, moreover, insurrectionary moods seethed and boiled. He did not want to wander around the cities and villages, but they did not stand on ceremony with him: they made it clear that no one was interested in his desires. If the Fatherland said “it is necessary”, then the official is obliged to answer “yes” without further ado. I must say that the Socialist-Revolutionaries did not sit still then either - like firecrackers, they blew up governors and other officials. Only shreds flew. So the service was going to be hard, and there was already quite a smell of great turmoil and blood.

In the new place, it went according to a well-established program: agrarian affairs - into a divine form, peasants - into cooperatives, culture - into the masses, rebels and terrorists - into prisons, reports - to St. Petersburg. For the pacification of the rebels, Stolypin was expressed the highest gratitude, and the emperor, having stopped by to visit the Saratov governor, offered him the portfolio of the Minister of the Interior. Pyotr Arkadyevich again became stubborn, and again the emperor knitted his eyebrows and let metal into his voice. Russia once again experienced hard times and needed the Atlanteans. " I am the Minister of the Interior in a country bloody, battered, representing a sixth part of the world, and this is in one of the most difficult historical moments, repeated once in a thousand years", Stolypin wrote to his wife.

There was no support for the forty-three-year-old provincial in the capital, from all sides they either silently cast disapproving glances at him, or openly entered into a confrontation. His subordinates, the capital's generals, grinned into their mustaches when he simply let out "here we are in Saratov." " Power cannot be considered a goal. Power is a means to preserve life, peace and order", - decided Stolypin and, not paying attention to the discontent of the dignitaries, he undertook to restore order in huge, clumsy Russia.

The program was still the same, only the scale became different. Stolypin stood for the development of rural cooperation, for the preservation of strong peasant communities, for the reform of local self-government, for the economic freedom of the peasants, believing that any worker would be better off taking care of his own, than about what he was given for temporary use. His land law, introduced by an imperial decree without the approval of the Duma, increased grain collection several times, and Russia stopped buying grain abroad. On the contrary, it began to feed grain to Europe.

He advocated strict observance of the laws by everyone, including deputies of the State Duma, for tough power, but against military dictatorship, and for constitutional reforms. He ruthlessly persecuted those who wished to plunge Russia into confusion. " Opponents of statehood would like to choose the path of radicalism, the path of liberation from Russia's historical past, liberation from cultural traditions. They need great upheavals, we need a great Russia!»

The character of Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin

Stolypin did not like to joke. And if his cause is in danger, few will show it to anyone. Pyotr Arkadyevich was not only capable of self-sacrifice, but, if necessary, easily sent to the other world everyone who, in his opinion, stood in the way of a bright future for Russia. " The state can, the state is obliged, when it is in danger, to adopt the most severe, most exclusive laws in order to protect itself from disintegration.”, he said, when bombers and other unsupervised terrorists ran around the cities and blew up both government officials and ordinary people. Stolypin courts-martial sentenced tens of thousands of people to penal servitude and sent thousands to the gallows, throwing a noose around their necks - the “Stolypin tie”. The prime minister himself did not like analogies and once challenged one of those who allowed such a comparison to a duel. The wit, of course, apologized, but they did not stop talking about "ties". However, while everyone was vividly discussing the bloodthirstiness of the prime minister and protesting, order was restored in the state.

Stolypin also had no problems with personal courage. He could alone go out to the raging crowd, and to the disgruntled emperor. Nicholas II, in whom charm coexisted with donkey stubbornness, reacted very painfully to the successes and glory of his prime minister. As soon as a major German newspaper called Pyotr Arkadievich "a hero-knight on whose shoulders the future of Russia rests," the sovereign scoffed and stopped giving the prime minister the highest attention and friendly disposition. There were even moments when Stolypin submitted his resignation and waited for the sovereign's decision on his future fate. Until the time when the sovereign's mother set the brains of her indecisive son and forced him to return Stolypin to the service. He returned something, but he coped with the injections of pride with difficulty - not a single reigning person will forgive subjects who go against the grain and break forward.

Pyotr Arkadyevich did not retreat even when he was invited to participate in demonstration flights of the only nascent Russian aviation. Not only was it terrible to fly on the "whatnots", but also the pilot was a Social Revolutionary and, according to intelligence, not only had a grudge against Stolypin, but was also preparing an assassination attempt.

And there were plenty of attempts. The terrorists not only sentenced Stolypin's two-year-old son to death, wrote threats to his daughters, but also put their threats into action. They blew up his house, where the people were sitting in the waiting room, killed and maimed more than a hundred people, including children, but even here he did not retreat. When Nicholas II offered him money for the treatment of his daughter, the Atlantean refused. The prime minister did not want friendly relations with the emperor, he did not expect compassion, he did not run away from responsibility and did not corrode his sense of duty. He was wounded in the assassination attempts, but traveled without guards, with a metal sheet in his briefcase to protect himself from bullets. He could go out to the terrorist in an open coat, one on one, offering him to shoot at point-blank range. He was often alone against everyone: the emperor, the liberal-revolutionary intelligentsia, who longed for a coup and did not want to hear about the strengthening of the state and harsh measures. He stood alone against the landlords, who were offended by his agrarian reforms, and against his colleagues. It was said that once the Saratov City Duma deliberately commissioned a portrait of Governor Stolypin to Ilya Repin, whose brush was said to bring misfortune to the posing. Atlas was already holding on with all his might, but he did not drop his load, because he considered himself responsible for the country. " For those in power, there is no greater sin than the cowardly evasion of responsibility.».

Stolypin's personal life

Stolypin's companion was Olga Borisovna Neidgardt, a girl from a family of long-Russified Germans, Suvorov's great-great-granddaughter and maid of honor to the Empress. She was the bride of Stolypin's older brother, but he was wounded in a duel, he could not reach the altar, and, as they said, on his deathbed he blessed the twenty-year-old Pyotr Arkadyevich to take care of the inconsolable girl. While Olga was in the two-year “quarantine” put on such an occasion, student Stolypin sent a petition to the rector for marriage. The marriage was considered too early, the application was refused, but the purposeful young man, as usual, did not give up, left the university for a while and got married. A married student at that time was considered a great rarity. In addition, the newlywed was three years older than him, which did not climb into any gates at all, and, according to his own stories, everyone pointed the finger at the future prime minister. However, Stolypin loved his wife, wrote sweet letters to his “beloved darling”, did not listen to idle talk about her ambition, tactlessness and the fact that she turns her husband as she wants. They, together with Olga Borisovna, gave birth to five daughters, a son, Arkady, and considered their marriage a happy one. With financial problems, which were then often experienced by the leaders of the nobility, the Stolypins did not spare money for the health and education of their children, hiring foreign governesses.

They raised their offspring in love and a religious spirit, read aloud to them fairy tales and Turgenev, especially beloved by the father of the family, and sat with them over problems. Stolypin, talking about family orders, joked: “ We have an Old Believer house - no maps, no wine, no tobacco". They lived modestly, without pomp. For example, Masha Stolypina, the eldest daughter, received twelve rubles a month for pocket expenses, and when dad became prime minister, she was given another eight. The amount is slightly less than the average monthly salary of a worker, but more than that of a domestic servant. The family was always with Pyotr Arkadievich - both in relatively calm years in his Lithuanian estate Kalnabjarzhe, which Stolypin's father had long ago received in payment of a gambling debt, and in hard times, when assassination attempts rained down like a bucket. Olga Borisovna survived her husband by three decades and died in exile. Stolypin's children, who were constantly in danger from a young age, went abroad, where four of them lived to a ripe old age.

Those born under the sign of Aries have a developed intuition and good instincts. But, even anticipating the storms of life, they still go towards fate with their heads held high. It was said that Stolypin knew that death was wandering around him, and sometimes had prophetic dreams. It seems that before leaving for Kyiv, for the opening of the monument to Alexander II, he saw in a dream a friend who announced his death and asked to take care of his wife. The next day, a telegram arrived with bad news. The prime minister had already been moved away from the emperor, he was retired with one foot and did not build any illusions. There were too many dissatisfied with his policies: from the empress to the police generals, whose financial spending Stolypin ordered to check. He was informed that terrorists were again hovering around, not only planning the assassination of the prime minister, but also waving at the tsar himself. It was said that after the terrorist Bogrov shot twice at Stolypin, Pyotr Arkadyevich still managed to wave a warning to the emperor and cross him. They also said that Nicholas II then knelt before the deceased, prayed and asked for forgiveness.

Stolypin, who for many years held the state on his shoulders, was buried in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. According to his will - to be buried where he was killed. " Give the state twenty years of peace, internal and external, and you will not recognize today's Russia!”- so said Pyotr Arkadyevich, a Russian nobleman, prime minister and great reformer.

Silver coin of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of P.A. Stolypin

“They need great upheavals, we need Great Russia” (P.A. Stolypin).

Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin - outstanding statesman of the Russian Empire.

He held the posts of district leader of the nobility in Kovno, governor of the Grodno and Saratov provinces, minister of the interior, and prime minister.

As prime minister, he passed a number of bills that went down in history as Stolypin agrarian reform. The main content of the reform was the introduction of private peasant land ownership.

On the initiative of Stolypin were introduced courts-martial tougher penalties for serious crimes.

With him was introduced Zemstvo law in the Western provinces, which limited the Poles, on his initiative the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland was also limited, the electoral legislation was changed and the Second Duma was dissolved, which put an end to the revolution of 1905-1907.

Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin

Biography of P.A. Stolypin

Childhood and youth

Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin was born on April 2, 1862 in Dresden, where his mother was visiting, where he was baptized in the Orthodox Church. He spent his childhood first in the Serednikovo estate in the Moscow province, and then in the Kolnoberge estate in the Kovno province. Stolypin was a second cousin of M.Yu. Lermontov.

Family coat of arms of the Stolypins

Stolypin studied at the Vilna, and then together with his brother at the Oryol gymnasium, after which he entered the natural department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the St. Petersburg Imperial University. During the training of Stolypin, one of the teachers of the university was the famous Russian scientist D. I. Mendeleev.

After graduating from the university, a young official in the service of the Department of Agriculture made a brilliant career, but soon moved to serve in the Ministry of the Interior. In 1889, he was appointed marshal of the nobility in the Kovno district and chairman of the Kovno court of conciliators.

To Kovno

Now it is the city of Kaunas. Stolypin served in Kovno for about 13 years - from 1889 to 1902. This time was the most peaceful in his life. Here he was engaged in the Agricultural Society, under whose tutelage was the entire local economic life: the education of the peasants and the increase in the productivity of their farms, the introduction of advanced farming methods and new varieties of grain crops. He became intimately familiar with local needs and gained administrative experience.

For diligence in the service, he was marked by new ranks and awards: he was appointed an honorary magistrate, titular adviser, and then promoted to collegiate assessors, awarded the first Order of St. Anna, in 1895 he was promoted to court councilors, in 1896 he received the court rank of chamberlain, promoted to collegiate, and in 1901 to state councilors.

During his life in Kovno, Stolypin had four daughters - Natalya, Elena, Olga and Alexandra.

In mid-May 1902, when Stolypin and his family were on vacation in Germany, he was urgently summoned to St. Petersburg. The reason was his appointment as Grodno governor.

In Grodno

P.A. Stolypin - Governor of Grodno

In June 1902, Stolypin assumed the duties of the governor of Grodno. It was a small city, the national composition of which (like the provinces) was heterogeneous (Jews predominated in large cities; the aristocracy was represented mainly by Poles, and the peasantry by Belarusians). On the initiative of Stolypin, a Jewish two-class public school, a vocational school, and a special type of women's parish school were opened in Grodno, in which, in addition to general subjects, drawing, drawing and needlework were taught.

On the second day of work, he closed the Polish Club, where "insurgent moods" dominated.

Having settled into the position of governor, Stolypin began to implement reforms that included:

resettlement of peasants on farms (a separate peasant estate with a separate farm)
elimination of striped strips (location of land plots of one farm in strips interspersed with other people's plots. Striped strips arose in Russia with regular redistribution of communal land)
introduction of artificial fertilizers, improved agricultural implements, multi-field crop rotations, land reclamation
development of cooperation (joint participation in labor processes)
agricultural education of the peasants.

These innovations were criticized by large landowners. But Stolypin insisted on the need for knowledge for the people.

In Saratov

But soon the Minister of the Interior Plehve offered him a governor's post in Saratov. Despite Stolypin's reluctance to move to Saratov, Plehve insisted. At that time, the Saratov province was considered prosperous and rich. 150 thousand inhabitants lived in Saratov, there were 150 plants and factories, 11 banks, 16 thousand houses, almost 3 thousand shops and shops in the city. The Saratov province included the large cities of Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd) and Kamyshin.

After the defeat in the war with Japan, the Russian Empire was swept by a wave of revolution. Stolypin showed rare courage and fearlessness - he was unarmed and without any protection entered the center of the raging crowds. This had such an effect on the people that the passions subsided by themselves. Nicholas II twice expressed his personal gratitude to him for his diligence, and in April 1906 summoned Stolypin to Tsarskoye Selo and said that he closely followed his actions in Saratov and, considering them exceptionally outstanding, appointed him Minister of the Interior. Stolypin tried to refuse the appointment (by that time he had already survived four assassination attempts), but the emperor insisted.

Minister of Internal Affairs

He remained in this post until the end of his life (when appointed prime minister, he combined two posts).

Under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Interior were:

administration of postal and telegraph affairs
state police
jail, exile
provincial and county administrations
cooperation with zemstvos
food business (providing the population with food in case of crop failure)
fire Department
insurance
the medicine
veterinary medicine
local courts, etc.

The beginning of his work in a new post coincided with the beginning of the work of the First State Duma, which was mainly represented by the leftists, who from the very beginning of their work took a course towards confrontation with the authorities. There was a strong opposition between the executive and the legislature. After the dissolution of the First State Duma, Stolypin became the new prime minister (read more about the history of the State Duma on our website:). He also replaced I. L. Goremykin as Chairman of the Council of Ministers. As prime minister, Stolypin acted with great energy. He was also a brilliant orator who knew how to convince and convince.

Stolypin's relations with the Second State Duma were tense. The Duma included more than a hundred representatives of parties that directly advocated the overthrow of the existing system - the RSDLP (later divided into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks) and the Socialist-Revolutionaries, who repeatedly staged assassinations and assassinations of top officials of the Russian Empire. Polish deputies advocated the separation of Poland from the Russian Empire into a separate state. The two most numerous factions of the Cadets and the Trudoviks advocated the forced expropriation of land from the landlords with subsequent transfer to the peasants. Stolypin was the head of the police, so in 1907 he published in the Duma the “Government Report on a Conspiracy” discovered in the capital and aimed at committing terrorist acts against the emperor, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich and against himself. The government issued an ultimatum to the Duma, demanding that the parliamentary immunity of the alleged participants in the conspiracy be lifted, giving the Duma the shortest time to respond. The Duma did not immediately agree to the terms of the government and proceeded to the procedure for discussing the requirements, and then the tsar, without waiting for a final answer, dissolved the Duma on June 3. The act of June 3 formally violated the "Manifesto of October 17", in connection with which it was called the "June 3 coup".

The new electoral system, which was used in elections to the State Dumas of the III and IV convocations, increased the representation in the Duma of landowners and wealthy citizens, as well as the Russian population in relation to national minorities, which led to the formation of a pro-government majority in the III and IV Dumas. The “Octobrists” in the center ensured that Stolypin passed bills by entering into a coalition on various issues with either right or left members of parliament. At the same time, the less numerous All-Russian National Union party was distinguished by close personal ties with Stolypin.

The Third Duma was "the creation of Stolypin." Stolypin's relationship with the Third Duma was a complex mutual compromise. The general political situation in the Duma turned out to be such that the government was afraid to introduce to the Duma all laws related to civil and religious equality (especially with the legal status of Jews), since a heated discussion of such topics could force the government to dissolve the Duma. Stolypin was unable to reach an understanding with the Duma on the fundamentally important issue of reforming local government; the entire package of government bills on this topic was stuck in parliament forever. At the same time, government budget projects have always been supported by the Duma.

Law on courts-martial

The creation of this law was dictated by the conditions of revolutionary terror in the Russian Empire. Over the past few years, there have been many (tens of thousands) terrorist attacks with a total death toll of 9,000 people. Among them were both the highest officials of the state and ordinary policemen. Often the victims were random people. Several terrorist attacks were prevented personally against Stolypin and his family members, the revolutionaries sentenced to death by poisoning even Stolypin's only son, who was only 2 years old. He was killed by terrorists V. Plehve ...

Stolypin's dacha on Aptekarsky Island after the explosion

During the assassination attempt on Stolypin on August 12, 1906, two of Stolypin's children, Natalya (14 years old) and Arkady (3 years old), were also injured. At the time of the explosion, they, along with the nanny, were on the balcony and were thrown by the blast wave onto the pavement. Natalya's leg bones were crushed, she could not walk for several years, Arkady's injuries were not serious, but the children's nanny died. This attempt on Aptekarsky Island was carried out by the St. Petersburg organization of the Union of Socialist-Revolutionary Maximalists, which was formed in early 1906. The organizer was Mikhail Sokolov. August 12, Saturday, was Stolypin's reception day at the government dacha on Aptekarsky Island in St. Petersburg. Reception began at 14:00. At about half past three, a carriage drove up to the dacha, from which two people in gendarmerie uniforms got out with briefcases in their hands. In the first waiting room, the terrorists threw their briefcases to the next door and rushed away. There was an explosion of great force, more than 100 people were injured: 27 people died on the spot, 33 were seriously injured, many later died.

The prime minister himself and the visitors in his office received bruises (the door was torn off its hinges).

August 19 were introduced courts-martial to expedite the handling of terrorist cases. The trial took place within a day after the commission of the crime. The trial could last no more than two days, the sentence was carried out in 24 hours. The introduction of courts-martial was due to the fact that the military courts showed, in the opinion of the government, excessive leniency and dragged out the consideration of cases. Whereas in the military courts cases were heard in front of the accused, who could use the services of defense counsel and represent their witnesses, in the military courts the accused were deprived of all rights.

In his speech of March 13, 1907, before the deputies of the Second Duma, Stolypin justified the need for this law to work as follows: The state can, the state is obliged, when it is in danger, to adopt the most stringent, most exclusive laws in order to protect itself from disintegration.

Artist O. Leonov "Stolypin"

During the six years of the law (from 1906 to 1911), from 683 to 6 thousand people were executed by the verdicts of courts-martial, and 66 thousand were sentenced to hard labor. Most executions were carried out by hanging.

Subsequently, Stolypin was sharply condemned for such harsh measures. The death penalty was rejected by many, and its use was directly associated with the policy pursued by Stolypin . The terms "rapid justice" and "Stolypin's reaction" came into use. Cadet F. I. Rodichev, during his speech in a fit of temper, made an insulting expression "Stolypin's tie", referring to executions. The prime minister challenged him to a duel. Rodichev publicly apologized, which was accepted. Despite this, the expression "Stolypin's tie" has become catchy. By these words was meant the noose of the gallows.

Many prominent people of that time spoke out against the courts-martial: Leo Tolstoy, Leonid Andreev, Alexander Blok, Ilya Repin. The law on courts-martial was not submitted by the government for approval to the Third Duma and automatically expired on April 20, 1907. But as a result of the measures taken, the revolutionary terror was suppressed. The state order in the country was preserved.

I. Repin "Portrait of Stolypin"

Russification of Finland

During Stolypin's premiership, the Grand Duchy of Finland was a special region of the Russian Empire. He pointed out the unacceptability of certain features of power in Finland (many revolutionaries and terrorists were hiding from justice there). In 1908, he ensured that Finnish cases affecting Russian interests were considered in the Council of Ministers.

Jewish question

In the Russian Empire of the times of Stolypin, the Jewish question was a problem of national importance. There were a number of restrictions for the Jews. In particular, outside the so-called Pale of Settlement, they were prohibited from permanent residence. Such inequality in relation to part of the population of the empire on religious grounds led to the fact that many young people who were infringed in their rights went to revolutionary parties. But the solution of this issue progressed with difficulty. Stolypin believed that Wraiths have legal rights to seek full equality.

Assassination attempts on Stolypin

From 1905 to 1911, 11 attempts were made on Stolypin, the last of which achieved its goal. The assassination attempts in the Saratov province were spontaneous, and then they became more organized. The bloodiest is the assassination attempt on Aptekarsky Island, which we have already talked about. Some attempts were uncovered in the process of their preparation. At the end of August 1911, Emperor Nicholas II with his family and associates, including Stolypin, were in Kyiv on the occasion of the opening of the monument to Alexander II. On September 14, 1911, the emperor and Stolypin attended the play "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" at the Kiev city theater. The head of the Kyiv security department had information that terrorists had arrived in the city with a specific purpose. The information was obtained from secret informant Dmitry Bogrov. It turned out that he was the one who planned the assassination. By pass, he went to the city opera house, during the second intermission he approached Stolypin and fired twice: the first bullet hit his arm, the second one hit his stomach, hitting his liver. After being wounded, Stolypin crossed the tsar, sank heavily into a chair and said: "Happy to die for the Tsar." Four days later, Stolypin's condition deteriorated sharply, and he died the next day. There is an opinion that shortly before his death, Stolypin said: "They will kill me, and the members of the guard will kill me."

In the first lines of Stolypin's opened will, it was written: "I want to be buried where they will kill me." Stolypin's instructions were carried out: Stolypin was buried in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Conclusion

The assessment of Stolypin's activity is contradictory and ambiguous. Some single out only negative aspects in it, others consider him a "brilliant political figure", a person who could save Russia from future wars, defeats and revolutions. We would like to quote lines from the book by S. Rybas "Stolypin", which very accurately characterize the attitude of people towards historical figures: “... from this figure emanates the eternal tragedy of a Russian educated active person: in an extreme situation, when the traditional methods of government cease to work, he comes to the fore, when the situation stabilizes, he begins to annoy, and he is removed from the political arena. And then nobody is really interested in the person, the symbol remains.”

On September 14, 1911, Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin was mortally wounded in the Kiev Theater. Let's remember this outstanding person, who, according to the results of the All-Russian Internet poll conducted in 2008 “The Name of Russia. Historical Choice 2008” took 2nd place (after Alexander Nevsky).

Date of birth: April 14, 1862
Date of death: September 18, 1911
Birthplace: Dresden, Saxony, Germany

Stolypin Pyotr Arkadievich - a prominent statesman and major reformer of Russia, State Councilor, Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister.

Childhood

Father, Arkady Dmitrievich, after participating in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, was appointed governor of the Balkans (Eastern Rumelia). Mother, Natalya Mikhailovna (nee - Gorchakova), was from the oldest family of Rurikovich. Being in the last month of pregnancy, she went to relatives in Dresden, where she gave birth to Peter. His childhood was spent in the Serednikovo estate and the Kolnoberge estate.

Education

From 1874 to 1879, Peter studied at the Vilna Gymnasium (modern Vilnius), from 1879 to 1881 - in Orel. Already in the years of study, he stood out among his peers with prudence, seriousness and a strong character. After high school, he graduated from the Imperial University (Physics and Mathematics) in St. Petersburg.

Career

Documents about the beginning of the career of the great reformer have not been preserved. Information on this subject is very contradictory: some argue that after university Stolypin worked in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Industry, others immediately call the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, it is known for certain that in two years Stolypin immediately overcame 5 steps of the bureaucratic ladder: 1886 - the rank of collegiate secretary (corresponded to the X class of the table of ranks), 1887 - assistant clerk (VII class), 1888 - the title of chamber junker (V class ).

In 1889, Stolypin was appointed marshal of the nobility in Koven (modern Kaunas) and chairman of the court of conciliators. In this position, Pyotr Arkadievich is actively engaged in the development of agriculture and continues to move up the career ladder: one after another, promotions, titles and awards are pouring in on him.

In 1902, on the initiative of Plehve, Stolypin was appointed governor of Grodno. In Grodno, Stolypin carried out educational and agricultural reforms, but did not have time to turn around, as he was sent as governor to Saratov.

In 1906, by telegram, Stolypin was summoned to an appointment with the emperor, who offered him the dangerous post of Minister of the Interior. At that time, both previous ministers were killed by revolutionaries, Stolypin himself had already been the victim of assassination attempts 4 times, so it is quite clear that Pyotr Arkadyevich tried to refuse such royal mercy. Nicholas II had no choice but to simply order. In the same year, he concurrently became prime minister.

Suffrage reforms

It was Stolypin who had to restrain the aggression of the First State Duma and participate in its dissolution. He did not have a relationship with the Second Duma, after the dissolution of which Stolypin carried out a number of reforms in the electoral system of the Russian Empire. The III Duma was already convened in accordance with the reforms carried out and was the brainchild of Stolypin, but in this way he could completely control it.

Law on courts-martial

For the rigidity of this law, adopted by Stolypin in 1907, the reformer was criticized, but he was forced to somehow stop the wave of bloody terror that swept the country in the early years of the 20th century: prominent statesmen, governors and ordinary people died at the hands of terrorists. According to this law, the offender was tried within 24 hours immediately after the commission of the crime at the same place where he was caught, and the sentence was carried out immediately within 24 hours.

Autonomy of Finland

The Principality of Finland was considered a special territory of the Russian Empire, which had its own autonomy. Stolypin carried out a number of decisive measures and achieved the limitation of this autonomy: since 1908, all the affairs of Finland were decided only through the Ministry of the Interior.

agrarian reform

Stolypin began to carry it out almost immediately. The main goal of the reform was the introduction of private ownership of land among the peasants and the settlement of free lands in Siberia, where entire wagons with peasants went. The reform promised excellent results, but the untimely death of Stolypin interrupted its progress.

In 1911, just before his death, Stolypin managed to organize zemstvos in the western provinces.

Personal life

The personal life of the great reformer was very interesting. Having tragic origins, his marriage was long and happy. Peter's older brother, Mikhail, died in a duel, but before his death he bequeathed his bride, Olga Borisovna Neidgardt, to his younger brother. She was the great-great-granddaughter of Suvorov and at that time was at the court of the Empress as a maid of honor.

So Olga became the wife of Stolypin. There is no information about scandals and betrayals in the Stolypin family, so we can assume that the family life of the great politician was a success. The marriage produced 5 girls and 1 boy.

Death

In September 1811, Stolypin was with the emperor in Kyiv, where he was mortally wounded by the revolutionary Bogrov, who shot him twice at point blank range. The great reformer was buried in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The main achievements of Stolypin

The revolution of 1905-1907 was suppressed, and the Second State Duma was dissolved, thanks to Stolypin.
Author of the agrarian reform (Stolypin). It envisaged the establishment of peasant private ownership of land.
He passed a law on courts-martial, which toughened punishments for serious crimes.
Established zemstvos in the western provinces.

Important dates in Stolypin's biography

1862 - birth
1874-1879 - Vilna Gymnasium
1879-1881 - Oryol Gymnasium
1881-1885 - study at St. Petersburg University
1889-1902 - district leader of the nobility in the Coven
1893 - Order of St. Anne
1901 - state councilor
1902 - Governor of Grodno
1906 Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister, agrarian reform
1907 Courts-Martial Law
1908 - limitation of the autonomy of the Principality of Finland
1911 - the establishment of zemstvos in the western provinces, death

Interesting facts from the life of Stolypin

Stolypin famously said: "They need great upheavals - we need a great Russia."
Stolypin was a second cousin of the great poet of the 19th century, M. Yu. Lermontov.
While studying at the Imperial University of St. Petersburg, Stolypin was lucky enough to become a student of D. I. Mendeleev himself.
Stolypin had poor control of his right hand. There is evidence that he shot himself in a duel with Shakhovsky, the murderer of his brother, who wounded Peter in the right hand.
Historians count 11 assassination attempts that were made on the great reformer.
In 1906, an explosion was organized on Aptekarsky Island, in the minister's mansion: dozens of people who found themselves in the house were killed. Stolypin's daughter, Natalia, was severely injured in her legs and could not walk for a long time. Son Arkady received bruises. Their nanny died in front of their eyes.

Stolypin Pyotr Arkadievich - a prominent statesman and major reformer of Russia, State Councilor, Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister.