The burning of moscow, a. D. 1812 part 2

There were several trials in store for Moscow6 during the so-called "Troubled Times" of the early 17th century when the city fell under foreign domination. The fight to set Moscow free came to be identified in the Russian people's minds with the struggle for their national independence. The popular levy, headed by Minin and Pozharsky, struck a decisive blow and routed the Polish invaders who had entrenched themselves in the Kremlin.

Bitter tribulations came to Moscow with the war of 1812. But its spirit was unbroken. Russian patriots decided to set Moscow ablaze rather than surrender their beloved city to Napoleon. It was at the approaches of Moscow that the Russian people usually inflicted serious defeat on the foreign invaders who always suffered heavy material and moral losses.

When the French Emperor who expected the Russian troops to engage и his army first came within sight of Moscow, he gazed long and thoughtfully on that goal of his wishes. Murat was the first to enter the gates with his splendid cavalry; but as he passed along the streets he was struck by complete solitude that surrounded him: a deserted and abandoned city was the prize for which such unparalleled efforts had been made.

As night drew, Napoleon entered the city, and on appointing Mortier Governor, commanded him to abstain from all pillage. "For this," said he, "you shall be answerable with your life. Defend Moscow against all, whether friend or foe." Mortier obeyed but felt that some calamity was hanging over the silent capital. The feeling did not deceive him: at midnight when the cry of "Fire" reached his ear, he realised that it was the burning of Moscow, but he was too tired to take action.

Soon the city presented a spectacle the like of which had never been seen before and which baffles all description. Flames burst on every side and were raging through the whole city until the latter became one gigantic flame waving to and fro, one boundless sea of fire. The fire was ap­proaching the Kremlin when the Emperor reluctantly consented to leave. Mortier saw him descend into the streets with his staff, but the flames blocked every passage. At length, with great difficulty, Napoleon reached the palace of Petrovsky, where he took up his quarters.

Russia in 1917

In the nineties of the 19th century the centre of the world revolutionary movement shifted to Russia. The revolutionary crisis assumed here an ex­ceedingly sharp form. Russia was burdened by the yoke of tsarist autoc­racy which could not cope with the military as well as other tasks the country was faced with during the war. Economic destruction, hunger and chaos in state affairs, enormous discontent of the population and the military defeat of tsarism - all this facilitated the creation of a revolutionary situation in the country.

In February 1917, Russia was the scene of a revolutionary outbreak which resulted in the overthrow of tsarist autocracy and the abdication of the last monarch of the Romanov dynasty Nickolas II.

The Provisional Government under Kerensky that finally took power neither wanted nor was able to meet the vital needs of the people. Lenin, who returned from exile in Switzerland, called for preparation for the armed insurrection. Under Trotsky, who was already Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, a military revolutionary committee was set up to direct the actions of the Red Guard, the sailors and soldiers. By the morning of 8 November, such strategic objectives as the State Sank, telephone exchange and post office had been successfully captured along with railway stations and bridges. The success of the operations of 7-8 November was largely due to the cir­cumstance that there was virtually no opposition to them. The Provisional Government was no more.

The same night the second all-Russian Congress of Soviets made a reality the slogan "All power to the Soviets" and ratified a series of decrees: the Decree on Peace, which called for an immediate armistice and invited all peoples and governments at war to begin immediate negotiations for a just and democratic peace, the Decree on Land, which abolished without compensation the private ownership of large estates. The Congress set up the Council of People's Commissars as supreme executive authority in Russia, with Lenin at the head. In the first days of Soviet power, Lenin drew up the "Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People" which later formed the basis of the first Soviet Constitution.