After the victory over Napoleon, many representatives of the Russian intelligentsia and officers became convinced that serfdom and autocracy were destructive for Russia. A revolutionary movement has ripened in the country, whose representatives wanted to change the current state of affairs. In December 1825, the most active members of the opposition attempted an armed uprising, after which they became known as the Decembrists.
The origin of the Decembrist movement
The movement of revolutionaries, which were later called the Decembrists, had its own ideology. It was formed under the influence of the liberation campaigns of the Russian army in the countries of Europe. Fighting with the Napoleonic army, the best representatives of the Russian officer corps got acquainted with the political life of other countries, which was very different from the regime that reigned in Russia.
Many representatives of the nobility and the advanced intelligentsia, who joined the opposition movement, were also familiar with the works of the French enlightenment. The ideas of great thinkers were in tune with the thoughts of those who expressed dissatisfaction with the policies of the government of Alexander I. Many progressively-minded oppositionists hatched plans for a constitution.
The ideology of the opposition movement was directed against tsarism and serfdom, which became a brake on the progressive development of Russia. Gradually, a network of conspirators formed in the country, waiting for a convenient moment to begin their speech. Such conditions arose in December 1825.
