On December 26, 1825, on Senate Square in St. Petersburg, the Decembrists openly declared their existence and demanded changes in the Russian autocracy. But it all began much earlier. The beginning was set during the Great Patriotic War of 1812. Pursuing Napoleon's retreating armies, Russian troops entered Paris. Historians believe that it was there that Russian officers "breathed" the free air of Europe.
When Emperor Alexander I died, the empire was faced with a choice. Since Alexander left no heirs, the throne had to be divided between his brothers - the elder Konstantin and Nikolai Pavlovich. However, the division took place very strangely - both of them renounced the throne in favor of the other. Konstantin was still the more liberal-minded one, and as an older man, his claims to the throne had greater legal weight. That is why the conspirators from the secret societies took his side.
In all this commotion, the demands of the Decembrists somehow got lost and few remembered what they were demanding. As early as 1818, the leader of the opposition, Sergei Muravyov, wrote in detail the ultimate goals of the conspiracy. And they were - as we call them today - in the sphere of universal human values: to eliminate serfdom, to grant equal rights before the law to all citizens, freedom of the press, religion, occupations, courts with the appropriate number of jurors, as well as to cancel universal military service. It was insisted that all state civil service positions be filled only by persons selected through competitions.
The Decembrists saw only peaceful protest as a method of struggle. At the same time, the regime organized a secret police.