Could the Russian autocrat for many years actively deal with the country’s environmental problems – take care of the cleanliness of rivers and air, as well as the preservation of forests ?
This question looks rather unusual. After all, everyone is accustomed to believing that in the 18th and 19th centuries, no environmental problems simply existed. However, that is exactly what happened. It's true. From the moment of his accession to the throne, Emperor Nicholas I over and over again approved decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers that made it possible to combat environmental pollution and uncontrolled deforestation. At first glance, the same goals were pursued by the regulation “On limiting the number of factories and factories newly established in Moscow and its district”, which he approved 175 years ago, on June 26, 1849*. But the situation in the world and the country had changed by that time and in fact the planned measures had a different meaning. About which one – the text “Clusters of homeless and immoral people.”
It was also true that during the time of Ivan the Terrible, English merchants helped break through the blockade of Rus' created by neighboring countries and delivered weapons, equipment for troops and urgently needed technical and military specialists to Arkhangelsk. But the Russian merchants had their own truth about the activities of their British brothers who received enormous rights and advantages. And finding out whose truth is purer, although delayed for a long time, still happened. About its results – the material “For a long time the British could not recover from sensitive losses.”
The need to educate young people in a patriotic spirit did not raise any doubts among anyone in Russia. And almost everyone recognized that the methods of developing love for the fatherland, developed in Europe, and primarily in Germany, needed to be studied and borrowed. However, the collision with the real results of the work of their German colleagues turned out to be quite shocking for Russian teachers. There is an article about this in our regular column “Forgotten Life” – “Improving the health of secondary schools is an important state issue.”
No less strong feelings were experienced in the post-revolutionary years by all those who had to deal with bureaucracy and corruption in the seemingly new state apparatus. And it was true that the top management shared this indignation and decided to fight these negative phenomena. However, a completely different goal was also pursued. About it – the text “The mold of the old bureaucracy has covered our institutions.”
It was also true that many students of the Literary Institute did not have special talents and prospects to become real poets, writers and playwrights. But the real reason for the decision to close this educational institution was hidden in something else. About the difficult fate of the university for the engineers of human souls – the article “As lively as they are talentless young men and women.”
This issue of the monthly “Kommersant-History” is about what they always try to hide with the help of the pure truth.
Contents
“For a long time the British could not recover from sensitive losses”/What hides the introduction of highly moral sanctions
“Accumulations of homeless and immoral people”/What industries were prohibited from being created in Moscow
“Improving the health of secondary schools is an important state issue” /What foreign experience did the masters of patriotic education master
“The mold of the old bureaucracy has covered our institutions”/How the Kremlin tried to restore real control over government agencies
“So as lively as they are mediocre young men and women”/Why they decided to close the Literary Institute
*All dates before February 1, 1918 are given according to the old style.
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