Decembrists. The Rebellions of Reformers

The uprising of December 14, 1825, marked a new milestone in Russian history. Despite its tragic outcome, it had a colossal impact on the further development of social and political thought in Russia and still, 200 years later, requires the closest study and reflection.
Who were those young reformers who decided to defend their ideals with weapons in hand; what goals did they pursue, and how united were they in their noble aspirations? These and other questions concerning the uprising of 1825 still provoke the liveliest interest and heated discussions today.
The author of this book is the renowned historian and publicist Yakov Arkadyevich Gordin. The phenomenon of the Decembrist movement became one of the central themes of his research. Drawing on a wide range of sources (the memories of the participants in the uprising, testimonies of contemporaries, investigative materials, archival documents, etc.), and considering the extensive scientific and historical literature, Y.A. Gordin reconstructs the events of December 14, 1825, and the preceding months, tracing the actions of the main conspirators and individuals from the government camp. The book revisits and, in many ways, clarifies established ideas about both the course of the uprising and the motives of its participants. An essay devoted to the political role of the Russian guard in the 18th - early 19th centuries precedes the key events. Skillfully written, the book is addressed to all who are interested in the history of Russia.