Kommersant-History №5 (150) – Kommersant
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Do you know what constitutes the basis of the diet of the Russian ruling class?
No, this is not about the secrets of the Kremlin cuisine. Both domestic and foreign delicacies have absolutely nothing to do with it.
In the 18th century, A.P. Volynsky was considered one of the smartest people of his time and a sophisticated courtier, who rose to the rank of Ober-Jägermeister with the rank of full general and served as Cabinet Minister of Empress Anna Ioannovna. For some time he was even the only speaker at the autocrat on all matters, which turned him into one of the most important people in the empire.
He was also called a great patriot. Since he preferred to take bribes from foreigners and non-believers. And he extorted money from fellow Russians, only when there was no one else to take from. Dislike for the Germans who surrounded the Empress turned out to be disastrous for him. But his overthrow from the heights of power was not without the participation of natural Russian courtiers. They say that after that Volynsky remarked in his hearts:
“We Russians don’t need bread: we eat each other and that’s why we are full.”
But, perhaps, the disgraced dignitary on the eve of the execution exaggerated too much? If he was wrong, then only in one. Over the years that have passed since then, this feature has become characteristic of very many in the Russian elite, regardless of nationality.
Take, for example, a story from the early Soviet period. Three writers who grew up in the era of revolutionary sexual freedom did not catch the change of mood in the highest echelons of power and turned out to be objects of exemplary punishment, including nationwide defamation. And even recent comrades-in-arms and like-minded people ate them as food. And the Supreme Court of the RSFSR adopted an even stranger decision in their strange case. All details are in the text. “Skillfully arranged a wolf trap”.
It has long been known that in the struggle for their own well-being, officials at all times did not spare the belly of someone else. But the way this happened under the banner of the struggle for the happiness of the people deserves special attention. Details are in the article. “An Excess State of Paper Parasites”.
The most difficult years of the Great Patriotic War were no exception, when, with sufficient provision of troops with food, the soldiers were malnourished and died of exhaustion. This is a publication “All these commanders have forgotten the best traditions of the Russian army”.
And tsarist times differed from Soviet times mainly in that the “eating” of people took on more sophisticated forms. So, 200 years ago, on April 10, 1823*, the State Council adopted a decision approved by Emperor Alexander I, which greatly complicated the life of those who decided to lay down their monastic rank and return to their former lives. And over the years, they tried to make the life of church disobedients completely unbearable. About how – in the material “By carnal sin”.
About these and other examples confirming the correctness of the freethinker and courtier Volynsky – this issue of the monthly “Kommersant-History”.
Content
“By carnal sin” / What did church disobedients face
“This price increases with a small amount of the fallen” / What money fell from the sky
“An Excess State of Paper Parasites” / How a special managerial sport appeared
“Skillfully arranged a wolf trap” / How the government trained the intelligentsia
*All dates before February 1, 1918 are given according to the old style.
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