Sergei Vasilyevich Zubatov
Encyclopedia
Sergei Vasilyevich Zubatov (March 2 (O.S.
), 1864, Moscow
- March 15 (N.S.
), 1917, Moscow
) was a famous Russia
n police administrator
. Despite rumors, he was never a Colonel
(Polkovnik
) in the Special Corps of Gendarmes
. He was a director of the Moscow
security (Okhrana) Bureau between 1896 and 1902 and Director of the Special Section of the Interior Ministry's (MVD's) Department of Police in 1902-1903.
Despite his deeply held monarchist convictions, Zubatov earnestly believed that repression alone could not crush the revolutionary movement. He therefore also promoted the organization of pro-government trade unions to channel protest away from agitation between 1901 and 1903, a practice named police socialism or lambasted by revolutionary activists as Zubatovshchina (зуба́товщина) after him, which gained support from Moscow Governor General, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich
. The first such organisation was set up under the name of The community of mutual help of the workers in mechanized industry (Общество взаимного вспомоществования рабочих в механическом производстве); others were formed in Odessa
, Kiev
and Minsk
. However, he was unable to persuade the government to enact any actual improvement in labour legislation and the entrepreneurs were not happy about the trade unions either. After a series of strikes, in August 1903 Zubatov was expelled personally from his position as director of the Special Section by Interior Minister Vyacheslav von Plehve
, and the state-sponsored trade unions were disbanded. After the assassination of Plehve in July 1904, he refused to return to the service, partly in order to protect the life of his son, whom he feared revolutionary activists might threaten. He retired to private life, living off his state pension.
He fatally shot himself during the February Revolution
after hearing the news of the Tsar
's abdication
.
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
), 1864, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- March 15 (N.S.
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
), 1917, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) was a famous Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n police administrator
Administration (government)
The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "Barack Obama administration." It can also mean an executive branch agency...
. Despite rumors, he was never a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(Polkovnik
Polkovnik
Polkovnik is often a military rank in Slavic countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states. However, in the Ukraine, polkovnyk was an administrative rank similar to a governor...
) in the Special Corps of Gendarmes
Special Corps of Gendarmes
The Special Corps of Gendarmes was the uniformed security police of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its main responsibilities were law enforcement and state security....
. He was a director of the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
security (Okhrana) Bureau between 1896 and 1902 and Director of the Special Section of the Interior Ministry's (MVD's) Department of Police in 1902-1903.
Biography
Zubatov was a member of the revolutionary movement in his teens, but soon he became dissatisfied with revolutionaries and was easily persuaded to become an informant of the Moscow security Okhrana bureau. Unmasked as an informant in 1888, he started his official service in the agency in 1889 and gradually rose to head the Moscow office in 1896. He systematized security policing in Russia, using the typical methods then prevalent in Europe of plainclothes police detectives known as filyory (филёры) whose actions he coordinated with the centerpiece of his system, undercover informants (секретные сотрудники). He was a master at interrogating radical activists and occasionally winning them over to his side, arguing that the Imperial Russian state could do more for the poor than could terrorists and agitators who would only bring down upon the people the heavy hand of reaction.Despite his deeply held monarchist convictions, Zubatov earnestly believed that repression alone could not crush the revolutionary movement. He therefore also promoted the organization of pro-government trade unions to channel protest away from agitation between 1901 and 1903, a practice named police socialism or lambasted by revolutionary activists as Zubatovshchina (зуба́товщина) after him, which gained support from Moscow Governor General, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia...
. The first such organisation was set up under the name of The community of mutual help of the workers in mechanized industry (Общество взаимного вспомоществования рабочих в механическом производстве); others were formed in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. However, he was unable to persuade the government to enact any actual improvement in labour legislation and the entrepreneurs were not happy about the trade unions either. After a series of strikes, in August 1903 Zubatov was expelled personally from his position as director of the Special Section by Interior Minister Vyacheslav von Plehve
Vyacheslav von Plehve
Vyacheslav Konstantinovich von Plehve , also Pléhve, or Pleve was the director of Imperial Russia's police and later Minister of the Interior.- Biography :...
, and the state-sponsored trade unions were disbanded. After the assassination of Plehve in July 1904, he refused to return to the service, partly in order to protect the life of his son, whom he feared revolutionary activists might threaten. He retired to private life, living off his state pension.
He fatally shot himself during the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
after hearing the news of the Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
's abdication
Abdication
Abdication occurs when a monarch, such as a king or emperor, renounces his office.-Terminology:The word abdication comes derives from the Latin abdicatio. meaning to disown or renounce...
.