The Republic of Mari El is not large either in territory or in population. But in the Mari folk song it is sung: “Mari region is a beautiful region!” And indeed, he is wonderful. Villages and towns lie among forests and fields. From village to village, from city to city, there are roads and paths that invite you to walk and drive through the beautiful Mari land, across the land Onara . Onar is a kind giant, a tireless worker and a fearless defender of the people Marie . He is strong, handsome, noble. He is more sung than all the Mari heroes, exalted above the people.

******

Republic of Mari El with center of Yoshkar-Ola located in center of the European part of Russia, V middle reaches of the Volga. If you look at the map of Russia Mari El borders with the Nizhny Novgorod and Kirov regions, with the republics of Tatarstan and Chuvashia.
Almost the entire territory of the republic is covered forests : pine, spruce-fir And mixed. Most of the territory swampy lowland, in the east hills of Vyatsky Uval.
Main rivers — Volga and its left tributaries: Vetluga, Rutka, Bolshaya and Malaya Kokshaga, Ilet; the northeast of the region belongs to the basin Vyatki .

History of the Mari region

The Mari are the only people in Europe, a significant part of which did not accept either Islam or Christianity

For a long period this territory was the scene of a brutal struggle between West And East, Europe And Asia, Christianity And Islam, Slavs And Turks. Therefore, the Mari became dependent either on the Khazar Kaganate, or on the Volga Bulgaria, the Golden Horde, or the Kazan Khanate. In the middle of the 16th century, the Mari region was annexed to the Russian state and from now on fate Mari people closely intertwined with the history of Russia. The Mari are the only people in Europe, a significant part of which did not accept either Islam or Christianity. Many Mari pray in sacred groves, hold pagan holidays, and perform rituals that have survived to this day from ancient times.

On the territory of the Republic of Mari El there are preserved archaeological sources , dating back to the first millennium BC. Since writing cheremisy (modern name mari) did not have until modern times, then all information about the history of the Middle Volga is associated with Russian sources. The Cheremis were first reliably mentioned in the 10th century in a letter from the Khazar Kagan Joseph to the dignitary of the Cordoba Caliph Hasdai ibn Shaprut. The ancestors of modern Mari between the 5th and 8th centuries interacted with the Goths, later with the Khazars and Volga Bulgaria, which was located on the territory of modern Tatarstan, and was destroyed in 1236 by the Mongol troops of Batu Khan who attacked Rus'. The Mari, apparently, were in allied relations with the Golden Horde that formed after this. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the Mari were part of the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate.

Since the 9th century, the Mari also came into contact with the Slavs of Kievan Rus, who were moving eastward and settled the cities of Rostov, Galich, Yaroslavl, Suzdal, Vladimir and in 1221 Nizhny Novgorod on the land of the Western Mari. Gradually, the Western Mari, after accepting Christianity, become glorified; those who do not want to accept Christianity flee to the east, deep into the Mari region. In the Middle Ages, Russian-Tatar clashes on the Mari lands became commonplace (with the Mari on the side of the Tatars). For the time being, the Tatars and Mari gain the upper hand, but then Ivan the Terrible starts a war: in 1551, the lands of the mountain Mari (the right bank of the Volga) fall under the control of Moscow, and in 1552, the tsarist troops take Kazan, and the meadow Mari begin to pay tribute to Moscow. Then systematic colonization began: for example, Cheboksary was founded in 1555, Kozmodemyansk in 1583, Tsarevokokshaisk in 1584, now Yoshkar-Ola.

The first Mari grammar of Putsek-Grigorovich appeared in 1792

Despite the forced Christianization carried out over several centuries, a significant part of the Mari retained pagan pre-Christian beliefs . Forced Christianization led to the fact that the Mari went into the forests, leaving entire villages empty. Under Peter I, something began to change: the Mari were drafted into the army, scientific exploration of the territory began, and the first written monuments of the Mari language were compiled. The first Mari grammar of Putsek-Grigorovich appeared in 1792. The Mari language belongs to the Volga-Finnish group of the Finno-Ugric family . There is a written language based on the Cyrillic alphabet, and newspapers are published.

Tsarev city on Kokshaga

There are countless large cities on earth.
And you won’t be able to travel around them in a whole year.
But in any land I always sing about one thing:

Yoshkar-Ola, I see again
Bridges over spring Kokshaga.
Yoshkar-Ola, land of fathers,
You are forever in my heart.

And you in the distance, my good city,
I remember it as if it were my own home.
Let the years fly, I am your faithful son forever!
L. Derbenev (“Song about Yoshkar-Ola”)

Tsarev city on Kokshaga (from here the official name of the city was later formed for a long time Tsarevokokshaysk ) was founded in 1584 under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich after the death of Ivan the Terrible. It is traditional to begin the description of the history of the city with the first written mention of it. In the life of Yoshkar-Ola there is such a date November 1, 1584 . This city was first described in "Economic notes of Tsarevokokshay district" : “This city was built without a plan in an irregular quadrangular, oblong figure, with a circumference of four miles and a hundred fathoms. In that city there are two fortresses, fortified on the eastern side by a river, and on the southern, western and northern side by an earthen rampart, there are 5 stone and 29 wooden houses.”. Yes, the Tsarev city on Kokshag was originally a small military fortress typical of the Middle Ages, surrounded by ramparts and wooden walls. There were passages in the towers of the wall. Next to the walls on the outside there were ditches, usually filled with water.

They started to settle here artisans, traders, peasants . The main occupation of the population becomes agriculture . In the vicinity of the city it was grown hop, prospered furry, forest, And distillery. But the bulk of the population was still made up of military personnel. In the 18th century, the first industrial enterprises appeared in the city, and there was a boom in stone construction. The city began to hold Alexander-Elizabeth Fair . At the same time, merchant dynasties formed in the city. The city was located on the banks of two small and interconnected overgrown lakes, or rather swamps, which over time completely disappeared, and in their place arose market square . This is historical Center cities.

Yoshkar-Ola is included in the number of historical cities of Russia

Name "Yoshkar-Ola" "red city" . In 1990, the city was included in the number of historical cities of Russia. Until the middle of the 16th century, the territory of modern Yoshkar-Ola was part of the Galician Daruga of the Kazan Khanate and was inhabited by indigenous Mari. In October 1552, Ivan the Terrible defeated the Kazan Khanate and annexed these lands to the Moscow state, but the local population did not want to submit to the new orders of the Moscow government, and already in the spring of 1553 a broad national liberation movement began. Ivan the Terrible used his Moscow troops to suppress the uprisings, who were content with only temporary military resource bases in this territory. But the uprisings did not stop, and it was decided to build “fortress cities” here to pacify the rebels. The city of Yoshkar-Ola owes its birth to this event.

The city has six palaces of culture, five theaters, 2 cinemas, 5 museums, more than 200 historical and cultural monuments

Now Yoshkar-Ola capital of the Republic of Mari El with modern residential buildings and developed infrastructure. This is the cultural center of the republic. The city has six palaces of culture, five theaters, 2 cinemas, 5 museums, of which the largest National Museum named after T. V. Evseeva, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of the History of Yoshkar-Ola And National Gallery of Art. There are many in the city parks, squares , there are more than 200 historical and cultural monuments. Among the masterpieces of architecture protected by the state are Church of the Ascension(1756), Pchelin's House (mid-18th century), House of Soviets (1937).
The city of Yoshkar-Ola is not only surrounded on almost all sides by green forests , but is also traditionally considered one of the greenest cities in Russia. A large complex of urban forests is complemented by water protection zones of rivers, reservoirs, and forest protection belts along roads and railways. Operating since 1939 Botanical Garden of Mari State Technical University, which is federal specially protected natural area.

Yoshkar-Ola is one of the ancient and beautiful cities of the Middle Volga region. The fate of the city is rich in historical events. It has gone through a lot and these days has acquired a completely new look. Yoshkar-Ola is a city of amazing destiny, where old and new harmoniously coexist, and time is acutely felt, moving from the past to the future.

I love you, Yoshkar-Ola.
You are good in winter and summer.
You bloomed like a red flower
And I sing about it loudly.
V. Zubarev.

The modern city of Yoshkar-Ola is not deprived of anything beauty, nor originality. They get along in it and antiquity, And youth, simplicity And greatness. The city's streets, squares and boulevards are unique. A Malaya Kokshaga river in green frame a true decoration of the city. Main street in Yoshkar-Ola Lenin Avenue is considered. The avenue directly from the reinforced concrete bridge across the river seems to open up the city center. Pushkin Street is rightfully considered street of culture . The calling card of Yoshkar-Ola as the cultural capital of the republic has become National Library named after S. G. Chavain. It is deeply symbolic that the main book depository of the Republic is located precisely on Pushkin Street, named after the Russian poet who had a huge influence on S. G. Chavain. And here is Chavaina Boulevard, named after the founder of Mari literature. Beginning in 1903, Sergei Grigoryevich Chavain created works that were included in the golden fund of Mari literature.

I didn't look here by accident:
Lines of songs of acquaintances are called
On the wide boulevard Chavaina
Even in autumn roses bloom.

From Kokshagi to the park itself,
Stretching out a living path
Blazing, swaying brightly
And they nod their heads
A. Yuzykain

Modern Yoshkar-Ola is a beautiful and elegant city. Picturesque groves surround him on all sides. All summer long they grow in squares, boulevards, and gardens. roses rustling leaves maples, birches, poplars.

There are many cities on earth,
But you are forever dear to my heart,
Dressed in the greenery of gardens,
Dear Yoshkar-Ola.

In the city above Kokshaga, mighty wings opened for a majestic takeoff first Mari composer Ivan Palantai , talented musician Pavel Toidemar , gifted singers Alexander Yanay, Vera Smirnova, Leonid Krasnov , prominent artists Vasily Yashkov . Anastasia Tikhonova, artist Valerian Vasiliev . The life and work of almost all Mari writers and poets are closely connected with Yoshkar-Ola. They lived and worked here founders of Mari literature S. G. Chavain, Ya. P. Mayorov-Shketan, Shabdar Osyp, Olyk Ipay, Nikandr Lekain, Alexander Tok .

Marie art

Story professional musical art among different peoples indicates that the initial steps of their development were largely based on folklore and ethnographic basis (among the Mari, for example, this is creativity I. S. Palantaya, Y. A. Eshpaya ). Works created on this basis and enriched, creatively reworked, have become an important part of the national culture. Works that are limited, even if only to external folklore characteristics, can acquire a certain interethnic spiritual significance. An example would be the work V. Kupriyanova “Shika-Vika”, when the composer, taking a simple mountain-Mari comic melody, created a complete musical picture on its basis, in the same sense one can call “Festive” by Yu. Evdokimov. All of them, with their rhythmic tempos and collective form of performance, reflect the positive attitude of the people towards modern life.

Two national folklore groups of the Republic“Mari Pamash” and “Mari El” are major phenomena of Mari national art. The ensemble "Mari El" became famous dancing , in which a broad search for new forms of creative expression is manifested, not always based on national folklore choreographic material. The ensemble "Mari Pamash", carefully preserving the folk basis of folklore works, enriches them with the achievements of professional art, the achievements of the same ensemble "Mari El". A rare beauty spectacle concert of the State Dance Ensemble “Mari El”. The magic of dance together with great music can transform the stage space into an extraordinary world! The ensemble was created in 1939. Originality, bright entertainment of the programs, high skill and expressiveness of performance brought the ensemble well-deserved success not only in Mari El and Russia, but also in many countries around the world.

Active concert activity in the republic and abroad is carried out by the music school created by him. I. S. Palantaya ensemble of folk instruments "Mari kundem"(“Mari Region”), the head of which until 2005 was Stanislav Elembaev. IN repertoire ensemble: arrangements of folk song and dance music, transcriptions of works by Mari composers, original works by S. Elembaev. The high professionalism of the team allowed him to twice become a diplomat of the All-Russian competition, laureate of the State Youth Prize named after. Olyka Ipaja (1996), receive the status of an orchestra of folk instruments (1999).

At the same time, the traditions of national art have not been forgotten genres of choral music. Before the revolution, the Mari region was a backward corner of Tsarist Russia. There was no professional musical art in the Republic of Mari El. But the Mari have always had a passion for music. Natural musicality was manifested in the design of simple instruments, which were sculpted from clay, made from reeds or wood. More complex folk instruments — kusle, karsh (harp), shuvir (bagpipes), marla garmon (accordion) sounded in everyday life and ritual ceremonies, accompanying the singing of the peoples of Mari El. Mari songs contain the entire history of the Mari people. These songs are living documents of the historical life of the Mari; they show his suffering, the struggle for independence, his aspirations and faith in a bright future. The modal basis of Mari music is pentatonic scale . This mode is typical for Scottish, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian music. The pentatonic zone in our country includes the art of the peoples of the Volga region (Tatars, Chuvash, Bashkirs, Udmurts, Mordovians), and partly Siberia (Buryats). The Marie pentatonic scale is meaningful, deep, whimsical, it has, like any pentatonic scale, the property of instant “recognition” and, at the same time, it is diverse enough to express any emotional states. The folklore heritage of the Mari people deserves great attention. Its collection and accumulation is very valuable, as it records the most ancient themes of the oral creativity of the Mari people, reflecting their unwritten history.

Famous fellow countrymen

Andrey Yakovlevich Eshpai born May 15, 1925 in Kozmodemyansk. In 1975 he was awarded the title People's Artist of the RSFSR . Initially, he studied music under the guidance of his father, the Mari composer and folklorist Yakov Eshpai. In 1953 he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, studying composition with Evgeniy Golubev, and piano with Vladimir Sofronitsky. He improved his composition skills there in graduate school (supervisor Aram Khachaturian). Eshpai author of many symphonies and concerts, author of music for numerous theatrical productions and films, songs. Mari folk music is reflected in “Symphonic Dances” on Mari themes (1951), the first concert for violin and orchestra (1956), the third symphony with the dedication “To the Memory of My Father” (1964), “Songs of Mountain and Meadow Mari” for symphony orchestra (1983) . Andrey Eshpai laureate of the USSR State Prize (1976), awarded orders and medals.

******

The childhood and teenage years of the famous poet Nikolai Alekseevich Zabolotsky took place in Sernur, now the regional center of Mari El, and then a village in the Urzhum district of the Vyatka province. Having left Sernur in 1917, since then he could only visit here in his memoirs and poems, where he called his small homeland "state of daisies". The first time his poems were translated into the Mari language was back in 1934. Subsequently, Mari poets and translators more than once turned to the work of their fellow countryman. One of the impressions that make up the original life “fund” of his poetry, “and winter, huge, spacious, unbearably shining on the snowy desert fields, unfolded its strange pictures before me”. And next to it is another: “Human life around was so meager! The Mari, the original inhabitants of this region, were especially poor. Poverty and hunger drove them away from the world" In the third grade of a rural school, he already “published” his own handwritten journal and published his own poems there. In addition to poetry, the young talent was interested in history, chemistry, and drawing.

The poet's early poems mixed the memories and experiences of a boy from the village, organically connected with peasant labor and native nature, impressions of student life and varied book influences. At that time, Zabolotsky singled out for himself the work of Blok and Akhmatova. In 1920, after graduating from a real school in Urzhum, he went to Moscow and entered the medical department of the university there. Very soon, however, he ends up in Petrograd, where he studies at the Department of Language and Literature of the Herzen Pedagogical Institute, which he graduates in 1925, having in his soul, by his own admission, "a voluminous notebook of bad poetry". Next year he is called up for military service. He served in Leningrad, on the Vyborg side, and already in 1927 he retired to the reserve. Despite the short-term nature and almost optional nature of military service, the encounter with "turned inside out" the world of the barracks played the role of a kind of creative catalyst in Zabolotsky’s fate: it was in In 192627 he wrote his first real poetic works , finds his own voice, unlike anyone else. Zabolotsky was fond of painting by Filonov, Chagall, Bruegel. The ability to see the world through the eyes of an artist remained with the poet throughout his life.

On March 19, 1938, Zabolotsky was arrested and then convicted on a fabricated case for anti-Soviet propaganda. He was saved from the death penalty by the fact that, despite the most severe physical tests during interrogation, he did not admit the charges of creating a counter-revolutionary organization. The experience of a victim of Stalinist repressions in memoirs “The Story of My Imprisonment” were published abroad in English in 1981, in Russia in 1988. A partial idea of ​​his camp life is given by the selection “One Hundred Letters 19381944” excerpts from letters to his wife and children. In 1946, Nikolai Alekseevich was restored to Writers' Union and received permission to live in the capital.

Historical places

National Museum of the Republic of Mari El named after Timofey Evseev is the leading scientific, methodological and information center of the republic, has unique archaeological, historical, ethnographic And natural science collections , conducts archaeological and ethnographic research on the territory of the republic and beyond its borders. The museum actively cooperates with university and academic science, and has experience in holding international and regional scientific and practical conferences, seminars and cultural events.

The museum is currently working three permanent exhibitions : “The amazing world of animals. Specially protected natural areas of the Republic of Mari El"; “Rituals of the life cycle: traditional culture of the Mari people XIX-XX”; “Pages of the history of the Mari region”. The exhibitions tell about the unique nature Republic of Mari El, introduce visitors to the flora and fauna of the region: inhabitants of forests, open spaces, river valleys, animals listed in the Red Book. Information about specially protected areas of the republic is also presented to visitors: Bolshaya Kokshaga Nature Reserve, Mari Chodra National Park, state reserves and amazing natural monuments Mari El Republic. Unique ethnographic exhibition talks about rituals, traditional activities of the Mari, and pagan religious beliefs. The exhibition presents the environment and the relationship between man and nature, the gradual development of living space by man, the world associated with the gods and religious life, and the astral cult of the Mari people.

IN exhibition “Pages of the history of the Mari region” Presents authentic material and photo-documentary materials on the most important periods in the history of the Mari region. Exhibition visitors are presented with a rich archaeological And paleontological material: ancient tools made of stone, bone, bronze, iron, ancient weapons, jewelry, household items, remains of fossil animals - mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, bison, cave bears that once lived in the Mari region. In the hall medieval history You can get acquainted with an important event in the history of the Mari people - the entry of the Mari region into the Russian state, examine medieval household items and weapons, and see a model of the Tsarevokokshaisk fortress, from the foundation of which the history of the capital of the Republic began. In the exhibition dedicated to pre-revolutionary history visitors can get acquainted with the life of representatives of various classes, see authentic costumes and household items of townspeople and peasants, merchants and intelligentsia. The life of a rich noble estate is shown in the section "Sheremetyev Castle" .

Brick walls Gothic turrets The Sheremetev estate in the village of Yurino Because of its appearance it is often called a castle. The owners of the estate were Vasily Petrovich and Olga Dmitrievna Sheremetev. Olga Sheremeteva was the sister of the famous General M.D. Skobelev, who visited them several times. The palace occupies more than a hectare in area and has almost a hundred rooms.

******

If you sail along Volga, beyond Yurin On the left side there is a wide expanse of water. This the place where the Vetluga River flows into the Volga. Since ancient times, this river was one of the main routes along which timber rafts from the Volga region were rafted. Timber trade served as a source of income for residents Kozmodemyansk , which is located downstream on the right bank. It was founded by Ivan the Terrible in 1583 as a guard fortress. According to legend, the king stopped at this place on the day of memory of Kozma and Damian. In the 19th century, the city was the second center of timber trade in the Russian Empire after Arkhangelsk. Kozmodemyansk, which has preserved its pre-revolutionary layout, can be called open air monument . It is believed that Kozmodemyansk became prototype Vasyukov described in novel "The Twelve Chairs".

On the bank of the backwater of the Volga River, in the town of Paratskaya Dacha, Kazan province, October 25, 1889 was opened sawmill of Kozmodemyansky merchant V.I. Gubin . In 1923 the plant was given the name "Zarya" .

******

The 1930s were a stormy time! Many decades have passed, but even today one cannot read archival documents without excitement, listen to the stories of old-timers about how it was built Volzhsk city. Industrialization accelerated the pace: energy and mechanical engineering, communications and instrument making were developing - they needed a large amount of paper - cable, telephone, impregnating, etc. There were few of these types of paper in the country. Therefore, the idea of ​​​​building a paper mill in the Mari Autonomous Region was supported. By the beginning of 1935, a village of wooden 12-apartment residential buildings and dormitories, a dining room for 600 people, a bakery, and a store had been built. With the organization of the labor supply department, the supply of food and industrial goods to builders improved. But there was a constant shortage of workers, and there were practically no earth-moving and lifting machines. Thousands of cubic meters of soil were removed with shovels; beams and floor slabs were raised to multi-meter heights using simple devices. Housing commissioning did not keep pace with the growing team of builders. Residential buildings and especially barracks were overcrowded. Working in such difficult conditions, people took a test of endurance. Many could not withstand such physical stress and domestic unsettlement and left. Those who came for money did not stay either. They didn’t work as much as they wandered around the construction site. We found out where they pay better, where you can earn more. Those who remained were those who had a strong character. They built the Marbum Plant and the city of Volzhsk. Building local history museum one of the oldest in the city. They work in the museum three departments : “Department of the History of the City of Volzhsk and the Volzhsky District”; "Ethnography Department"; two exhibition halls where exhibitions of works by artists of the Republic of Mari El and neighboring republics, products of applied art by folk craftsmen are displayed.

Forest lakes of Mari El

The national heritage of this region are the lakes. Sinkholes, inter-dunes, floodplains, they invariably attract with summer coolness and clean, refreshing water. Most of the sinkhole lakes are located in lower reaches of the Ilet River: Yalchik, Glukhoye, Bezdonnoe, Kichier .
The deepest karst lake in the Republic of Mari El Explosion. Its depth reaches 56 meters. Most of the sinkhole lakes located in forest areas are very picturesque. From the depths of the karst sinkhole, the Sea Eye the famous local lake looks at you. They dubbed it so for its regular round shape and amazing emerald color of water. Green algae give this color to the lake.

Tabashi Lake one of the unique and most beautiful lakes not only in the Mari El Republic, but also in the entire Middle Volga region. The maximum depth of the middle part reaches 55 m. The lake is flowing and has an oval shape. The water in it is clear, hydrocarbonate-calcium-magnesium, fresh, constantly kept at the same level. There are some in the lake pike, bream, crucian carp, tench, burbot, roach, bleak . In 1974 the lake was recognized natural monument . According to legend, two hundred and two hundred and fifty years ago there were dense swampy forests here, they were cut only by the threads of highways connecting the cities of Tsarevokokshaisk, Tsarevosanchursk and Yaransk.

Another beautiful lake, Lake Tair, is located 42 km south of Yoshkar-Ola and 14 km north of the village of Kokshaysk. The name of the lake comes from Mari "Oto er" (“oto” grove, “er” lake). In the middle of the lake there is a small island on which it grows grove .

The hydrogen sulfide silt mud covering the bottom of the lake is not inferior in its healing properties to the mud of the Odessa estuaries

In general, almost all lakes in the republic are karst, and therefore very deep and clean. Lake Shungaltan is special. It is located at the foot of maple mountain , is surrounded on all sides by forest, which seems to come ashore directly from the water. This lake hydrogen sulfide . A faint smell of this gas can be felt if you swim on a lake or stand near it. The lake is an oval karst sinkhole measuring 100x150 m and up to 16 m deep, filled mineralized water of sulfate-calcium composition. The hydrogen sulfide silt mud that covers the bottom of the lake is not inferior in its healing properties to the mud of the Odessa estuaries.

******

Some 50 meters from the lake flows one of the cleanest rivers in the republic, the Ilet. This is a fairly fast river, especially in high water. Many live and nest on it birds . If you look closely, while kayaking, you can see people hiding under the bushes near the shore ducks with broods of ducklings, and in front of the kayaks constantly fly from shore to shore waders, and red-nosed animals stride along the shore oystercatchers. The water in the river is very cold, because many springs flow into it. One of them source "Green Key". This is the largest mineral spring , of which there are more than 20 at the foot of Maple Mountain.

From the source you can climb Maple Mountain itself. You will come out on the old Kazan highway, along which merchants transported goods to Kazan. And right along this road you will come to the next, and perhaps the most famous natural monument Dubu Pugacheva. When Emelyan Pugachev’s troops were defeated near Kazan, one of his troops stopped under this oak tree, and it was from here, according to legend, that Pugachev looked at the glow of the fire of Kazan. And then he went further along the highway, where Mari peasants helped him cross the Volga.

On the banks of the Ilet River, at the confluence of the Yushut River, there is group of springs, being hydrogeological natural monument of federal rank . There are three main groups of springs. On the left bank, 2 km above the mouth of the Yushut, is the Green Spring, the water of which comes to the surface in the form of griffins for 100 m along the coast. Water composition sulfate-bicarbonate calcium-magnesium. On the right bank there are also exits oolitic limestone springs. In the southern part of the village of Krasnogorskoye there is source Atlashka With calcium sulfate composition of water, high content hydrogen sulfide. Here, in the area of ​​Maple Mountain, there are many oxbow lakes, at the bottom of which accumulates healing hydrogen sulfide mud.

Mari Chodra “Mari Forest”

Spring cloudless day
I washed my face with crystal dew.
The foggy shadow cheered up,
Covering the forest with a shroud.

The fields filled with blush
Beyond the scarlet horizon
And basks in the light of dawn,
And the earth is intoxicated by freedom.
Gimadeeva Rozalina (“Dope of Freedom”)

Anyone who has seen the Mari forests and visited them will never forget them. Is it possible to compare them with the withering heat of sultry deserts, the eternal dampness of impassable tropics, or the endless frost of the silent Arctic? And how can we forget the fluffy and soft white miracle, like a secret veil, covering the shy round dance of birches? Spruce trees with their snow hats pulled on at an angle, their green forelocks bravely exposed? And the irresistible charm of the awakening forest?! Warmed by the spring mood, sunbeams are racing. The first thawed patches wink after them with a black eye. The intoxicating smell of the forest You are sailing through the colored sea of ​​a fragrant meadow. You will fall into it, and your gaze will drown in the mirror of the heavenly surface. A feeling of strength, peace and silence penetrates you.

Mari forests this is the largest forest area on the Volga

Mari forests It is not for nothing that they are famous throughout the Volga region, throughout Russia; this is the largest forest area on the Volga. Forests are the main wealth of the Republic, containing huge reserves of timber. The forest is a home for many animals , pantry of all kinds berries, mushrooms And medicinal plants . The left bank of the Volga is covered with a continuous green carpet of forests. That's what these edges are called Lesnoye Zavolzhye . Here, in the Mari taiga, is located Bolshaya Kokshaga Nature Reserve . The name of the reserve was given one of the cleanest rivers in the European part of Russia, left tributary of the Volga Bolshaya Kokshaga . The reserve is a typical site Mari Lowland . There are no steep ravines or high hills here; quiet beaver streams make their way through the swampy forests to Kokshaga. The reserve preserves intact plant communities: forests, swamps, meadows, which are habitats for rare animals and many rare and endangered plant species.

They grow in the reserve Lady's slipper, leafless mullet, May palmate root . There are also birds , listed in the Red Book of Russia. This is snake eagle , a rare and silent bird that exclusively catches snakes, secretive and wary black stork . Nests osprey , whose entire way of life is connected with the water element, a large and beautiful predator stops mid-flight white-tailed eagle . It is also protected here, listed in the Red Book of Russia. bat giant noctule, and common to the surrounding forests elk, wild boar, wolf, bear, hare . In the reserve they feel free.

The local forests preserve unique places, the importance of which in nature conservation cannot be overestimated. One of them oak forests in the floodplain of the Bolshaya Kokshaga River . In the oak forests on Bolshaya Kokshaga you can find sprouted acorns, young oak trees, and middle-aged trees. They say about such oak forests that they have a future. Reserve "Bolshaya Kokshaga" a small island of untouched nature in the Republic of Mari El, its pride and wealth.

******

Mari Chodra National Park . "Mari Chodra" translated from Mari means "Mari forest". The forest here is amazing, beautiful! There are places rightly called Mari taiga , and there is even Mari Switzerland . The taiga is real, with thickets and impassable places. Imagine a shallow, clear river in the middle of a dense impenetrable forest, above it there is a makeshift log bridge, and under the bridge in its shadow there are half-meter or even meter-long fish standing waiting for prey. pike . The park was created in 1985. Its main wealth is the forest. Here and pine forests , And broadleaf forests . And they are richly populated: only mammals 56 species . Chipmunks And moose, squirrels And bears, hares And foxes. Birds you can meet even more 164 species . In summer it can hover above you golden eagle, you can see a nest on tall oak trees snake eagle or white-tailed eagle, on the shore Ilet River nests kingfisher, and one day in the spring they splashed down right on the field, on a small lake left from the melting snow more than 10 pairs of swans . In one of the lakes, a species that was considered extinct has been rediscovered. muskrat . Settled down in the park and American mink frolics on the rivers muskrat .

Highest absolute elevation of the park — summit of Maple Mountain (196 m) . Gives originality to the landscape active karst process, which results in numerous funnels with a diameter of 50 x 60 m and sinkhole lakes up to 36 m deep. The oxbow lakes of the Ilet River and lakes contain rich reserves healing mineral mud .

Most common type of forest in the park — white moss pine forest. Flora the park has 1155 species of vascular plants And 109 types of mushrooms. Registered 115 rare And endangered plant species : lily-saranka, Siberian iris, astragalus licorice-leaved, brittle bladderwort, rosemary semilunar and others. Meet plants listed in the Red Book of the RSFSR : feather grass, lady's slipper, red pollenhead, neottiante capulata and 5 types of mushrooms. Meet here 159 species of terrestrial vertebrates , 48 of which are rare and endangered. On the territory of the park there is allocated 10 natural monuments . Among them: water lakes Yalchik, Kichier, Ergeshier, Shut-er, Kuzh-er, Shungaltan, Glukhoe, the Green Key spring, Maple Mountain, Klenovogorskaya oak grove. Here are 2 historical monuments : Puacheva Oak and Old Kazan Road and 30 archaeological monuments (the most significant of them are the Oshutyalskoye settlement of 14 dwellings of the Prikazan culture). Created in the village of Ilet park museum .

******

When enemies attacked the Mari peoples, they hid in some mountains; these mountains were subsequently named "Pockets" . One of them "Pocket-Kuryk". Its name is also translated as "fortress-mountain". Pocket-Kuryk is located in the low-mountain part of the Vyatka-Mari shaft and is comprehensive geological natural monument federal rank. On the steep northern and eastern slopes of the mountains, sediments of the Kazan stage of the Permian system come to the surface. In outcrops more than 30 m high, a sequence of interbedded limestones and dolomites with interlayers of multi-colored gypsum, marls, clays And sandstones. Limestones contain fauna corals, bryozoans, mollusks, crinoids, rhizomes etc. Closed vaults are visible on the northern slope karst cave , along the base of the mountain a whole series of sinkholes .

My land lost fairy tale,
My land is a hidden dream.
And the one who left his heart here,
He left himself forever.

Covered in mystery, bewitched,
The proud forests began to glow.
The giant spruce trees are silent
Their crowns “hold” the heavens.

The foliage will whisper indistinctly.
The trills will flow slowly
The soul instantly freezes
And I listen to them barely breathing.

The fields glow like gold,
The amber river gurgles,
And takes you into the distance of oblivion
She is my dream.

You, Motherland, are the only one!
You couldn't be more beautiful!
I love with my soul and sing
You, Mari land!
Gimadeeva Rozalina (“My Land”)

The Mari region can be called a haven of silence, a kingdom of mushrooms, berries, birds and animals. The nature of the Mari Republic is amazing and resembles alpine nature with many lakes, rivers and protected forests. The Mari are distinguished by their special commitment to nature and the earth, which largely determines their way of life. Today, more than two-thirds of the Mari population of the republic are rural residents. And this is good, since the rural way of life contributes to the preservation of the national image of the people. The Mari people, despite all the vicissitudes of their historical fate, have retained their identity not only at the level of dance and songs, but also, what is much more important, at the level of a deep understanding of the world order.

All the energy and thoughts of most people are aimed at satisfying growing material needs and symbols of social prestige: having time to buy the “best” car, the “best” apartment, the “best” clothes, etc. this cannot continue indefinitely. And most importantly, it gives neither happiness, nor peace, nor joy. But the greatest benefit for Marie is to feel that I am an integral part of God and to feel unity with him. Happiness is possible only in harmony with God. This idea runs like a red thread through the entire culture of Mari - architecture, clothing, rituals, music, healing, cooking, hunting, agriculture. The Mari are perhaps the only European people who have gone through all stages of the development of civilization without losing their ancient identity, worldview, philosophy, language, and culture.

Description of the presentation by individual slides:

1 slide

Slide description:

2 slide

Slide description:

Contents 5. Mari region during the civil war: 5.1 Further strengthening of Soviet power in the region. 5.2 Strengthening the system of dictatorship of the proletariat in the region. 5.3 Our fellow countrymen on the fronts of the civil war. 5.4 Creation of Komsomol organizations in the region. 5.5 Heroism of workers in the rear. Help the front. 5.6 Cultural front. 5.7 Attitude of the Mari to the civil war. 6. Conclusion. 1. Goal 2. Objectives 3. Introduction 4. Mari region during the revolution: 4.1 Revolutionary upsurge. The overthrow of tsarism. 4.2 The growth of revolutionary sentiments. Popular anger. 4.3 Victory of the revolution. Participation of our fellow countrymen. 4.4 First socio-economic transformations.

3 slide

Slide description:

4 slide

Slide description:

Introduction. The topic of overthrowing the autocracy still excites people’s minds, forcing them to delve into archives, study and analyze. Events of 1917-1922 continue to be one of the most important events in Russian history. The revolution and civil war in Russia left an indelible mark on the memory of the peoples of Russia. The events of 1917-1922 also affected the Mari region: its development and economy, culture, art and creativity.

5 slide

Slide description:

The revolutionary upsurge that began in the country influenced the Mari region. The First World War brought enormous disasters to the working people. It led to the destruction of the region's leading industries. The region's economy gradually fell into decline. Mass discontent among workers grew, the number of labor strikes and peasant uprisings increased, and they also took place in the Mari region. Revolutionary sentiments.

6 slide

Slide description:

On the way to the socialist revolution. Gradually, dissatisfaction with the policies of the Provisional Government grew among the workers of the Mari region. In spring and summer, peasants intensified their struggle for land. The struggle within peasant communities intensified. The peasant movement in the Mari region and the growing dissatisfaction of workers with the policies of the Provisional Government were components of the revolutionary crisis brewing in the country.

7 slide

Slide description:

Victory of the revolution. Thousands of workers of the Mari region, who found themselves in the army and navy during the First World War, took part in the struggle for the victory of the October Revolution. Our fellow countrymen were elected to soldiers' and ships' committees and actively prepared the masses for the socialist revolution. The establishment of Soviet power in the provincial centers: Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Vyatka was important for the Mari region. V.M. Likhachev

8 slide

Slide description:

The establishment of Soviet power was facilitated by the fact that as a result of the inability of the Provisional Government to prevent the impending economic devastation and famine, discontent among the local population increased. At the end of 1917, front-line soldiers began to return to their homes. They also led the struggle for new power. Power to the Soviets!

Slide 9

Slide description:

The first socio-economic transformations. In the Mari region, a lot of work was carried out to create a new state administrative apparatus. In the winter and spring of 1918, volost and rural councils were created everywhere. And the old authorities were liquidated. Vladimir Alekseevich Mukhin said in his report: “Only Soviet power is the true spokesman of the working people.” V.A. Mukhin.

10 slide

Slide description:

Civil War After the October events of 1917, and especially after the Bolsheviks dispersed the Constituent Assembly elected by all the people (January 1918), the country was engulfed in the flames of a fratricidal civil war, supplemented by the intervention of foreign powers. The main danger was the mutiny of the Czechoslovak corps.

11 slide

Slide description:

Suppression of anti-Soviet protests. Anti-Soviet coups took place in Yaransk and Sanchursk. A decisive role in the suppression of the bourgeoisie and the restoration of Soviet power was played by a detachment of internationalists led by Commissar D.V. Krupin. Units of the Red Army suppressed the revolts in Urzhum and Malmyzh districts. The rebellion of the White Czechs emboldened opponents of the Bolshevik government in the rear of the Red Army. A wave of peasant uprisings swept across Russia. White Czechs leave Kazan

12 slide

Slide description:

Strengthening the dictatorship of the proletariat in the region. After the suppression of the revolts, the communist organizations of the Mari region directed their efforts towards complete subjugation of Soviet power. District congresses of Soviets took place in Tsarevokokshaisk, Urzhum, Yaransk. All of them were held under the leadership of the communists.

Slide 13

Slide description:

Prodrazverstka. The peasants played a decisive role in the struggle for bread and the strengthening of Soviet power in the countryside. The committees of poor people, together with food detachments, forced the peasants to hand over “surplus” grain and money to the state, and searched for hidden grain. Often, the activities of food detachments and committees of the poor were accompanied by outrages and arbitrariness. This ended in brutal reprisals against the peasants.

Slide 14

Slide description:

Propaganda of the policies of the Soviet regime. The strengthening of Soviet power in the Mari volosts was facilitated by the activities of the Mari department under the People's Commissariat of Nationalities and the Mari sections created under the Kazan and Vyatka provincial executive committees. Their workers joined the ranks of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). Courses were created to train Mari agitators. Members of the section traveled to villages, held rallies and meetings, and explained to the peasants the policies of Soviet power.

15 slide

Slide description:

Our fellow countrymen on the fronts of the civil war. Our fellow countrymen fought against foreign invaders, the White Guards on all fronts of the civil war. In total, about 30 thousand workers went to the Red Army. I.I.Antsiferov. Y.M. Suvorov.

16 slide

Slide description:

Creation of Komsomol organizations in the region. The first Komsomol cell in our region was organized in the village of Mari-Ernur, Orsha region, Yaran district, on December 1, 1918. In February 1919, a RKSM cell appeared in the workers' village of Zvenigovo. In the fire of the civil war, the Leninist Komsomol was born. Komsomol organizations began to be created here too.

Slide 17

Slide description:

The courage of the young. On the North-Western Front, 19-year-old Mari communist girl Tonya Mamaeva fought steadfastly against the White Finns. She repeatedly went on reconnaissance missions and successfully completed missions. On the territory of Latvia, she and a group of Red Army soldiers were captured by the whites. For three days, her enemies tortured her, but, having achieved nothing, the White Guards shot the courageous communist. Tonya Mamaeva.

18 slide

Slide description:

The heroism of workers in the rear. During the civil war, the Mari region was part of the Red rear. In total, during the war years, about 4 million pounds of bread, hundreds of thousands of pounds of meat, and other food were confiscated from the peasants of the Mari region. Factories and mills received wool and leather from them. The rear helped the front with everything they could. Ship repair shop workers repaired ships and vessels. Tanners sewed shoes and mittens for the Red Army soldiers.

After the October events of 1917, and especially after the Bolsheviks dispersed the Constituent Assembly elected by all the people (January 1918), the country was engulfed in the flames of a fratricidal civil war. At first, most Mari had a mostly neutral attitude towards it: they wanted and hoped to stay away from the battle between the “reds” and the “whites”. At first, the Bolshevik revolution did not give anything to the Mari peasants - neither good nor bad. After all, there were no landowners here, there were almost no rich kulaks-farmers whose lands and property could be seized and divided among themselves. Therefore, it was quite understandable and natural for the Mari peasants to have a neutral, wait-and-see attitude.

Mari during the civil war

It should be noted that only a small group of the Mari intelligentsia went over to the side of the whites. The White camp frightened the Mari with slogans of returning to a “single and indivisible” Russian Empire without any autonomous rights for small non-Russian peoples; following him meant a return to those times when the Mari people, like other “foreigners,” experienced all kinds of national oppression.

• But the Bolshevik regime also frightened us with its cruelty. For many democratic educators, there was only one thing left: to leave political life for cultural activities, teaching, and publishing work, in order to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the new government.

The masses themselves, even during the turbulent events of the civil war, almost did not participate in the political life of the country. They were more concerned with their daily bread. After all, the threat of famine is approaching the country. It intensified in the late spring and early summer of 1918, when Soviet power strengthened and the Bolsheviks broke the alliance with the left Socialist Revolutionaries, who defended the interests of the peasantry. The Bolsheviks established a food dictatorship and sent armed detachments to the villages to confiscate grain from the peasants (food detachments).

It was believed that the “kulaks” hid the bread; to search for him, it was ordered to create committees of the poor (kombedas) in the villages. But the Mari peasants did not have such a sharp division into kulaks and poor peasants. So it turned out that village slackers and drunkards, eager for other people’s goods, united, received power and weapons and ruined the wealthy farms of the most hard-working, zealous owners (after all, the authorities gave them part of the bread stolen from the “kulaks”).

Prodrazverstka

• In the summer and autumn of 1918, indignant peasants in many places rebelled, dealt with food detachments, and refused to hand over grain to the state. In response, the authorities brutally dealt with the local population.

On September 10, 1918, a Cheka detachment of 25 people was sent to the village of Knyazhna near Tsarevokokshaysk, headed by the chairman of the district Cheka, S.P. Danilov. During the operation “to identify weapons among the population,” the commander of the security detachment Danilov and the Red Army soldiers Volkov, Zarubin, and Anisimov were killed. For this, by order of the new head of the Cheka, Ya. Krastyn, for each person killed, the first 10 villagers who came across were shot. Then the investigation was checked and about 50 more participants in these events were shot.

• On January 15, 1919, by decision of the Tsarevokokshay district executive committee, the village of Knyazhna was renamed the village of Danilovo.

As for the civil war, there were no hostilities directly on the territory of the region, with the exception of several skirmishes in the summer of 1918 in parts of the current Volzhsky, Morkinsky, Mari-Tureksky districts. The rest of the territory of the region, both then and in 1919, was a front-line zone (of the Eastern Front), where Red Army units were concentrated, and the burden of supplying them with food and carts was borne by the local population.

• As for the Eastern Mari, their lands were under the rule of the whites for a long time, battles swept through them several times, and power changed. Thousands of Mari were mobilized into Kolchak’s army.

• When Kolchak’s army was defeated at Lake Baikal and the Mongolian border, most of the Kolchak Mari surrendered to the Red Army, at the same time hundreds of them went beyond the cordon and scattered throughout the world.

Formation of the Mari Autonomous Region

The question of Mari autonomy in one form or another has been raised since 1917. But at the initial stage, Mari public figures reduced it only to cultural autonomy, without touching on territorial autonomy. In 1918, an attempt was made to create the so-called Tatar-Bashkir Republic, including the Mari regions. But the events of the civil war delayed the solution to the question of self-determination of the peoples of the Volga region, including the Mari.

• In 1919, the Bashkir Republic was formed as part of the RSFSR. At the same time, the lands of the Eastern Mari were not allocated and did not receive any special status, but simply became part of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

• On November 4, 1920, signed by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V.I. Lenin and the Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee M.I. Kalinin, the Decree on the formation of the Autonomous Region of the Mari People was adopted.

• Three districts were formed within the region, which were called cantons following the example of Switzerland: Krasnokokshaysky, Kozmodemyansky, Sernursky.

• The organization of the region was completed at the First Regional Congress of Soviets, which took place on June 21 - 24, 1921. The congress discussed issues of economic and cultural development of the region, elected a regional executive committee headed by I.P. Petrov (it was he who became the first head of the MAO).

• 15 years later, in 1936, the autonomous region was renamed into an autonomous republic (Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic).

Famine of 1921 - 1922

• The joy over the formation of the Mari Autonomous Region was overshadowed by a huge, terrible disaster - famine. The year 1921 remained in people's memory as one of the darkest, most difficult.

• The main reasons were crop failure, on the one hand, and the food policy of the Bolsheviks, on the other, when armed food detachments raked out all the food from the peasants.

The surplus appropriation system of 1920 left the Mari peasants without food and fodder for livestock, and with only a small amount of seed material. Winter crops were not completely sown, and the unfavorable winter destroyed more than 2/3 of the winter crops. I had to plow these fields in the spring and sow them with spring crops. At the end of spring, when they had already risen, frost struck and destroyed most of the spring crops. And then there was no rain for a long time, and drought set in.

Famine of 1921 - 1922

• In 1922, the Mari Regional Commission for Famine Relief published the book “Hunger in the MAO in 1921-22.” This is a collection of documents and materials from the press of that time.

Here is at least one of these testimonies: “In the village of Shor-Unzha, out of 162 horses, only 30 remained. All the dogs and cats were eaten, they collect carrion and eat it with appetite. Whole crowds of peasants bring their children to the volost executive committee and leave them there, saying: “Feed!” Members of the RCP/b/ often encounter threats from the population that if they are not satisfied with food, they will be killed and eaten. There were cases of tearing and eating the dead.” There are even reports of cases of cannibalism.

• By the summer of 1921, three-quarters of the region's population was starving, and typhus, cholera and other diseases broke out. MAO was identified as being at risk of famine and was then included in the list of areas to be assisted.

But trouble does not come alone. Since there was no rain at all in late spring and early summer and it was hot, peat bogs and forests caught fire in many places. In June, terrible forest fires raged across a large area. Kozmodemyansky and Krasnokokshaysky cantons were declared under martial law. About 250 thousand hectares of forest were lost, 12 villages burned down, and there were casualties.

• Only from the beginning of 1922 did the state begin to provide assistance: seeds were allocated for sowing, and the removal of orphans to more favorable provinces was organized.

The United States of America came to the aid of the starving people through the American Relief Administration (ARA), headed by Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. Its activities on the territory of the Mari Autonomous Region began in January 1922. Periodicals of that time more than once emphasized the great assistance of the ARA. Thus, in the newspaper “Yoshkar Keche” on January 22, 1922, a message was published that “ARA promised to supply 140 thousand rations to the MAO every day.” “American canteens” were opened everywhere, in which 121 thousand people found salvation from starvation (with a total population of the MAO of 350 thousand).

Republic of Mari El from ancient centuries to the 16th century.

Finno-Ugric tribes have inhabited the territory of modern western, northern and central Russia since prehistoric times. On the territory of the Mari El Republic, archaeological sources dating back to the first millennium BC have been preserved. e. Since the Mari writing (tishte) was used exclusively for recording economic information, and Tatar written sources were destroyed during the capture of Kazan, almost all written information about the history of the middle Volga is associated with Russian sources.
Cheremis (modern name - Mari) were first reliably mentioned in the 10th century. in a letter from the Khazar Kagan Joseph to the dignitary of the Cordoba Caliph Hasdai ibn Shaprut. The ancestors of modern Mari, between the 5th and 8th centuries, interacted with the Goths, later with the Khazars and Volga Bulgaria, which was located on the territory of modern Tatarstan and was destroyed in 1236 by the Mongol troops of Batu Khan advancing on Rus'. The Mari, apparently, were in allied relations with the Golden Horde that formed after this. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the Mari were part of the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate.
Since the 9th century, the Mari also came into contact with the Slavs of Kievan Rus, who were moving eastward and settled the cities of Rostov, Galich, Yaroslavl, Suzdal, Vladimir and in 1221 Nizhny Novgorod on the land of the Western Mari (mere). Gradually, the Western Mari (at least) become glorified after accepting Christianity; those who do not want to accept Christianity flee to the east into the depths of the Mari region. In the Middle Ages, Russian-Tatar clashes on the Mari lands became commonplace (with the Mari on the side of the Tatars). For the time being, the Tatars and Mari gain the upper hand, but then Ivan the Terrible begins a planned war of conquest: in 1551, the lands of the mountain Mari (the right bank of the Volga) fall under the control of Moscow, and in 1552, the tsarist troops take Kazan, and the meadow Mari begin to pay tribute to Moscow . Then systematic colonization began: thus, Cheboksary was founded in 1555, Kozmodemyansk in 1583, Tsarevokokshaisk, now Yoshkar-Ola, in 1584.

Republic of Mari El in the XVII-XIX centuries.

In the 17th century The possessions of Russian landowners appear in the region. However, the majority of the Mari were not engaged in corvee labor and paid tribute to the tsarist government. The Mari took part in the peasant wars of the early 17th century. under the leadership of I. I. Bolotnikov, in 1670-71. - S. T. Razin, in 1773-75 - E. I. Pugachev a. Russian peasants settled on the Mari lands, which became state-owned. Under Peter I, something began to change - the Mari were drafted into the army, scientific exploration of the territory began, and the first written monuments of the Mari language were compiled.
In the XVIII-XIX centuries. The first factories with civilian workers and assigned peasants appear. Monasteries and large entrepreneurs owned significant lands. The logging and sawmill industries developed.
In 1872, the Kazan Teachers' Seminary was opened, one of the tasks of which was to educate representatives of the Volga peoples, including the Mari. This gave a serious impetus to national revival, Mari schools were opened, books were published in the Mari language, including textbooks.
In the 2nd half of the 19th century. factory and manufacturing enterprises were founded; ship repair, glass and distillery factories were built. Forced Christianization leads to the fact that the Mari go into the forests, leaving entire villages empty.

Republic of Mari El during the Civil War

The first Marxist circle was organized in 1899 by teacher K. I. Kasatkin in Yurino. In 1905, Social Democratic circles arose in Yurino, Kozmodemyansk, Urzhum, Cheboksary, and others. During the Revolution of 1905–07, Mari workers and peasants participated together with the Russians in the revolutionary movement (performances in Yurino, Zvenigovsky Zaton and the villages surrounding it). After the February Revolution of 1917, in April and May, Soviets were created in Yurino, Tsarevokokshaisk, Kozmodemyansk, and others, in which, with the exception of the Yurinsky Council, the Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, bourgeois nationalists, and kulaks predominated.
The Great October Socialist Revolution became a radical turn in the history of the Mari people. Soviet power was established on December 23, 1917 (January 5, 1918) in Tsarevokokshaysk (from 1919 - Krasnokokshaysk), December 31 (January 13, 1918) in Kozmodemyansk, and by mid-1918 everywhere. The struggle for Soviet power was led by the Bolsheviks M. F. Krasilnikov, P. T. Kochetov and others. In February - April 1918, Bolshevik organizations were created in Kozmodemyansk and Yaransk. In the summer of 1918, counter-revolutionary revolts broke out in the region (Stepanovsky, Tsarevokokshaysky, Kozmodemyansky, Knyazhninsky and others), but they were suppressed by the Red Army together with the Mari workers. In July 1918, a Mari Department was created under the People's Commissariat of the RSFSR. On July 20-24, 1920, the 1st All-Russian Conference of Mari Communists took place in Kazan. On November 4, 1920, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted a decree “On the formation of an autonomous region of the Mari people.” On November 25, 1920, the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars “On the Autonomous Region of the Mari People” determined the administrative-territorial composition of the region with its center in Krasnokokshaysk (since 1927 - Yoshkar-Ola). On February 20-23, 1921, the 1st Mari regional party conference was held in Krasnokokshaisk, at which the regional committee of the RCP (b) was elected. On June 21-24, 1921, the 1st Congress of Soviets of the Mari Autonomous Okrug elected the regional Executive Committee. In 1929-32, the Mari Autonomous Okrug was part of the Nizhny Novgorod region, in 1932-36 - the Gorky region. On December 5, 1936, the Mari Autonomous Okrug was transformed into the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. The Extraordinary 11th Congress of Soviets of the Republic on June 21, 1937 approved the Constitution of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
During the years of the pre-war five-year plans (1929–40), the Mari people, with the support of the Russian and other peoples of the USSR, built basically socialism. During these years, 45 industrial enterprises were built and put into operation in the republic. Engineers, technicians, skilled workers, as well as experienced party cadres were sent to its new buildings and enterprises from the industrial centers of the country, especially from Gorky. In Moscow, Leningrad, Gorky and other cities, national personnel were trained for industry and agriculture of the republic. The output of large-scale industry in the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1940 compared to 1913 increased 7.4 times. By 1941, collective farms united 94.2% of peasant farms; construction of railways began (the first of them, Green Dol - Yoshkar-Ola, was completed in 1928), a cultural revolution was carried out: illiteracy was largely eliminated, tribal feudal and religious remnants disappeared; national cadres of the working class and the people's intelligentsia have grown; national literature and art emerged. The Mari people consolidated into a socialist nation. The region has transformed from a backward region of Russia into an industrial-agrarian republic.

Republic of Mari El during the Great Patriotic War

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic had achieved enormous success. It re-created socialist industry on the basis of which the development of sectors of the national economy moved forward.
Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 became a huge test of strength for millions of Soviet people both at the front and in the rear, a test that our grandfathers and fathers withstood with honor, ensuring decades of peaceful life in their country and all of humanity.
On Saturday June 21, 1941, on the day of the 4th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Mari SSR, the anniversary session of the Supreme Council of the Republic opened. This was the last peaceful day. The regional and district committees of the party skillfully directed the patriotic aspirations of the working people and raised people to fight the fascist invaders. At the head of the patriots, party workers and ordinary communists voluntarily went to the front. Over 1,620 communists went to the front in the first six months. Following the communists, Komsomol members also submitted statements about their desire to voluntarily go to the front. The Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic sent over 130 thousand people to defend the Motherland. A little more than 56 thousand of them returned from the battlefields. From the first days of the war, the life of the republic was reorganized on a military basis. Most of the republic's industrial enterprises switched to producing military products in the first months of the war. In a short period of time, the work of enterprises evacuated from the western regions was established. During the war years, only 48 enterprises were built, which made it possible to double the output of military products. They produced aerial bombs, shells, searchlights, optical instruments, trailers for artillery and small arms, vehicles, skis, containers for military equipment, equipment, Mari logging companies gave the country 14 million cubic meters of timber. Many forestry enterprises also worked well. The Mari forest was used to restore cities, destroyed villages, enterprises and mines in Ukraine and other republics. Loggers supplied rifle blanks and birch to defense factories to make skis for soldiers of the Soviet Army.
The labor valor of a collective farm village during the war is invaluable. This was a massive feat of village women, old people, teenagers, and children, who, in the most difficult conditions, ensured the food supply for our army and the rear. Women and children mastered tractors, and sometimes harnessed themselves instead of horses and plowed collective farm fields. During the war, the agricultural workers of the republic gave the country and the front more than 21.7 million pounds of bread, about 4 million pounds of potatoes, 1.3 million pounds of meat, a lot of milk and other products.
Many industrial enterprises of military importance from different regions of Russia were evacuated to the Mari land; more than 36 thousand residents evacuated from the western regions of the country were also warmly welcomed on the Mari land: from Moscow, including adults and children of besieged Leningrad, Kyiv, Smolensk, Kalinin, Belarus, the Baltic states, as well as 26 orphanages. The local population provided enormous assistance in their settlement, helping them settle in and get used to it.

Republic of Mari El in the post-war years

During the post-war five-year plans, the economy and culture of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic received further development. New large enterprises in machine-building, instrument-making and other industries have emerged in the republic. The material and cultural standard of living of the people has increased significantly. The rise of the economy and culture was accompanied by a comprehensive expansion of mutual assistance and deepening ties between the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the fraternal republics. The culture of the Mari people, national in form, socialist in content, internationalist in spirit and character, flourished. The working people of the republic, in the conditions of a developed socialist society, together with the peoples of the entire Soviet Union, participate in the creation of the material and technical base of communism. In the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1974 there were 19 Heroes of Socialist Labor. For successes in the development of the national economy of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, she was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1965, and the Order of the October Revolution in 1970; in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the USSR in 1972 - the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
In October 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty was adopted, since 1992 the modern name is the Mari Republic (Mari El).

Novikov Vladimir Gavrilovich – chairman of the collective farm “Rassvet” in the Sovetsky district of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

Born on June 28, 1928 in the Lower Volga region, on the territory of the modern Saratov region. Russian.

After graduating from the Saratov Institute of Agricultural Mechanization in 1952, he came to the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (now the Republic of Mari El).

In 1952-1956 - mechanic, chief engineer, acting director of the Yuledur machine and tractor station (MTS) of the Kuzhenersky district of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1956-1957 - process engineer at a heavy engineering plant in the city of Saratov. In 1957-1960 - director of the Alekseevskaya MTS, then the Ronginskaya tractor repair station (RTS) in the Sovetsky district of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1959 he joined the CPSU.

In February 1960, he was elected chairman of the small collective farm “New Way”, and a few months later, after the merger of 6 agricultural associations, he was elected chairman of the collective farm “Rassvet” in the Sovetsky district, which he led for almost 35 years.

It was here that his organizational skills, professional knowledge and ability to work with people were most fully revealed. He was elected chairman of the united farm, which at that time had 8,090 hectares of land and employed 738 people. The collective farm then had 29 tractors, 16 grain combines, and 20 cars. In 1960, the collective farm received a grain harvest of 7.9 centners per hectare, and potatoes - 51 centners. The collective farm had 1055 heads of cattle, including 442 cows, 932 pigs, 1190 sheep, 1942 chickens, 198 horses. The milk yield from the cow was 2188 liters. 724 tons of grain, 152 tons of potatoes, 768 tons of milk, and 212 tons of meat were sold to the state. Under the leadership of the chairman, specialists, and members of the board, the collective farm turned from a backward one into an advanced economy in the region, the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the RSFSR, and became a school of excellence. In 1967, the Rassvet collective farm was awarded the Order of Lenin, and in general throughout its history, the farm was recognized as a winner in the All-Union Socialist Competition 12 times.

A highly developed economy was created on the collective farm. A new urban-type settlement was built next to the old village, where there are more than four hundred one-, two-, three- and four-room apartments. The village has a standard secondary school for five hundred places, a kindergarten for 140 places, a local hospital with a hospital for 40 places and a mud bath, a community center, a shopping center (two shops and a canteen), and a bathhouse has been built. The collective farm carried out a large construction of production facilities for keeping and raising cattle and pigs. Two dairy complexes for 1,200 heads were built in Afanassol and Kolyanur, a pig-breeding complex for 10-12 thousand heads, warehouses for grain storage, garages for cars and tractors.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 6, 1973, for the great successes achieved in the All-Union Socialist Competition and the demonstrated labor valor in fulfilling the obligations assumed to increase the production and procurement of livestock products in the winter period of 1972-1973, Novikov Vladimir Gavrilovich awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.

In 1985-1990, the collective farm had the following indicators: grain yield - 31 centners, cattle number - 3717, including 1200 cows, the number of pigs was increased to 8800 heads. The milk yield from the cow was 5130 liters. We produced 215 centners of meat per 100 hectares of farmland, and 815 centners of milk. They sold 1,574 tons of meat and 5,817 tons of milk to the state.

Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 7th and 8th convocations (1966-1974). Deputy of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR of the 11th convocation (1985-1990). Deputy of the Supreme Council of the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the 6th, 9th and 10th convocations (1963-1967, 1975-1985).

In December 1994 he retired.

Lived in the village of Sovetskoye, Sovetsky district of the Republic of Mari El. Died March 22, 2002. He was buried at the Turunovsky cemetery in Yoshkar-Ola.

Awarded 3 Orders of Lenin (11/26/1965; 09/06/1973; 08/29/1986), Order of the October Revolution (04/08/1971), and medals.

Honorary citizen of the Sovetsky district (01/17/2000).

In the village of Vyatskoye, Sovetsky district, a street is named after the Hero; A memorial plaque was installed at house number 24 on Novikova Street.