In June 1831, Popular Riots Broke Out in Saint Petersburg
In June 1831, popular riots broke out in Saint Petersburg. Terrified by the cholera epidemic, people supposed that the physicians were sprinkling some poison into the water and the wells, and that this was what made the disease spread. Nicholas I himself undertook to quell the riot, addressing the crowd and saying: “What are you thinking, you fools? What makes you think you are being poisoned? This is a scourge from God. On your knees, idiots! Pray to God! I'll show you!”
The finest traditions of Russian government