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The Society of Red Cross was founded in Russia
«Per humanitatem ad pacem»
‘From humanism to peace’
On May 3 (15), 1867 after Geneva convention ratification (May 10, 1867) Emperor Alexander II approved the Regulation of the Society for care of sick and wounded under the patronage of his wife, Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
In 1879 the Society was renamed to the Russian Society of the Red Cross (ROKK). It served the purpose of prevention and relief of human suffering during peace and war time.
From the first years of its existence ROKK developed its activity inside the county as well as beyond the boundaries. In 1868 on ROKK initiative in Petersburg took place the International conference during which was adopted the Declaration prohibiting the use of explosive bullets during the hostilities. With the active participation of Russia were convened the conference in Brussels (1874) and Haag (1899) which prepared the Conventions on laws and customs of land warfare and made decisions on extending the Geneva convention provisions (1864) regarding the protection of wounded in sea warfare.
In peace time ROKK institutions cared for war invalids and families of fallen servicemen; provided assistance to civil population having suffered during acts of God, famines and epidemics. During war time ROKK organized hospitals on battlefronts and home fronts, trained medical personnel, collected donations for the benefit of wounded. The Society corps worked on battlefronts during Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871), war Montenegro and Serbia with Turkey (1876), Serbia and Bulgaria war (1885), Greece and Turkey war (1897) and other wars and conflicts. The Society also provided assistance to other national societies when their countries happened to be in belligerency (France and Prussia 1870-1871).
With the lapse of time the Russian Society of the Red Cross became one of the most powerful in the world not only in terms of its social impact due to the fact of participation of imperial family members, aristocracy and clergy representatives but also in terms of finance resources (ROKK monthly budget equaled to 18 million rubles). Its sources of finance were donations of individuals, capital interest and various charges – on post and telegraph services, foreign passports, railway tickets.
By the beginning of 20th century ROKK represented a branched structure with wide network of local institutions in provincial and district chief towns. ROKK was in charge of the majority of Medical nurses’ communes. From 1880 to 1917 ROKK had been under the patronage of Empress Maria Feodorovna, the wife of Alexander III.
In 1923 the representatives of Red Cross Societies of RSFSR, Ukraine, Belorussia, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan Red Crescent concluded the agreement on forming the Union of Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent (SOKK and KP of USSR).
At that period of time the activists from SOKK and KP opened medical and obstetric posts, first of all in distant and backward regions of the Extreme North, Siberia and Middle Asia; for children there was organized a network of preventive outpatient’s clinics, summer camps, sanatoriums, playgrounds and day nurseries. In 1925 by means of the Central Committee of OKK of RSFSR was founded ‘Artek’ pioneer camp. SOKK and KP of USSR initiated creation of sanitary aviation which had provided timely medical assistance to thousands of sick people.
After the collapse of USSR the Union of Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent was abolished; its legal successor in the territory of the Russian Federation became the Russian Society of Red Cross. At the present ROKK is a member of International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent which unites over 500 million people in 181 countries of the world.
Lit.: Беляева М. В. Российское Общество Красного Креста в истории России 1867-1921 гг. Дис. ... канд. ист. наук. Ставрополь, 2002; Боцяновский В. Ф. Исторический очерк деятельности Российского общества Красного Креста. СПб., 1896; Заметки по вопросам, относящимся к деятельности Общества Красного креста в минувшую войну 1877-1878. СПб., 1879; История Российского Красного Креста [Электронный ресурс] // Российский Красный Крест. Б. д. URL: http://www.redcross.ru/?pid=10; История Российского Красного Креста [Электронный ресурс] // Российский Красный Крест. Санкт-Петербургское отделение. 2005. URL: https://www.spbredcross.org/about/rkk; Постернак А. В. Очерки по истории общин сестёр милосердия. М., 2001; Российское общество Красного Креста: исторический обзор деятельности. СПб., 1902; 135 лет Российскому Красному Кресту. М., 2002.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Полное собрание законов Российской Империи. Т. 42 (1867). СПб., 1871. № 44519. С. 424;
Российское общество Красного Креста: исторический обзор деятельности. СПб., 1902.