"Potemkin villages" - a stable phrase that means visible, ostentatious prosperity and an attempt to cover with it the unsightly aspects of Russian reality. Its origin is due to the grandiose journey of Empress Catherine II in January-July 1787 in Novorossiya, during which her favorite, Prince Grigory Potemkin, responsible for the development and improvement of this region, demonstrated crowded rural settlements with well-established economy. At the same time, rumors spread that all this splendor was just a set and a theatrical production.
Even before Catherine's journey began, there was talk in court circles that Prince Potemkin was preparing a grandiose extravaganza for the Empress. References to these rumors are contained in the diaries of statesmen from Catherine's entourage - Alexander Khrapovitsky and Mikhail Garnovsky. Researchers believe that the sources of these rumors were Potemkin's influential rivals at court - Chancellor Alexander Bezborodko, Prince Mikhail Scherbatov, Count Pyotr Rumyantsev.
But foreigners - the Saxon diplomat Georg von Gelbig and the Swedish adventurer Johann-Albert Ehrenström, who became apologists for the myth of "Potemkin villages" - did the most. At the same time, the same Ehrenström admitted that he was impressed by the arsenals, stone houses and fortresses he saw in Novorossiya. The Austrian diplomat Prince de Ligne called the rumors about buffoonish decorations in Tauris fables.
The French ambassador Count Segur noted that by the arrival of the Empress Potemkin organized repair and decoration works in the settlements, which - judging by the context of the memoirs - already existed before her trip. So, the rumors about theatrical productions in Novorossiya and Taurida did not correspond to reality. Then why did the metaphor of "Potemkin villages" take root in history? And what contributed to its spread?
On her journey through Novorossiya, Catherine was accompanied by foreign guests - diplomats, ambassadors and even the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who arrived in Russia incognito. During the trip, the Empress and her entourage witnessed not only entertainment, but also military and political spectacles, which had ideological, or rather - propaganda value. By Potemkin's order, the Black Sea Fleet greeted the Empress with a salute, and different kinds of troops (Tatar cavalry, Kalmyk regiments, etc.) showed maneuvers, which Count Segur called "a brilliant review".
Potemkin's performances had elements of a show, and the European guests understood this perfectly well. Nevertheless, they appreciated both the fleet and the troops, which, against the background of recent victories over Turkey, made a strong impression. Western diplomats were afraid of further strengthening of Russia. It is known that the leading European powers - England, France and even allied Austria were interested in another war between Russia and Turkey. Therefore, their diplomats intensively cultivated the idea of the inability of the Russian Empire to hold Novorossiya and Tavrida.
During the journey, Catherine and her entourage were literally dazzled by fireworks, salutes, music and maneuvers. These ostentatious spectacles almost overshadowed the real merits of the Prince of Tauris in the development of Novorossiya. They were, of course, much more modest than the shows he organized, which looked very much like modern PR campaigns. It took decades to develop the land that had been gained during the Russo-Turkish war. Catherine made her famous journey 13 years after its conclusion and 5 years after the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire. What did Potemkin do in this short period of time?
First, he founded several cities (Ekaterinoslav in 1776, Kherson in 1778, Nikolaev in 1784) that played an important role in the next war with Turkey. Hetman Kirill Razumovsky - probably in a burst of enthusiasm - called them "lepozhudelnymi", although in 1787 their condition was far from Potemkin's infrastructural projects. Secondly, Grigory Alexandrovich created settlements-fortifications and populated them. And, finally, the prince strengthened the Black Sea fleet (first of all, in Sevastopol), which was so necessary for the Russian Empire to maintain its position in the south. Such is the real contribution of Grigory Alexandrovich to the national history. But why do ordinary people remember his "villages" more than his work on the development of Novorossiya and Tavrida? This is secret of Russian spirit !
