The monograph traces the influence of secret (Masonic, Decembrist) societies on the initiation, preparation, progress, results and outcomes of the First Russian Antarctic Expedition of 1819-1821 (Bellingshausen-Lazarev Expedition). Special attention is paid to the fate of the documentary heritage of this expedition. The pre-revolutionary Russian, Soviet and modern Russian historiography on the analyzed issues is widely presented. A number of works by foreign specialists are used.