Reforms, the reign of Paul 1 (1796-1801) have earned conflicting assessments from historians. The reason lies in the confusion and contradictions in the psychological portrait of this emperor. By nature, a rather capable person who received a good education, Paul I, having become emperor, behaved like a capricious boy, which, in spite of his mother, freezes his ears. Indeed, he lost his father (Peter III) early and had reason to suspect his mother of involvement in his death. Relations with the mother also did not work out right away - the son was taken away from Catherine II immediately after birth, little Pavel almost did not communicate with his mother. Catherine herself did not like him and feared him as a possible competitor to the throne.
As a result, Emperor Paul 1 made every effort to equip the state exactly the opposite of what was available in Catherine's times. He managed to eliminate some of the "excesses" allowed by the Empress, but as a result he replaced them with his own, often even worse ones. The main reforms of Paul 1 will be presented to your attention in this article.
Designs on a grand scale
Paul I clearly did not expect that his reign would last only 4 years (by the time of accession to the throne he was 42 - a respectable age at that time, but one could still live and live). Therefore, he immediately took on many projects, and some of them managed to be implemented.
The tsar attached the greatest importance to strengthening his own power and the military power of the country (the concepts are not identical, but interconnected). Therefore, the military reform of Paul 1 was most actively implemented (we will briefly talk about it in the article), the ideology of which was rooted in Prussian traditions (which were obsolete by that time). But there were also many useful innovations: the requirements for officers have changed, the rights of soldiers have expanded, new types of troops have appeared, and training has improved in some areas (in particular, military doctors).
The strengthening of power was primarily to be facilitated by the new law on the succession to the throne, which abolished the practice established by Peter I of independent decision-making by the monarch on the candidacy of the heir. The number of noble privileges was also significantly reduced, and the bureaucratic hierarchy was strengthened. To improve governance, the rights of governors were expanded, the number of provinces was reduced, and previously abolished collegiums were restored.
Paul was terribly afraid of palace coups and revolutions and tried to fight "sedition" by introducing total censorship. Even musical scores were checked.
At the same time, if Catherine II was the "mother" of the nobility, Paul I triedto position himself as the "father of the people." They were offered some changes in the position of the peasants. True, the emperor understood the peasant "good" in an original way - for example, he believed that it was much better to be a serf than a free one.
Paul's ideal was a state of absolute regulation and discipline (against the background of traditional Russian carelessness, this ideal looked much more attractive than one might think). He took this idea from the Germans (and did not see any contradiction in this, although the hated mother, Catherine, was a purebred German!).
Seat by law
The reform of the succession of Paul 1 was one of his first decisions after accession to the throne. The new law canceled Peter's decree, according to which the ruling monarch was endowed with the right to independently choose a successor. Now the eldest son had to inherit without fail; in the absence of such, the first-ranking brother or nephew of the monarch in the male line; a woman could be admitted to the throne only in the absence of male candidates.
It is clear that Paul thus wanted to avoid the situation in which he himself found himself - he believed that he should immediately inherit his father after his death, and not wait 34 years while his mother ruled. But fate sometimes likes to joke evil. After the death of Paul, the throne was transferred in strict accordance with this law to his eldest son Alexander (by the way, Catherine loved her grandson, and he got along well with his grandmother). That's just the legitimate heir before this "gave the go-ahead" to strangulationdaddies…
Against the Liberty of the Nobility
The reforms of the nobility of Paul 1 were aimed at curbing their self-will. His mother's comrades-in-arms (among them were cunning sycophants and embezzlers of public funds, but there were many very capable, honored people) he severely persecuted, they were immediately removed from all power. But at the same time, all Catherine's innovations "about the freedom of the nobility" also "flew".
Paul canceled the decree making military service of the nobility optional. Long-term vacations were banned (the maximum could be 30 days a year). The nobles could not even switch from military to civilian service of their own free will - a minimum permission from the governor was required. It was also forbidden to complain directly to the emperor - only through the same governors.
And that's not all - the nobles were obliged to pay taxes, and in some cases they were allowed to use corporal punishment on them!
Down with the noble undergrowth
At the same time, by the decisions of Paul I, some really ugly manifestations of “liberties” were eliminated. Now the nobleman could not just be in the service - it really had to be carried. From the regiments, all the noble "undergrowths" were discharged, who were recorded for non-commissioned officer positions from birth (those who read The Captain's Daughter know that Petrusha Grinev was enrolled in the Guards Regiment as a sergeant even before his birth and by the beginning of the story he had already "served his term" for officer rank is not an exaggeration). Some senators from the time of Catherine were never in the Senate - Pavel isstopped.
New subjects
At the same time, Paul issued decrees that contemporaries perceived as significant concessions to the peasantry. The harbinger of the coming peasant reform was considered the demand of the new tsar that the serfs take the oath to him (earlier the landowner did this for them).
Further, in 1797, Paul issued a manifesto forbidding corvee labor on Sundays and church holidays.
Also, among the notable domestic political decisions in favor of the peasants include the abolition of the grain tax (it was replaced by a fixed cash payment) and corporal punishment for the elderly (although peasants over 70 years old were not so often caught). Also, the ban on filing complaints about the cruelty of the landlords was lifted and restrictions were introduced on the sale of peasants without land.
Strange "prosperity"
But the inconsistency of Paul's nature was very clearly manifested in the peasant question. The tsar repeatedly stated that he considers the peasants to be the main estate in the state, but at the same time he actively gave this estate to the property of other estates. It was Paul I who officially allowed non-nobles to buy peasants (merchants bought serfs to work in factories) and did not pay attention to the fact that this permission contradicts the decree banning the sale without land.
The tsar generally believed that landlord peasants were better off than "ownerless" state ones. As a result, one of his first decrees (in December 1796) he extended serfdom to hitherto free lands of the Don Army and Novorossia. During the 4 years of his reign, Paul made serfs 600 thousand state peasants. His mother managed to give away 840 thousand, but it took her 34 years to do this, and then she is revered as a cruel serf.
Some experts suggest taking into account that the decree of 1797 not only banned corvée on Sunday, but also limited its duration to 3 days a week. Nothing of the kind - it only says that 6 days is enough for the peasant to work for both the landowner and himself.
Should be in order
Besides the peasant issue, in domestic politics Pavel was interested in the problem of effective management and "state security". As part of the administrative reform of Paul 1, the powers of governors were increased (this was discussed above) and at the same time the number of provinces was reduced (from 50 to 41). Paul I restored some colleges that had been abolished earlier. Provincial noble assemblies lost part of their administrative powers (they passed to the governors). At the same time, the rights of self-government were restored in some regions of the empire (in particular, in Ukraine). It was not full-fledged autonomy, but nevertheless, the ability of these regions to independently resolve issues of their own organization has noticeably grown.
Paul 1's internal policy reforms led to the fact that the bureaucracy became very strong (although he always said that he was fighting it). It was then that various departmental bureaucratic uniforms appeared.
Internal Reforms of Paul 1
Pavel was very afraid of conspiracies andrevolutions, and the eradication of "sedition" considered the most important task of domestic policy. True, immediately after coming to power, he pardoned a number of "troublemakers" (including Radishchev and Kosciuszko), but only to spite his mother - other "Voltairians" quickly took their place in prison.
It is Pavel who has the honor of creating the institution of total censorship in the empire. In addition, the emperor was very sensitive to external manifestations of respect and obedience. When he passed, everyone was obliged to bow (including noble ladies) and bare their heads. Sometimes Paul I showed condescension towards violators of this rule (Pushkin did mention how the tsar scolded the nanny for him - they didn’t do anything to her, they only forced her to remove the cap from the tiny boy). But the case of sending into exile a decrepit noble old woman with rheumatism is also known - she could not properly bow …
Prussian Charter
But most of all, Emperor Paul 1 was interested in military affairs, and here he had the most ambitious plans.
While still heir to the throne, in his Gatchina castle, Pavel trained his own guards, drilling them in the Prussian manner. His ideal (like his father, by the way) was Frederick II of Prussia, and the crown prince was not embarrassed that the ideas of this (really outstanding) ruler were somewhat outdated by the time he ascended the throne. It was the rules established in the Prussian army of the time of Frederick that he decided to take as the basis for reforming the Russian army.
Down with Potemkin and Suvorov
Some modern historiansIt is believed that the military reform of Paul 1 made the Russian army organized, disciplined and combat-ready. Therefore, they say, she was then able to defeat Napoleon. This is obviously not true. It was the commanders of the Catherine era - Suvorov, Rumyantsev, Potemkin - who made the Russian army combat-ready, and the Russian soldiers under their command beat even the troops of the same Frederick perfectly. But Paul decisively rejected this legacy - he hated everyone who was promoted by his mother.
The training of the soldiers was really very diligent. But instead of Suvorov's training in taking natural and artificial obstacles and bayonet fighting, many hours of walking along the parade ground with the performance of ceremonial rifle techniques began (something similar can be seen now when passing the Kremlin guard, but under Emperor Paul I, the whole army was forced to do this).
The soldiers were again dressed in corsets with tightened waists, uncomfortable tight boots and powdered wigs with curls. No one cared that tight uniforms caused fainting from lack of air, and the need to put in the proper form of hair with powder did not leave time for sleep. Scab-dried wigs (they were powdered with flour to form scabs of dough) caused migraines and severe unsanitary conditions.
There were other "inventions". For example, Emperor Paul 1 demanded that each regiment had a hundred … halberdiers! De facto, this meant that a hundred unarmed people appeared on the regiment.
However, many experienced officers and generals struggled with innovations in secret. So, Suvorov, during his Italian campaign, defiantly“didn’t notice” that his soldiers simply threw away all the unnecessary parts of their uniforms, and the halberdiers used their “weapons”… for firewood.
Not so bad
But you need to maintain objectivity - the reform of the army of Paul 1 had positive consequences. In particular, he created new types of troops - communications (courier service) and engineering units (Pioneer Regiment). A medical school was organized in the capital (now the Military Medical Academy). The emperor also took care of the preparation of military maps by creating a Map Depot.
Soldiers began to be settled in the barracks, and not to stay in private apartments - this both eased the position of the townspeople and contributed to an increase in discipline. The service life of recruits was set exactly at 25 years (rather than indefinitely or completely unusable). The soldier received the right to leave (28 days a year) and to complain about the misconduct of his superiors.
Uniforms were now issued from the treasury, and not purchased by officers (as they say now, the corruption scheme was suppressed). The officer became responsible for the life and provision of his soldiers (up to criminal prosecution). The fleet was undergoing technical re-equipment, and some odious punishments were abolished (for example, pulling under the keel).
Finally, the uncomfortable uniform was supplemented with some amenities - Pavel was the first to introduce winter uniforms in the Russian army. Fur vests, thick raincoats, overcoats appeared. Guards in the winter were officially allowed to stand on duty in sheepskin coats and felt boots (this rule is still in effect),and everything needed was also provided by the treasury.
Officer dissatisfaction
It is known that among the conspirators who killed Emperor Paul I, there were many officers. They had both good and bad reasons for discontent. The tsar was inclined to find fault with the officers, especially at parades - to get into exile straight from the parade, in which he stood, was a common thing.
But many officers were also annoyed by the exactingness of the monarch - now they had to not "light up" at social events, but deal with the soldiers. The officers were really strictly demanded for their position in their units, regardless of their nobility and merit. However, there were no ignoble among the officers in Pavlovian times - the tsar ordered the dismissal of all non-noble officers and forbade henceforth to give ranks to non-noble non-commissioned officers.
As a result, the heir, Alexander, was very popular among the dissatisfied. Of course, he was aware that his father would in any case be "persuaded" to vacate the throne. Alexander I honestly paid off the conspirators - announcing his accession, he first said: "With me everything will be like with my grandmother."
Emperor Paul 1 is not one of the great rulers who deserved great respect. He did not rule for long, and indeed his reign bore a clear imprint of despotism. But this is no reason not to see the positive changes brought by this king to public life. They also existed, and yet the reforms of Paul 1 (you learned briefly about them from the article) played a role in the further development of the country.
