Catherine II Alekseevna ruled from 1762 to 1796. She tried to continue the course that Peter I took. But at the same time she also wanted to follow the conditions of the New Age. During her reign, several profound administrative reforms were carried out and the territory of the empire expanded significantly. The Empress had the mind and abilities of a major statesman.
Goal of the reign of Catherine II
Legislative registration of the rights of individual estates - the goals that Catherine II set for herself. The policy of enlightened absolutism, in short, is a social system when the monarch realizes that he is the trustee of the empire, while the estates voluntarily realize their responsibility to reigning monarch. Catherine the Great wanted the union between the monarch and society to be achieved not through coercion, but through a voluntary awareness of their rights and obligations. At this time, the development of education, commercial and industrial activities, and science was encouraged. It was also during this period that journalism was born. The French enlighteners - Diderot, Voltaire - were those whose works guided Catherine II. The policy of enlightened absolutismsummarized below.
What is "enlightened absolutism"?
The policy of enlightened absolutism was adopted by a number of European states (Prussia, Sweden, Portugal, Austria, Denmark, Spain, etc.). The essence of the policy of enlightened absolutism is an attempt by the monarch to carefully change his state in accordance with the changed conditions of life. This was necessary so that there would be no revolution.
The ideological basis of enlightened absolutism was two things:
- Philosophy of the Enlightenment.
- Christian doctrine.
With such a policy, state intervention in the economy, the renewal and codification of laws, and the legislative design of the estate should have been reduced. Also, the church had to obey the state, censorship was temporarily weakened, book publishing and education were encouraged.
Reform of the Senate
One of the first reforms of Catherine II was the reform of the Senate. The Decree of December 15, 1763 changed the powers and structure of the Senate. Now he was deprived of legislative powers. Now he performed only the function of control and remained the highest judicial body.
Structural changes divided the Senate into 6 departments. Each of them had a strictly defined competence. Thus, the efficiency of its work as a central authority increased. But at the same time, the Senate became an instrument in the hands of the authorities. He had to obey the empress.
Stocked Commission
In 1767, Catherine the Great convenedInstalled commission. Its purpose was to demonstrate the unity of the monarch and subjects. In order to form a commission, elections were held from among the estates, which did not include privately owned peasants. As a result, the commission had 572 deputies: the nobility, state institutions, peasants and Cossacks. The tasks of the commission included the compilation of a code of laws, and the Cathedral Code of 1649 was also replaced. In addition, it was necessary to develop measures for the serfs to make their life easier. But this led to a split in the commission. Each group of deputies defended their interests. The disputes continued for so long that Catherine the Great seriously thought about stopping the work of the convened deputies. The commission worked for a year and a half and was dissolved at the beginning of the Russo-Turkish war.
Letter of Letters
In the mid-70s and early 90s, Catherine II carried out major reforms. The reason for these reforms was the Pugachev uprising. Therefore, it became necessary to strengthen the monarchical power. The power of the local administration increased, the number of provinces increased, the Zaporozhian Sich was abolished, serfdom began to spread to Ukraine, the power of the landowner over the peasants increased. The province was headed by a governor who was responsible for everything. General governments united several provinces.
Charter granted to cities since 1775 expanded their rights to self-government. She also freed merchants from recruitment and poll tax. Entrepreneurship began to develop. The mayor ruledcities, and the police captain, elected by the noble assembly, ruled the counties.
Each estate now had its own special judicial institution. The central authorities have shifted the focus to local institutions. Problems and issues were resolved much faster.
In 1785, the Letter of Complaint became a confirmation of the freemen of the nobility, which was introduced by Peter III. Nobles were now exempt from corporal punishment and confiscation of property. In addition, they could create self-government bodies.
Other reforms
A number of other reforms were carried out when the policy of enlightened absolutism was carried out. The table shows other equally important reforms of the Empress.
| Year | Reform | Result |
| 1764 | Secularization of church properties | Church property became state property. |
| 1764 | The Hetmanship and elements of autonomy in Ukraine have been eliminated | |
| 1785 | Urban reform | |
| 1782 | Police reform | The "Charter of the deanery, or the policeman" was introduced. The population began to be under police and church-moral control. |
| 1769 | Financial reform | introduced banknotes - paper money. Noble and Merchant banks were opened. |
| 1786 | Educational reform | A system of educational institutions has emerged. |
| 1775 | Introduction of free enterprise |
The New Deal did not take root
The policy of enlightened absolutism in Russia did not last long. After the revolution in France in 1789, the Empress decided to change her political course. Censorship of books and newspapers began to increase.
Catherine II turned the Russian Empire into an authoritative, powerful world power. The nobility became a privileged estate, the rights of the nobles in self-government expanded. Favorable conditions were created for the country to continue its economic development. Catherine II managed to do all this. The policy of enlightened absolutism, in short, in Russia preserved and strengthened the absolute monarchy, as well as serfdom. The main ideas of Diderot and Voltaire never caught on: the forms of government were not abolished, and people did not become equal. Rather, on the contrary, the difference between the classes only intensified. Corruption flourished in the country. The population did not hesitate to give large bribes. What did the policy pursued by Catherine II, the policy of enlightened absolutism, lead to? Briefly, this can be described as follows: the entire financial system collapsed and, as a result, a severe economic crisis.
