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The reforms of Peter I briefly
Content:
Social (estate) reforms of Peter I briefly
The military reform of Peter I briefly
Administrative and state reforms of Peter the Great briefly
Financial reforms of Peter I briefly
Economic reforms of Peter I briefly
The Church reform of Peter I briefly
Peter I's reforms in the field of culture, science and education briefly
read also the articles Peter I's Reforms table and Peter I's Foreign Policy table.
The general chronology of Peter's transformations is given in the article The History of Peter I's reforms by dates
Social (estate) reforms of Peter I briefly
As a result of Peter I's social reforms, the situation of the three main Russian estates – the nobles, peasants and urban residents changed significantly.
The service class, the nobles, after the reforms of Peter I, began to perform military service not with local militias recruited by themselves, but in regular regiments.
The nobles now (in theory) began their service with the same lower ranks as the common people.
Natives of the non noble estates, along with the nobles, could rise to the highest ranks.
The order of passing official degrees was determined from the time of the reforms of Peter I no longer by birth and not by customs like localism, but by the "Table of Ranks" published in 1722.
She established 14 ranks of army and civilian service.
To prepare for the service, Peter I also obliged the nobles to undergo initial training in literacy, numeracy and geometry.
A nobleman who did not pass the established exam was deprived of the right to marry and receive an officer's rank.
It should be noted that even after the reforms of Peter I, the landowner class still had quite important official advantages over people of no rank.
The nobles who entered the military service, as a rule, were ranked not among the ordinary army regiments, but among the privileged guards – Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky, who were quartered in St. Petersburg.
The main change in the social status of the peasants was associated with the tax reform of Peter I.
It was carried out in 1718 and replaced the former household (from each peasant's yard) method of taxation with a poll (from the soul).
According to the results of the census of 1718, a poll tax was introduced.
This purely financial, at first glance, reform had, however, an important social content.
The new poll tax was ordered to be levied equally not only from peasants, but also from private owning serfs who had not previously paid state taxes.
This order of Peter I brought the social situation of the peasantry closer to the disenfranchised serf.
It predetermined the evolution of the view of serfs by the end of the XVIII century, not as sovereign draught people (which they were considered earlier), but as full master's slaves.
Cities: r The reforms of Peter I were aimed at arranging the city administration according to European models.
In 1699, Peter I granted the Russian cities the right of self government in the person of elected burmasters, who were supposed to make up the town hall.
The townspeople were now divided into "regular" and "irregular", as well as into guilds and guilds by occupation.
By the end of the reign of Peter I, the town halls were transformed into magistrates, who had more rights than the town halls, but were elected in a less democratic way – only from "first class" citizens.
At the head of all magistrates was (since 1720) the capital's Chief Magistrate, who was considered a special college.
For more information, see the articles Social Reforms of Peter I, Nobles under Peter I, Peasants under Peter I, Cities under Peter I
Peter I. Portrait by P. Delaroche, 1838
The military reform of Peter I briefly
Already under Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexey Mikhailovich, many regular regiments of the new system appeared in the Russian army.
But then most of their members were recruited from time to time, for the duration of hostilities and disbanded after their end.
Before the military reform of Peter I, the soldiers of such regiments combined service with trade, craft and other similar occupations.
They lived, as a rule, with families.
As a result of the military reform of Peter I, the role of regular regiments has increased even more.
The noble militias disappeared completely.
The armies became permanent and did not disband after military campaigns.
Their lower ranks were no longer recruited from time to time from hired volunteers, but were replenished by systematically recruited recruits from the taxable estates at certain times.
The soldiers of the troops of Peter I completely broke away from their families and all other occupations, except for the military.
The Cossacks before Peter I were a "free ally" of the Moscow state, serving under temporary contracts, but after the suppression of the Bulavinsky revolt, they were also obliged to supply a clearly defined number of troops.
Peter I created a large fleet: 48 ships and up to 800 galleys with 28 thousand crew.
According to the results of the military reform, up to 212 thousand soldiers were registered in regular regiments by the end of Peter's reign.
For more information, see the articles Military Reform of Peter I, the Troops of Peter I
Administrative and state reforms of Peter I briefly
The Boyar Duma under Peter I finally lost its importance as an organ of the influential upper aristocracy.
Peter solved all cases with a narrow circle of confidants most of them non noble immigrants and even foreigners.
The system of the previous numerous, poorly ordered orders also collapsed.
The provincial self government of cities and municipalities has ceased to exist.
One of the most important administrative reforms of Peter I was the establishment in 1711 of a new supreme state body – the Governing Senate.
Members of the Senate were appointed by the sovereign, and did not receive the right to sit there due to the pedigree of their surnames.
At first, the Senate was considered a purely administrative institution, without a legislative function.
The prosecutor general appointed by the tsar supervised his work.
Many prosecutors and fiscal officers under Peter I audited administrative bodies at all levels.
The former Moscow orders were replaced by the reform of 1718 by 12 colleges on the Swedish model.
Each of them was responsible for its own range of affairs: military, maritime, foreign affairs, income, expenses, financial control, trade, mining, manufacturing, justice, plus the city board (the Chief Magistrate) and the church (the Holy Synod).
The difference between the collegiums created by the reform of Peter I and the later ministries was that the first ones practiced collegial discussion of cases by their members, and not the sole leadership of the minister.
Another administrative reform of Peter I divided Russia into provinces (at first eight), which in turn were divided into provinces, and those into counties.
The provinces were headed by governors, provinces and counties voivodes (or commandants).
Under the voivodes in the time of Peter I, there were elected bodies from the nobles – landrats and zemstvo commissars.
An important state reform was also the law of Peter I on the succession to the throne (1722).
It abolished the usual sequence of replacing the throne within the dynasty.
The acting sovereign could henceforth choose anyone as his successor.
For more information, see the articles Management Reforms under Peter I, Administrative Reform of Peter I, Senate of Peter I, Colleges under Peter I, Local Government under Peter I, Administration of Peter I system and hierarchy
Financial reforms of Peter I briefly
During the Northern War, indirect taxes were constantly raised by Peter I, many new ones were introduced (for beards, baths, oak coffins, stamp paper, etc.), a "lightweight" coin was minted.
As a result of all these measures, the treasury's revenues have increased significantly.
A special financial position of profit makers was also introduced, who pointed out to Peter I new possible sources of taxation.
At the end of the reign of Peter I, the system of direct taxes was radically transformed: the former household tax was replaced by a poll tax.
This financial reform also had broad social consequences – see above.
For more information, see the articles Tax reforms of Peter I, Financial and economic Reforms of Peter I
Economic reforms of Peter I briefly
Like most European figures of the second half of the XVII beginning of the XVIII century, Peter I followed the principles of mercantilism in economic policy.
Applying them to life, he tried in every possible way to develop industry, built factories with state funds, encouraged such construction by private entrepreneurs through broad benefits, attributed serfs to factories and manufactories.
By the end of the reign of Peter I, there were already 233 factories in Russia.
In foreign trade, the mercantilist policy of Peter I led to strict protectionism (high duties were imposed on imported products to prevent them from competing with Russian products).
State regulation of the economy was widely used.
Peter the Great contributed to the construction of canals, roads and other communication routes, exploration of minerals.
The development of the mineral resources of the Urals gave a powerful impetus to the Russian economy.
For more information, see the articles Financial and Economic Reforms of Peter I, Industry and Trade under Peter I
The Church reform of Peter I briefly
As a result of the church reform of Peter I, the Russian Church, previously quite independent, became completely dependent on the state.
After the death of Patriarch Adrian (1700), the tsar ordered not to elect a new patriarch, and the Russian clergy then did not have him until the council of 1917.
Instead, the "locum tenens of the patriarchal throne", the Ukrainian Stefan Yavorsky, was appointed tsar.
This "uncertain" state of affairs persisted until the final reform of church administration was carried out in 1721, developed with the active participation of Feofan Prokopovich.
According to this church reform of Peter I, the patriarchate was finally abolished and replaced by a" spiritual college " – the Holy Synod.
Its members were not elected by the clergy, but appointed by the tsar – the church has now become completely dependent on the secular authorities by law.
In 1701, the land holdings of the church were transferred to the administration of the secular Monastic order.
After the synodal reform of 1721, they were formally returned to the clergy, but since the latter now completely submitted to the state, this return did not matter much.
Peter I also placed monasteries under strict state control.
For more information, see the articles The Church Reform of Peter I, Peter I and the Church.
Peter I's reforms in the field of culture, science and education briefly
Immediately after returning from a trip abroad (1698), Peter I began to cut the beards of boyars and nobles and introduce Western clothing for them in order to give the upper class of Russia a European appearance.
Peter I sought to spread useful knowledge in Russia – mainly technical and practical, not humanitarian.
His cultural reforms were reflected in the foundation of a number of schools for teaching foreign languages, mathematics,marine and engineering.
Western scientific literature was translated into Russian.
The old complicated Church Slavonic letter was replaced (1708) by a simpler "civil alphabet".
Under Peter I, the first publicly available Russian newspaper, Moskovskie Vedomosti, was published (since 1703).
At the end of his reign, Peter I made an attempt (1724) to establish an Academy of Sciences in Russia, which, however, soon closed.
Peter the Great also introduced everyday European customs in Russia.
Among the nobles, "assemblies" (secular receptions) of a purely secular nature spread.
Noisy public celebrations were held in the Western manner.
The position of women was promoted more freely than in Moscow Russia.
For more information, see the article Culture and Education under Peter I
The author of the text
read also the articles The Reforms of Ivan the Terrible briefly, the Reforms of Speransky briefly
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More on the topic...
§ 98 Education of Peter I
§100 Peter I in 1689-1694
§101 - The Azov campaigns of Peter I
§102 The Great Embassy of Peter I to Europe
§103 The Streletsky Revolt of 1698 and the beginning of the reforms of Peter I
§104 The beginning of the Northern War, the Battle of Narva (1700) and the foundation of St. Petersburg
§105 (1) - The Uprising of Kondratiy Bulavin
§105 (2) - Mazepa's treason
§105 (3) - Battle of Lesnaya (1708)
Alexey Petrovich, Tsarevich
§106 The Battle of Poltava 1709 briefly
§107 (1) - The Prut campaign of Peter I (1711)
§107 (2) - The end of the Northern War, the Persian campaign of Peter I
§108 The reforms of Peter I, their meaning and significance
§109 - Social reforms of Peter the Great
§110 The military reform of Peter I
§111 Governance reforms under Peter I
§112 - Financial and economic reforms of Peter the Great
§113 The Church Reform of Peter I
§114 Culture and education under Peter I
§115 The family of Peter I
Menshikov
Peter I
§116 Succession to the throne after Peter I, Catherine I
Peter I the Fleet
Peter I and Catherine
The childhood of Peter I
Peter I and his sister Sophia the Coup of 1689
The German settlement and Peter the Great
Reforms of Peter I
Attitude to the reforms of Peter I
Companions of Peter I
The significance of Peter I's reforms
Assessments of Peter I's reforms and activities
Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin – a brief biography
Alexey Petrovich, Tsarevich a brief biography
Peter I's reforms table
The history of Peter I's reforms by dates
Foreign policy of Peter the Great table
The Battle of Poltava (1709)
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