State reforms of Peter 1. Church reforms of Emperor Peter the Great

Most of all, Peter I was interested in the idea of ​​a fleet and the possibility of trade relations with Europe. To put his ideas into practice, he equipped the Grand Embassy and visited a number of European countries, where he saw how Russia lagged behind in its development.

This event in the life of the young king marked the beginning of his transformative activities. The first reforms of Peter I were aimed at changing the external signs of Russian life: he ordered beards to be shaved and ordered to dress in European clothes, introduced music, tobacco, balls and other innovations into the life of Moscow society, which shocked it.

By decree of December 20, 1699, Peter I approved the calendar from the Nativity of Christ and the celebration of the New Year on January 1.

Foreign policy of Peter I

The main goal of Peter I's foreign policy was access to the Baltic Sea, which would provide Russia with a connection with Western Europe. In 1699, Russia, having entered into an alliance with Poland and Denmark, declared war on Sweden. The outcome of the Northern War, which lasted 21 years, was influenced by the Russian victory in the Battle of Poltava on June 27, 1709. and victory over the Swedish fleet at Gangut on July 27, 1714.

On August 30, 1721, the Treaty of Nystadt was signed, according to which Russia retained the conquered lands of Livonia, Estonia, Ingria, part of Karelia and all the islands of the Gulf of Finland and Riga. Access to the Baltic Sea was secured.

To commemorate the achievements in the Northern War, the Senate and Synod on October 20, 1721 awarded the Tsar the title of Father of the Fatherland, Peter the Great and Emperor of All Russia.

In 1723, after a month and a half of hostilities with Persia, Peter I acquired the western shore of the Caspian Sea.

Simultaneously with the conduct of military operations, the vigorous activity of Peter I was aimed at carrying out numerous reforms, the purpose of which was to bring the country closer to European civilization, increase the education of the Russian people, and strengthen the power and international position of Russia. The great tsar did a lot, here are just the main reforms of Peter I.

Reform of public administration of Peter I

Instead of the Boyar Duma, in 1700 the Council of Ministers was created, which met in the Near Chancellery, and in 1711 - the Senate, which by 1719 had become the highest state body. With the creation of provinces, numerous Orders ceased to operate and were replaced by Collegiums, which were subordinate to the Senate. The secret police also operated in the control system - the Preobrazhensky order (in charge of state crimes) and the Secret Chancellery. Both institutions were administered by the emperor himself.

Administrative reforms of Peter I

Regional (provincial) reform of Peter I

The largest administrative reform of local government was the creation in 1708 of 8 provinces headed by governors, in 1719 their number increased to 11. The second administrative reform divided the provinces into provinces headed by governors, and the provinces into districts (counties) headed with zemstvo commissars.

Urban reform (1699-1720)

To govern the city, the Burmister Chamber was created in Moscow, renamed the Town Hall in November 1699, and magistrates subordinate to the Chief Magistrate in St. Petersburg (1720). Members of the Town Hall and magistrates were elected by election.

Estate reforms

The main goal of the class reform of Peter I was to formalize the rights and responsibilities of each class - the nobility, peasantry and urban population.

Nobility.

1. Decree on estates (1704), according to which both boyars and nobles received estates and estates.
2. Decree on Education (1706) - all boyar children are required to receive primary education.
3. Decree on single inheritance (1714), according to which a nobleman could leave an inheritance to only one of his sons.
4. Table of Ranks (1722): service to the sovereign was divided into three departments - army, state and court - each of which was divided into 14 ranks. This document allowed a lower-class person to earn his way into the nobility.

Peasantry

Most of the peasants were serfs. Serfs could enroll as soldiers, which freed them from serfdom.

Among the free peasants were:

• state-owned, with personal freedom, but limited in the right of movement (i.e., by the will of the monarch, they could be transferred to serfs);
• palace ones that belonged personally to the king;
• possessional, assigned to manufactories. The owner had no right to sell them.

Urban class

Urban people were divided into “regular” and “irregular”. The regulars were divided into guilds: 1st guild - the richest, 2nd guild - small traders and wealthy artisans. Irregulars, or “mean people,” made up the majority of the urban population.

In 1722, workshops appeared that united masters of the same craft.

Judicial reform of Peter I

The functions of the Supreme Court were carried out by the Senate and the College of Justice. In the provinces there were court appeal courts and provincial courts headed by governors. Provincial courts dealt with the cases of peasants (except for monasteries) and townspeople not included in the settlement. Since 1721, court cases of townspeople included in the settlement were conducted by the magistrate. In other cases, cases were decided by the zemstvo or city judge alone.

Church reform of Peter I

Peter I abolished the patriarchate, deprived the church of power, and transferred its funds to the state treasury. Instead of the position of patriarch, the tsar introduced a collegial highest administrative church body - the Holy Synod.

Financial reforms of Peter I

The first stage of Peter I's financial reform boiled down to collecting money for maintaining the army and waging wars. Benefits from the monopoly sale of certain types of goods (vodka, salt, etc.) were added, and indirect taxes were introduced (bath taxes, horse taxes, beard taxes, etc.).

In 1704 it was held currency reform, according to which the kopeck became the main monetary unit. The fiat ruble was abolished.

Tax reform of Peter I consisted of a transition from household taxation to per capita taxation. In this regard, the government included in the tax all categories of the peasant and townspeople, who had previously been exempt from tax.

Thus, during tax reform of Peter I a single cash tax (poll tax) was introduced and the number of taxpayers was increased.

Social reforms of Peter I

Education reform of Peter I

In the period from 1700 to 1721. Many civilian and military schools were opened in Russia. These include the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences; artillery, engineering, medical, mining, garrison, theological schools; digital schools for free education for children of all ranks; Maritime Academy in St. Petersburg.

Peter I created the Academy of Sciences, under which the first Russian university was established, and with it the first gymnasium. But this system began to operate after the death of Peter.

Reforms of Peter I in culture

Peter I introduced a new alphabet, which facilitated learning to read and write and promoted book printing. The first Russian newspaper Vedomosti began to be published, and in 1703 the first book in Russian with Arabic numerals appeared.

The Tsar developed a plan for the stone construction of St. Petersburg, paying special attention to the beauty of the architecture. He invited foreign artists, and also sent talented young people abroad to study “arts”. Peter I laid the foundation for the Hermitage.

Medical reforms of Peter I

The main transformations were the opening of hospitals (1707 - the first Moscow military hospital) and schools attached to them, in which doctors and pharmacists were trained.

In 1700, pharmacies were established at all military hospitals. In 1701, Peter I issued a decree on the opening of eight private pharmacies in Moscow. Since 1704, state-owned pharmacies began to open in many cities of Russia.

To grow, study, and create collections of medicinal plants, apothecary gardens were created, where seeds of foreign flora were imported.

Socio-economic reforms of Peter I

To boost industrial production and develop trade relations with foreign countries, Peter I invited foreign specialists, but at the same time encouraged domestic industrialists and traders. Peter I sought to ensure that more goods were exported from Russia than were imported. During his reign, 200 plants and factories operated in Russia.

Reforms of Peter I in the army

Peter I introduced annual recruitment of young Russians (from 15 to 20 years old) and ordered the training of soldiers to begin. In 1716, the Military Regulations were published, outlining the service, rights and responsibilities of the military.

As a result military reform of Peter I a powerful regular army and navy were created.

Peter's reform activities had the support of a wide circle of the nobility, but caused discontent and resistance among the boyars, archers and clergy, because the transformations entailed the loss of their leadership role in public administration. Among the opponents of Peter I's reforms was his son Alexei.

Results of the reforms of Peter I

1. A regime of absolutism has been established in Russia. During the years of his reign, Peter created a state with a more advanced management system, a strong army and navy, and a stable economy. There was a centralization of power.
2. Rapid development of foreign and domestic trade.
3. The abolition of the patriarchate, the church lost its independence and authority in society.
4. Tremendous progress has been made in the fields of science and culture. A task of national importance was set - the creation of Russian medical education, and the beginning of Russian surgery was laid.

Features of the reforms of Peter I

1. The reforms were carried out according to the European model and covered all spheres of activity and life of society.
2. Lack of a reform system.
3. Reforms were carried out mainly through harsh exploitation and coercion.
4. Peter, impatient by nature, innovated at a rapid pace.

Reasons for the reforms of Peter I

By the 18th century, Russia was a backward country. It was significantly inferior to Western European countries in terms of industrial output, level of education and culture (even in the ruling circles there were many illiterate people). The boyar aristocracy, which headed the state apparatus, did not meet the needs of the country. The Russian army, consisting of archers and noble militia, was poorly armed, untrained and could not cope with its task.

Prerequisites for the reforms of Peter I

In the course of the history of our country, by this time significant shifts in its development had already occurred. The city separated from the village, agriculture and crafts were separated, and manufacturing-type industrial enterprises arose. Domestic and foreign trade developed. Russia borrowed technology and science, culture and education from Western Europe, but at the same time developed independently. Thus, the ground was already prepared for Peter's reforms.

On August 18, 1682, 10-year-old Peter I ascended the Russian throne. We remember this ruler as a great reformer. Whether you have a negative or positive attitude towards his innovations is up to you. We remember the 7 most ambitious reforms of Peter I.

The Church is not the State

“The Church is not another state,” Peter I believed, and therefore his church reform was aimed at weakening the political power of the church. Before her, only the church court could judge the clergy (even in criminal cases), and the timid attempts of Peter I’s predecessors to change this met with harsh rebuff. After the reform, along with other classes, the clergy had to obey a law common to all. Only monks were to live in monasteries, only the sick were to live in almshouses, and everyone else was ordered to be evicted from there.
Peter I is known for his tolerance of other faiths. Under him, the free practice of their faith by foreigners and marriages of Christians of different faiths were allowed. “The Lord gave kings power over the nations, but Christ alone has power over the conscience of people,” Peter believed. With opponents of the Church, he ordered bishops to be “meek and reasonable.” On the other hand, Peter introduced fines for those who confessed less than once a year or behaved badly in church during services.

Bath and beard tax

Large-scale projects to equip the army and build a fleet required huge financial investments. In order to provide for them, Peter I tightened the country's tax system. Now taxes were collected not by household (after all, the peasants immediately began to surround several households with one fence), but by soul. There were up to 30 different taxes: on fishing, on baths, mills, on the practice of the Old Believers and wearing a beard, and even on oak logs for coffins. Beards were ordered to be “cut down to the neck,” and for those who wore them for a fee, a special token-receipt, the “bearded badge,” was introduced. Only the state could now sell salt, alcohol, tar, chalk, and fish oil. The main monetary unit under Peter became not money, but a penny, the weight and composition of coins was changed, and the fiat ruble ceased to exist. Treasury revenues increased several times, however, due to the impoverishment of the people and not for long.

Join the army for life

To win the Northern War of 1700-1721, it was necessary to modernize the army. In 1705, each household was required to send one recruit for lifelong service. This applied to all classes except the nobility. From these recruits the army and navy were formed. In the military regulations of Peter I, for the first time, the first place was given not to the moral and religious content of criminal actions, but to the contradiction to the will of the state. Peter managed to create a powerful regular army and navy, which had never existed in Russia until now. By the end of his reign, the number of regular ground forces was 210 thousand, irregular - 110 thousand, and more than 30 thousand people served in the navy.

"Extra" 5508 years

Peter I “abolished” 5508 years, changing the tradition of chronology: instead of counting years “from the creation of Adam,” in Russia they began to count years “from the Nativity of Christ.” The use of the Julian calendar and the celebration of the New Year on January 1 are also innovations of Peter. He also introduced the use of modern Arabic numerals, replacing with them the old numbers - letters of the Slavic alphabet with titles. The lettering was simplified; the letters “xi” and “psi” “fell out” of the alphabet. Secular books now had their own font - civil, while liturgical and spiritual books were left with semi-charter.
In 1703, the first Russian printed newspaper “Vedomosti” began to appear, and in 1719, the first museum in Russian history, the Kunstkamera with a public library, began to operate.
Under Peter, the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences (1701), the Medical-Surgical School (1707) - the future Military Medical Academy, the Naval Academy (1715), the Engineering and Artillery Schools (1719), and translator schools were opened. at the collegiums.

Learning through strength

All nobles and clergy were now required to receive education. The success of a noble career now depended directly on this. Under Peter, new schools were created: garrison schools for the children of soldiers, spiritual schools for the children of priests. Moreover, in each province there should have been digital schools with free education for all classes. Such schools were necessarily supplied with primers in Slavic and Latin, as well as alphabets, psalms, books of hours and arithmetic. The training of the clergy was forced, those who opposed it were threatened with military service and taxes, and those who did not complete the training were not allowed to marry. But due to the compulsory nature and harsh teaching methods (beating with batogs and chaining), such schools did not last long.

A slave is better than a slave

“Less baseness, more zeal for service and loyalty to me and the state - this honor is characteristic of the tsar...” - these are the words of Peter I. As a result of this royal position, some changes occurred in the relations between the tsar and the people, which were a novelty in Rus'. For example, in petition messages it was no longer allowed to humiliate oneself with the signatures “Grishka” or “Mitka”, but it was necessary to put one’s full name. It was no longer necessary to take off your hat in the strong Russian frost when passing by the royal residence. One was not supposed to kneel before the king, and the address “serf” was replaced by “slave,” which was not derogatory in those days and was associated with “servant of God.”
There has also been more freedom for young people wishing to get married. The forced marriage of a girl was abolished by three decrees, and the betrothal and wedding now had to be separated in time so that the bride and groom “could recognize each other.” Complaints that one of them annulled the engagement were not accepted - after all, this had now become their right.

Reforms of Peter I: a new page in the development of the Russian Empire.

Peter I can confidently be called one of the greatest Russian emperors, because it was he who began the necessary reorganization of all spheres of society, the army and the economy for the country, which played a significant role in the development of the empire.
This topic is quite extensive, but we will talk briefly about the reforms of Peter I.
The emperor carried out a number of important reforms at that time, which should be discussed in more detail. And so what reforms of Peter I changed the empire:
Regional reform
Judicial reform
Military reform
Church reform
Financial reform
And now it is necessary to talk about each of the reforms of Peter I more separately.

Regional reform

Judicial reform

Military reform

Church reform

Financial reform

Reforms in industry and trade

Education reform

Speaking briefly about the progress of Peter I's church reform, it is important to note its thoughtfulness. At the end of the reform, Russia, as a result, received only one person with absolute full power.

Church reform of Peter I

From 1701 to 1722, Peter the Great tried to reduce the authority of the Church and establish control over its administrative and financial activities. The prerequisites for this were the protest of the Church against the changes taking place in the country, calling the king the Antichrist. Having enormous authority, comparable to the authority and complete power of Peter himself, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' was the main political competitor of the Russian reformer tsar.

Rice. 1. Young Peter.

Among other things, the Church accumulated enormous wealth, which Peter needed to wage war with the Swedes. All this tied Peter’s hands to use all the country’s resources for the sake of the desired victory.

The tsar was faced with the task of eliminating the economic and administrative autonomy of the Church and reducing the number of clergy.

Table “The essence of the reforms being carried out”

January 25, 1721 is the date of the final victory of the emperor over the patriarch, when the patriarchate was abolished.

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Rice. 2. Prosecutor General Yaguzhinsky.

The relevance of the topic was not only under Peter, but also under the Bolsheviks, when not only church power was abolished, but also the very structure and organization of the Church.

Rice. 3. Building of 12 colleges.

The Spiritual College also had another name - the Governing Synod. A secular official, not a clergyman, was appointed to the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Synod.

As a result, the reform of the Church of Peter the Great had its pros and cons. Thus, Peter discovered for himself the opportunity to lead the country towards Europeanization, however, if this power began to be abused, in the hands of another person Russia could find itself in a dictatorial-despotic regime. However, the consequences are a reduction in the role of the church in society, a reduction in its financial independence and the number of servants of the Lord.

Gradually, all institutions began to concentrate around St. Petersburg, including church ones. The activities of the Synod were monitored by fiscal services.

Peter also introduced church schools. According to his plan, every bishop was obliged to have a school for children at home or at home and provide primary education.

Results of the reform

• The position of Patriarch has been abolished;
• Taxes increased;
• Recruitment from church peasants is underway;
• The number of monks and monasteries has been reduced;
• The Church is dependent on the Emperor.

What have we learned?

Peter the Great concentrated all branches of power in his hands and had unlimited freedom of action, establishing absolutism in Russia.

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Prerequisites for the reforms of Peter the Great

Peter accepted Russia as a backward country, located on the outskirts of Europe. Muscovy had no access to the sea, with the exception of the White Sea, a regular army, navy, developed industry, trade, the system of government was antediluvian and ineffective, there were no higher educational institutions (only in 1687 the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy opened in Moscow), printing , theater, painting, libraries, not only the people, but many representatives of the elite: boyars, nobles, did not know how to read and write. Science did not develop. Serfdom ruled.

Public Administration Reform

- Peter replaced orders that did not have clear responsibilities with collegiums, the prototype of future ministries

• Collegium of Foreign Affairs
• Military college
• Naval College
• Board for Trade Affairs
• College of Justice...

The boards consisted of several officials, the eldest was called the chairman or president. All of them were subordinate to the Governor General, who was part of the Senate. There were 12 boards in total.
- In March 1711, Peter created the Governing Senate. At first its function was to govern the country in the absence of the king, then it became a permanent institution. The Senate included presidents of colleges and senators - people appointed by the tsar.
- In January 1722, Peter issued a “table of ranks”, numbering 14 class ranks from State Chancellor (first rank) to collegiate registrar (fourteenth)
- Peter reorganized the secret police system. Since 1718, the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, which was in charge of cases of political crimes, was transformed into the Secret Investigation Office.

Church reform of Peter

Peter abolished the patriarchate, a church organization practically independent of the state, and created in its place the Holy Synod, all of whose members were appointed by the tsar, thereby eliminating the autonomy of the clergy. Peter pursued a policy of religious tolerance, making the existence of Old Believers easier and allowing foreigners to freely practice their faith.

Administrative reform of Peter

Russia was divided into provinces, provinces were divided into provinces, provinces into counties.
Provinces:

• Moscow
• Ingria
• Kyiv
• Smolenskaya
• Azovskaya
• Kazanskaya
• Arkhangelogorodskaya
• Siberian
• Rizhskaya
• Astrakhan
• Nizhny Novgorod

Peter's military reform

Peter replaced the irregular and noble militia with a permanent regular army, staffed by recruits drawn one from each of the 20 peasant or petty-bourgeois households in the Great Russian provinces. He built a powerful navy and wrote the military regulations himself, using the Swedish one as a basis.

Peter turned Russia into one of the strongest naval powers in the world, with 48 battleships and 788 galleys and other ships

Peter's economic reform

A modern army could not exist without a state supply system. To supply the army and navy with weapons, uniforms, food, consumables, it was necessary to create powerful industrial production. By the end of Peter's reign, there were about 230 factories and plants operating in Russia. Factories were created focused on the production of glass products, gunpowder, paper, canvas, linen, cloth, paints, ropes, even hats; metallurgical, sawmill, and leather industries were organized. In order for the products of Russian craftsmen to be competitive in the market, high customs duties were introduced on European goods. Encouraging entrepreneurial activity, Peter made extensive use of loans to create new factories and trading companies. The largest enterprises that arose during the era of Peter the Great's reforms were those created in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Urals, Tula, Astrakhan, Arkhangelsk, Samara

• Admiralty Shipyard
• Arsenal
• Powder factories
• Metallurgical plants
• Linen production
• Production of potash, sulfur, saltpeter

By the end of the reign of Peter I, Russia had 233 factories, including more than 90 large manufactories built during his reign. During the first quarter of the 18th century, 386 different ships were built at the shipyards of St. Petersburg and Arkhangelsk; at the beginning of the century, Russia smelted about 150 thousand pounds of cast iron, in 1725 - more than 800 thousand pounds; Russia caught up with England in cast iron smelting

Peter's reform in education

The army and navy needed qualified specialists. Therefore, Peter paid great attention to their preparation. During his reign, they were organized in Moscow and St. Petersburg

• School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences
• artillery school
• engineering school
• medical school
• Marine Academy
• mining schools at Olonets and Ural factories
• Digital schools for “children of all ranks”
• Garrison schools for children of soldiers
• Theological schools
• Academy of Sciences (opened a few months after the death of the Emperor)

Peter's reforms in the field of culture

• Publication of the first newspaper in Russia “St. Petersburg Vedomosti”
• Ban on boyars wearing beards
• Establishment of the first Russian museum - Kunskamera
• Requirement for nobility to wear European dress
• Creation of assemblies where nobles had to appear together with their wives
• Creation of new printing houses and translation into Russian of many European books

Reforms of Peter the Great. Chronology

• 1690 - The first guards regiments Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky were created
• 1693 — Creation of a shipyard in Arkhangelsk
• 1696 — Creation of a shipyard in Voronezh
• 1696 - Decree on the creation of an arms factory in Tobolsk
• 1698 - Decree banning beards and requiring nobles to wear European clothing
• 1699 - Dissolution of the Streltsy army
• 1699 - creation of commercial and industrial enterprises enjoying a monopoly
• 1699, December 15 - Decree on calendar reform. New Year starts on January 1st
• 1700 - Creation of the Government Senate
• 1701 - Decree prohibiting kneeling at the sight of the sovereign and removing one’s hat in winter when passing by his palace
• 1701 - Opening of a school of mathematical and navigational sciences in Moscow
• 1703, January - the first Russian newspaper was published in Moscow

• 1704 - Replacement of the Boyar Duma with a council of ministers - the Council of Chiefs of Orders
• 1705 - First decree on recruitment
• 1708, November - Administrative reform
• 1710, January 18 - decree on the official introduction of the Russian civil alphabet instead of the Church Slavonic
• 1710 - Founding of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg
• 1711 - instead of the Boyar Duma, a Senate of 9 members and a chief secretary was created. Currency reform: minting gold, silver and copper coins
• 1712 - Transfer of the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg
• 1712 - Decree on the creation of horse breeding farms in the Kazan, Azov and Kyiv provinces
• 1714, February - Decree on the opening of digital schools for the children of clerks and priests
• 1714, March 23 - Decree on primogeniture (single inheritance)
• 1714 - Foundation of the state library in St. Petersburg
• 1715 - Creation of shelters for the poor in all cities of Russia
• 1715 - Instruction of the College of Commerce to organize the training of Russian merchants abroad
• 1715 - Decree on encouraging the cultivation of flax, hemp, tobacco, mulberry trees for silkworms
• 1716 - Census of all schismatics for double taxation
• 1716, March 30 - Adoption of military regulations
• 1717 - Introduction of free trade in grain, cancellation of some privileges for foreign merchants
• 1718 - Replacement of Orders by Colleges
• 1718 - Judicial reform. tax reform
• 1718 - Beginning of the population census (continued until 1721)
• 1719, November 26 - Decree on the establishment of assemblies - free meetings for fun and business
• 1719 - Creation of an engineering school, establishment of the Berg College to manage the mining industry
• 1720 - Naval Charter adopted
• 1721, January 14 - Decree on the creation of the Theological College (the future Holy Synod)