Her reforms were progressive in the sense that they moved Russia towards modernization and brought the state in line with Western concepts of the relationship between a government and its subjects. One theme present throughout Catherine the Great’s reforms is an attempt to balance state powers and individual liberties. The Statute on Provincial Administration states that “the personal security of each loyal subject is quite precious to the Monarch’s philanthropic heart,” and the establishment of an ordered, hierarchical bureaucracy within the provinces is one way to enforce order and protect personal security among and of the subjects.… Read the rest here
Tag Archives: reform
Catherine the Great
Catherine’s vision was to create a better Russia through helping the people. She recognized how vast her empire was and decided it would be better managed if divided into separate provinces. The Statute on Provincial Administration created “a much more significant administrative presence in the provinces than been there before”1 . The Statue on Provincial Administration creates a more structured, organized role of power for those in charge of the provinces by clearly stating how the provinces are to be run; for example, “Each province shall establish a criminal court” (Kaiser and Marker 242)) . … Read the rest here
The Iron Bridle
Peter the Great was certainly a man of directness. Whether it was his reforms to westernize Russia or slaughtering those who opposed him, it was his way, or the highway. Through his reforms, the trend of servitude to the state for the sake of westernizing sticks out like a sore thumb. Peter enforced an education requirement for rights, while it seems harsh and that those rights should be unalienable, the education would teach the men to serve the state.… Read the rest here
How Terrible was Ivan the Terrible?
Ivan the Terrible is a very complicated ruler to label as simply “a good guy” or “a bad guy.” Both good and overlapped throughout his life, coming up at different times, but I don’t believe one is more prominent than the other. Even more interesting and important to remember is all of Ivan’s personal troubles while he was young and how they could have possibly affected his future as Tsar.
Ivan was successful in bringing change to Russia, although it can be difficult to view his rule as a reformation rule. … Read the rest here
Ivan IV, the Confused Puppy
The regime of Ivan IV was not terrible as his epithet might scream. Ivan’s reign was filled with rather level-headed ideas of the time such as more control over your kingdom and personal safety from enemy assassins. His creation of the district elders in cities and later other parts of the country made complete sense. Criminals needed to be punished without every petty crime involving the Prince. Ivan increased the amount of justice served in Rus’ and the communities in which these elders resided were happy to be rid of crime.… Read the rest here
Gorbachev: What were his Aims?
Gorbachev was a reformer without question, but to what end? What were the aims of his reform attempting to achieve? Gorbachev was not a Stalinist era child, he was a Khrushchev child. Khrushchev was the first General Secretary to introduce new reforms to the Soviet Union since the reign of Stalin. All of his policies were centered around forgetting Stalin and his dark era. Gorbachev saw this as a child and learned that Khrushchev would be remembered as the “Great Reformer” by many. … Read the rest here
Nikolai II: Two Little Too Late
The document detailing Nikolai’s abdication in 1917 shows to readers that the tsar either possessed a very poor grasp on reality or that he couldn’t bear to really tell the Russian people why he chose to abdicate. In the opening of his abdication, Nikolai remarks that ‘it pleased god to send Russia a further painful trial’1. This frame of thinking completely neglects the real reason Nikolai abdicated–namely that his subjects felt angry and didn’t see him as a fit tsar if he couldn’t (and wouldn’t) change with the times and create liberal-minded policies to appease the general public.… Read the rest here
Black & Grey
The Slavophiles and Westernizers were both “reformist” intellectuals who, on different ideological avenues, envisioned changes for the future of Russia that would progress the state to new plateaus. The Slavophiles were upperclassmen who expressed a fundamental vision of integration, peace, and harmony among men (Riasanovsky 362). They were strict followers of the Russian Orthodox Church and believed it was their mission to help the church reclaim power it had lost. A notable Slav – Constantine Aksakov – described the Slavophiles as a “moral choir” (363).… Read the rest here