Reforms of Peter 1: causes, results, pros and cons, meaning, consequences. The positive and negative results of Peter's reforms 1 briefly

The results of the reforms of Peter the Great are one of the most complicated and controversial issues in the national historical science. It can be said that in historiography the opposite assessments of the activities of the first Russian emperor were established at the time. Some saw him as a transformer of Russia and believed that he deserved the inclusion of the state in the system of European powers (such as the representatives of the Westerners' line, in particular), while others emphasized that his reforms broke the traditional foundations of the life of Russian society and led to partial The loss of their national identity (this view was held, in particular, by the authors of the philosophical trend of the Slavophils).

Executive summary

The results of the reforms of Peter 1 should be considered in the context of the peculiarities of his reign. These years were very difficult for the history of Russia, because it was a transitional period. The emperor waged war for the country's exit to the Baltic Sea and simultaneously carried out the transformation of the entire socio-political system in the state. However, the downside of his activities was that he carried out his reforms with the expectation that these were temporary measures for governing the country during the war. However, later it turned out that these temporary measures proved to be more durable than ever. But the ruler himself acted, as they say, in a hurry, so the results of the reforms of Peter the Great were very controversial in the sense that they were often introduced in a hurry and administrative methods, without taking into account the specifics of those or other areas that were subject to change.

The essence of transformations

All the measures of the new ruler were aimed at ensuring Russia's victory during the Northern War with Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea. Therefore, all measures were aimed at improving the state administration and management. But the king was also interested in the fact that the country was included in the system of European states, since he realized that the exit to the sea would inevitably lead to a change in the geopolitical position of the state. Therefore, he sought to somehow equalize the degree of development of the country with Western Europe. And the results of Peter's reforms in this area can be called controversial, at least historians and researchers disagree about their effectiveness. On the one hand, borrowing in government, administration and culture can be called an important step for the Europeanization of the state, but at the same time their haste and even some disorder led to the fact that Western European norms were adopted only by a very narrow layer of nobles. The situation of the bulk of the population has not changed.

Importance of political change

The results of the reforms of Peter 1 should be briefly described as follows: Russia gained access to the Baltic Sea, became an empire, and its ruler became an emperor, it became part of the European states and began to play a leading role in the international arena. The main result, undoubtedly, lies in the fact that the country received a fundamentally new status, therefore it is not surprising that the tsar went on such cardinal and profound transformations, realizing that the state should develop its own way, but it adhered to European standards. First of all, it was, of course, a question of creating a new bureaucratic system and corresponding legislation.

In this direction, the results of the reforms of Peter 1 should be briefly noted as follows: on the whole, the emperor reached his goal. He created a management system that lasted until the February Revolution without fundamental changes. This suggests that the measures of the ruler to transform the state machine were in place and were held at the right time. Of course, the Russian reality made its own adjustments, which the emperor himself took into account and understood when he introduced his innovations to the administration and administration.

Results of economic transformations

Negative results of Peter's reforms 1 can not be discounted either. After all, the transformation was carried out at the expense of increased exploitation of the population, and in this case it is a question of all levels of society, from the serfs to the noblemen-servicemen. Undoubtedly, large military expenditures have led to serious economic and social problems. Nevertheless, the governor has taken a number of measures to promote the development of the country's economy. So, he encouraged the development of industry, promoted the development of plants, the development of mineral deposits. He encouraged trade and urban life, understanding that this largely depends on the export and import of goods.

However, all these measures had a downside. The fact is that, while encouraging the development of trade, the emperor at the same time taxed merchants with high taxes. The manufactories and factories were based on serf labor: whole villages were attached to them, the inhabitants of which were attached to the production.

Social change

The reforms of Peter the Great, the results whose consequences actually changed the external appearance of the country, had an impact on the social structure of Russian society in the second quarter of the 18th century. Most historians believe that with him the layers were finally formed, largely thanks to the famous "Table of Ranks", which consolidated the gradation of officials and military personnel. In addition, with him there was a final registration of serfdom in Russia. However, many researchers are not inclined to consider these changes as principled, believing that they have become a natural consequence of the previous stage of the country's development. Some note that the changes have affected only the top of society, and the rest of the population has not undergone any changes.

Culture

Reforms of Peter 1, the reasons, the results of which should be considered in the context of the general historical situation in the country in the second quarter of the XVIII century, perhaps most significantly affected the cultural appearance of the state. Perhaps this is due to the fact that these changes were the most visible. Moreover, the introduction of Western European customs and norms into the traditional Russian way of life was too different from the way of life that society used to lead during previous generations. The main goal of the cultural policy of the emperor was the desire not so much to change clothes, rules of conduct of the nobility, as to make effective European cultural institutions for Russian life and reality.

But the basic results of Peter's reforms in this direction left much to be desired, at least in the first decades of his transformational activity. The main results were already felt during the reign of his successors, especially under Catherine II. Under the emperor, the institutes and institutions he introduced were not as effective as he would have liked. He wanted the nobles to study and receive a good education, because the country needed professional personnel to develop primarily industry and economy. However, most noblemen preferred to lead a customary way of life, and only a few really took the tsar's reforms in this direction. And yet the so-called chicks of Petrov's nest played a big role in the transformative activity of the ruler and in many respects from their generation grew those who subsequently determined the cultural and educational policy of the ruler's successors.

Military sphere

Results, the significance of Peter's reforms in the transformation of the army can not be overestimated. It was he who created that regular Russian army, which won so many brilliant victories in the XVIII century. That was the army on the European model, which could successfully compete with the troops of other states. Instead of the old system, the emperor introduced a recruitment system for recruiting soldiers. This meant that a certain number of households had to supply some number of soldiers to the army. This new system lasted quite a long time, until the second half of the XIX century, when during the reign of Alexander II was replaced by a system of universal military service. The viability of the military reforms of the tsar indicates that these measures at this stage of historical development corresponded to the tasks and needs of the country.

The value of building a fleet

The results of Peter's reforms 1, the pros and cons of which, perhaps, can be divided equally, were particularly pronounced in the military sphere. In addition to creating the army, the emperor deserves credit for the organization of a regular regular naval fleet, which brilliantly manifested itself in the years of the Northern War with Sweden, when he won a number of major victories at sea. Thanks to the transformative activities of the tsar in this direction, Russia has become a world maritime power. Despite the fact that with the nearest successors of the tsar the construction of ships was suspended, nevertheless, already in the second half of the XVIII century, especially under Catherine II, the Russian fleet once again brilliantly manifested itself in a number of wars. The king's merit is that he took care of the creation of the fleet with the expectation of the future. He did not just build ships for short-term needs, but it was supposed to make Russia a naval power, which he did.

The role of diplomacy

Positive results of the reforms of Peter 1 are also in the fact that it was with him that Russia entered the level of international diplomacy, that is, it began to play one of the leading roles in the international arena. Thanks to his rule, the country became a participant of the largest and most important international events, without her participation there was no meeting of any congress. Under the emperor, a circle of people was formed, which laid the foundation for a galaxy of Russian diplomats who successfully represented our country in the international arena. This was all the more necessary, because at the time considered, as well as in the following decades, Russia participated in all the major wars in Europe, and almost all the conflicts on the mainland somehow affected its interests. In this situation, the need for experienced and European-educated diplomats was created. And we can say with confidence that this diplomatic corps was created just during the reign of the emperor.

The problem of succession to the throne

The positive and negative results of Peter the Great's reforms can, perhaps, be divided equally. On the pluses have already been said above, but here it is necessary to mention one significant minus, which is extremely deplorable in the subsequent political development of the country. The fact is that in connection with the infamous Tsarevich Alexei's case, the tsar issued a decree according to which the ruler himself had to appoint a successor. However, the emperor himself, dying, never had time to make wills, which subsequently led to so-called palace coups that adversely affected not only the internal political development of the country, but also its position in the international arena. The constant change of rulers, the ups and downs of parties, the supporters of one or another candidate, each time led to a change in the foreign policy and internal political course of development. And only Paul I at the end of the XVIII century abolished this decree on succession to the throne, so that henceforth the eldest son of the reigning emperor became heir to the Russian throne.

General conclusions

As a conclusion, it should be said that there were more positive results than negative results. The fact that most of his transformations were preserved for the next two centuries, and the successors considered it necessary to follow his course of government, indicates that the reformist activities of the emperor corresponded to the needs of the country. The results of the reforms of Peter 1, the table of which is presented below, prove that the tsar's measures to modernize the country were profound, despite the fact that they were dictated by military needs.

So, we can say that the transformative activities of the first Russian emperor as a whole corresponded to the needs of his time, as evidenced by the fact that his reforms were preserved in the following centuries.