The policy of enlightened absolutism

The declarative statements of Catherine II had a rather sharp difference from the real politics she was conducting. In the era of government, of course, the Empress took certain steps that were aimed at "humanizing and Europeanizing" life in Russia. However, according to a number of historians, against the background of the intensified serfdom of the peasants and in the framework of the aristocratic dictatorship, all its aspirations looked ambiguous.

Catherine II ascended the throne, not having actual rights to it. The future Empress was a foreigner. Having managed to persuade the Guards regiments to their side, Catherine was able to remove the lawfully accepted power of Peter the Third. The empress was well aware that her accession happened solely through the actions of the guards, and every guardsman, feeling his personal merit, could demand a policy appropriate and defending the interests of the nobility-representatives of this class consisted of regiments.

The activity of the Empress went down in history as "the policy of enlightened absolutism of Catherine II," based on the idea of the Enlightenment of France, which provides for the reign of the "wise man on the throne." This idea of the "Union of Philosophers and Sovereigns" has developed in different countries. The role of the "wise ruler" was performed by Gustav the Third Swedish, Friedrich the Second Prussian, Joseph the Second Austrian, Charles the Third Spanish. In Russia, "enlightened ruler" was Catherine II.

For the era was characterized by a certain ideology, which had special features. The policy of enlightened absolutism assumed equality of people, the formation of a society of prosperity for all. At the same time, the reforms should be based on fair laws. The policy of enlightened absolutism presupposed the existence of a social contract and the establishment of reciprocal obligations of subjects and the ruler. Public administration was carried out with recognition of freedom of expression, thought, and speech. Enlightenment was one of the most important functions of the state, being, together with this, a certain method of educating subjects.

In the era of the reign of the Russian Empress, historians distinguish three areas. The peculiarities of Russian absolutism, according to historians, were manifested primarily in the desire to form a more attractive image of the country and the empress herself outside the state. Thus, one of the priority activities of the ruler was to strengthen the authority of the country in the world and the desire to expand the territory of the Empire.

The aim of the policy pursued by Catherine was also to calm the opinion of the country and the states of Western Europe about her illegal seizure of power. In addition, Russian society was inspired with the idea of the humanity and justice of the acts of the ruler.

Catherine II tried to liberalize the ways of state administration, taking into account the advanced ideas of that era. Another direction of the governor's activity was administrative reform, in which the nobility was involved in the local administration.

The policy of enlightened absolutism at its first stage contributed to a clear definition of the correlation of forces. At the same time, there were no major transformations. The second stage of Catherine's rule was marked by some changes. The implementation of the reforms was not as radical as anticipated, however, the new style of the country was considerably strengthened and expanded in the Western type.

It should be noted that Catherine II did not have time to implement all that she had planned. However, the Empress left the state in a better condition than it received. The policy of enlightened absolutism contributed to a significant increase in the population, the growth of state revenues. In addition, the banking system was formed, production expanded.