The decree of Peter 1 "Subordinate in the face of the ruler": a brief description of the document

The reign of Peter the Great is a turning point in the history of Russia. The new ruler made serious reforms that touched all spheres of public life in our country. His decrees regulated all the most important aspects of politics, economy, culture.

Features of the domestic policy of the emperor

Pyotr Alekseevich devoted much time to the design of the Russian Empire. At the center of his attention was the problem of creating a flexible administration and a bureaucratic apparatus that would cope with the increased demands of the tsar, who launched a wide range of activities to transform Russia. Peter I was engaged in the formation of new state organs of power: under his leadership, the Senate, the Synod, and the collegium for the Western European model were created. The king was concerned first of all about the fact that the new institutions functioned effectively and coped with their duties.

For this, the emperor studied literally all the details and details of their work. During his overseas travel to European countries, he specifically observed the work of the British Parliament, was interested in the political structure of foreign states. He invited specialists and lawyers to create similar projects in Russia.

The Meaning of the Order of 1709

It is in this context that the famous decree of Peter 1 "Subordinated in the face of the rulers" should be considered. Despite the humorous nature of its content, the text itself reflects the emperor's vision of the principles of the work of the administration and bureaucratic authorities. The fact is that Peter I first of all appreciated the subjects diligence, conscientiousness, efficiency of work. He valued the independence of opinions and encouraged the initiative. At the same time he did not like excessive enterprise and activity, seeking, first of all, obedience and obedience from his entourage.

therefore The decree of Peter 1 "The subordinate in the face of the commander must have a kind of dashing" called on officials, above all, to obey and respect the superior. At that stage, this was perhaps the most important thing. Peter I understood that the bulk of the population of Russia has no education, so it is still too early to demand simple scribes, employees, secretaries of literate initiative.

Contradiction of content

The decree of Peter 1 "The subordinate in the face of the commander" was, as it were, the opposite of the famous Petrine principle that all enterprising and talented people, regardless of the origin and nobility of the clan, should seek to increase their activity and enterprise by service. In fact, the decree on the authorities Fettered the initiative of officials, hampered their independence and placed them in complete dependence on higher ranks.

However, such an apparent contradiction can be explained: the fact is that 1709 is the time of the height of the Northern War of Russia with Sweden, when all the attention of Peter Alekseevich was focused on military needs, so he was primarily concerned with how best to equip the army and The fleet, and not the bureaucracy on the ground.

The source of the source among other orders of Peter I about the rules of conduct

The decree of Peter "The subordinate must look dashing and silly" can be adequately understood only in the context of other similar orders of the emperor about secular decencies and the principles of the behavior of the nobility and the service classes at receptions and work. The Tsar was a very witty man, rather accurately and expressively expounded his thoughts on paper. So if you look at his other orders of this nature, then you can also find a lot of fun in them.

therefore The decree of Peter 1 "The subordinate in front of the commander" is not the only one of its kind. He stands among many other similar documents, which Pyotr Alekseevich did not skimp on. These orders are interesting because they not only show us the tsar as a man of exclusively business and practical character, but also reflect the reality of Russian reality of the first quarter of the 18th century, when the country Began to adapt to Western European legal and secular norms.

The meaning of the

Decree of Peter 1 "The subordinate must look dashing and silly, Despite a somewhat comical character of the text, is in its way an indicative monument of Russian life of the period under review. The fact is that, despite the originality of the content, in fact, it repeats the norms of the Russian reality of the XVII century, when management was built on the principles of parochialism. The subordinate should obey unquestioningly the authorities, and any initiative was not only not encouraged, but, on the contrary, could be punished.

The decree of Peter 1 "Subordinate in front of the commander" essentially meant that Russia still continued to live the concepts of the last century. Peter I, perhaps without realizing it, repeated the main idea of a bygone era. Being a practical man, he proceeded from realities of concrete reality and as a clever ruler realized that it is still too early to demand from the people of enterprise and initiative on the ground, at least until the country becomes accustomed to the new device and principles of government.