The foreign policy of Nicholas 1 in 1826-1849. The results of Nicholas I's foreign policy

The internal policy of Nicholas 1, briefly, contained two important milestones. The first can be considered the end of the war of 1812. The second is the Decembrist uprising and the reign of the reign (1825th year). At the same time, Nicholas's foreign policy (the table will be cited at the end of the article) was largely influenced by the situation in Europe, on the territory of which bourgeois revolutions broke out . Next, we will consider what were the main directions of Nicholas's policy.

Priority objective

What was the internal policy of Nicholas 1? Briefly formulating the goals, it is first of all necessary to note that the main task set by the monarch was the codification of laws. The ruler paid special attention to the criticism and proposals of the Decembrists, constantly pointing out to him the lack of necessary order and, as a consequence, numerous abuses in the administration and court. The main purpose of the codification of the ruler was to streamline the legislation without introducing innovations. So he wanted to provide the most clear foundation for absolutism. Almost all the work on codification was carried out by Speransky.

Stages of codification

In accordance with Speransky's plan, the regulation of the legislation should have been carried out in three stages. The first proposed to collect and publish all the Regulations in chronological order from the time of Alexei Mikhailovich until the completion of the reign of Alexander I. The second stage was the task of issuing the Code of Laws, which were arranged according to the subject-systematic order. At the same time, it was not intended to make any changes (additions or corrections) to them. At the third stage, it was planned to compile and publish a new "Code of Conduct", a systematized set of existing legislation. In this edition, additions and corrections were supposed, taking into account customs and rights, as well as actual state needs. At the Second Department there was a printing house. It printed the prepared volumes of the Laws of the Russian Empire (complete collection). In the period from 1828 to 1830, 45 parts were published. Three volumes of applications and pointers were also printed. All these parts were the First Meeting. It included 31 thousand legislative acts for the period from 1649 to 1825-ies. In addition, six more volumes were published. They came out during 1825-30. They began the Second Meeting. It included the normative acts issued during the reign of Alexander 2 and Nicholas 1.

Code of laws

He was preparing on the basis of the Full Meeting. When the Code was compiled, acts that had lost force or were replaced by subsequent laws were eliminated. Text processing was also carried out. All corrections, especially additions, could be made only with the Emperor's sanction. The monarch himself controlled the entire course of work. Previously, the members of the special commission from the Senate considered the Code of Laws. After that, its separate parts were sent to the ministries. The code of laws was published in 15 volumes in 1832. It contained 40 thousand articles.

Other issues

Speransky prepared 12 volumes of Military Decrees, as well as the Code of Laws of the Great Finish Principality and the Western and Ostsee Gubernias. During the reign of Nicholas I, the "Assemblies of Marine and Spiritual Laws" were published, as well as "Provisions on nomadic natives of Eastern Siberia".

Other conversions

Other directions of Nikolay's policy 1 concerned the enlightenment and the life of the peasants. The monarch paid special attention to serfdom. Thanks to the publication of a number of laws, the position of landowners dependent on the landlord became somewhat better. The normative acts stressed that serf people are not simply the property of a private person. They, first of all, subjects of the state. Nikolay's policy in the field of education became more conservative. In 1828, he was reformed secondary and lower special educational institutions.

Results of activity

Conducted during the reign of Nicholas 1 codification of laws, of course, allowed to streamline the existing legislation. Nevertheless, it did not change the structure of the autocratic feudal Russia. In particular, this concerns the political and social field. The codification did not change the management system, did not eliminate corruption, arbitrariness and red tape, which reached their heyday precisely during the reign of Nicholas. Bureaucracy led to paperwork, which proceeded in clerical secrecy unchecked. In the first half of the XIX century, the number of officials increased significantly. The monarch saw all the vices of the bureaucracy perfectly, but it was not possible to eliminate them in the conditions of absolutism. This was the state policy of Nicholas 1 (briefly).

Russia's position in the world

By the second quarter of the XIX century, Russia had the status of a strong and large state. At that time, it was fully capable of solving all foreign policy issues on its own. At the beginning of the reign of the monarch, the backlog of the Empire from Europe in military-technical terms was not so noticeable. The Russian army was numerous and was considered one of the best in the world.

Foreign Policy of Nicholas 1: the main points

The basic course has been preserved in Russia since the end of the 18th century, since the country began to form a huge Eurasian empire. The new autocrat, after his accession to the throne, announced the continuation of his predecessor's activities. However, later the monarch made it clear that Russia in the European arena would rely more on its own forces rather than relying on "federal solidarity." Nicholas 1 kept the interaction with the German states, with Prussia, in the first place, since she had occupied a leading position in trade relations for a long time. In the same period, there was a clear trend towards Russia's rapprochement with France and England. The foreign policy of Nicholas I was aimed at strengthening the situation on the Black Sea coast, as well as ensuring the security of the southern borders of the state. Thus, the central issue was occupied by the eastern question, in particular, interaction with the Ottoman Empire. The Black Sea at that time was of great importance for Russia.

The most important problems

One of them was the provision of the most favorable conditions in the Black Sea straits - the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. Thanks to the free passage through them of merchant vessels, the economic development of the southern regions of the state took place. The foreign policy of Nicholas I was oriented toward the Caucasus. Russia sought to expand its holdings in the area, the final stabilization of the borders in the region, the provision of safe and free communication with the newly acquired territories. As a result, a solid integration of the entire Caucasus with the Empire was planned.

The beginning of the Russo-Persian War

Iran was the enemy in the conquest of the Caucasus territories. In accordance with the peace treaty between him and Russia, the latter secured large territories in the Eastern Transcaucasus and the western part of the Caspian coast. By the 20s of the XIX century, Iran (Persia) began to seek the return of the Karabakh and Talysh khanates. At the court of the Shah, an anti-Russian grouping was formed, which had a fairly large force. As a result, war broke out. The commander-in-chief of Iran planned to eliminate Russia from possession of the Transcaucasian territories with one blow.

Increasing tension

The foreign policy of Nicholas 1 did not presuppose military action. Entering the throne, the Emperor found a rather tense relationship between Turkey and Russia. Nevertheless, he considered it inexpedient to start fighting because of the Greeks. Initially, Russia, together with Great Britain, exerted diplomatic pressure on Turkey. The beginning of the thirties of the XIX century was a very busy period both in the Middle East and in the European direction. In the 1830-31-ies. A wave of revolutions has taken place across Europe. She also touched Russia. Immediately after the end of the Persian and Turkish wars of the Empire had to enter into conflict with Poland. The revolt in this country was promoted by the revolutionary situation in France and Belgium. As a result, in 1830 open riots began in Warsaw. The Romanov dynasty was declared to have been deprived of the throne in Poland. A provisional government was formed. An army of rebels was created. Initially, they were accompanied by success. However, the forces were unequal. Soon the tsarist troops suppressed the uprising. In accordance with the decree issued, Poland was declared an integral part of Russia. By the end of the forties, a new, even more formidable wave of uprisings had risen on Western European territory. In France, the revolution broke out in 1848, in February; In Germany, Moldavia, Wallachia, Italy and Austria - in the spring. Nicholas 1 regarded the events as an immediate threat to the autocracy in Russia. It was in this connection that he decided to actively participate in suppressing the revolutionary movement.

The post-war period

After the end of the revolutions in Europe 1848-49-ies. The activities of Nicholas 1 was aimed at consolidating the strategic position of the Empire. The first issue was the issue of the Black Sea straits. Under the agreements that were in force at the time, the Russian navy was opened the way through the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus. At the same time, Nicholas 1 sought to strengthen political influence in the Balkan Peninsula. At the expense of Turkey, England intended to strengthen its positions in Asia Minor, as well as in the Caucasian territories, and thus push Russia away from sea routes. The Crimean War showed the technical and organizational backwardness of the Russian state from Western countries.

Foreign Policy Outcomes of Nicholas 1

Intervention of Russia in the affairs of Europe, the desire to protect the old order provoked outrage of the liberal circles. The Russian monarch even received a nickname. He was nicknamed "the gendarme of Europe". As a result, both peoples and governments of other countries did not like Russia and were afraid of its arrogant reactionary tsar. They were happy to have any opportunity to destroy the influence and power of the Empire in European affairs.

Finally

Above described the foreign policy of Nicholas 1. The table displays the most important events that occurred during his reign. They reflect the essence of the king's activities.