|
|
|
|
Tsarist autocracy
|
| |
|
| |
Tsarist autocracy (transcr. tsarskoye samoderzhaviye, transl. carskoe samoderžavie), also known as tsarist absolutism, Russian absolutism, Russian autocracy or Russian despotism refers to a form of absolute monarchy specific to Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire.
center of the tsarist autocracy was the person of the tsar himself, a sovereign with absolute powers.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Tsarist autocracy' Start a new discussion about 'Tsarist autocracy' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Tsarist autocracy (transcr. tsarskoye samoderzhaviye, transl. carskoe samoderžavie), also known as tsarist absolutism, Russian absolutism, Russian autocracy or Russian despotism refers to a form of absolute monarchy specific to Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire.
Features
The center of the tsarist autocracy was the person of the tsar himself, a sovereign with absolute powers. The rights of state power in their entire extent belonged to the tsar. However, the tsar did not directly exercise all of his rights. Power was entrusted by him to persons and institutions, acting in his name, by his orders, and within the limits, laid down for them by law. The purpose of the system was to benefit the entire country of Russia. A metaphor existed likening tsar to the father, and all of the subjects of the Empire, to his children; it was even used in Orthodox primers.. This metaphor is present in the common Russian expression "????-???????", literally "tsar-dear father".
Another key feature was related to patrimonialism, as in Russia, the tsar owned a much higher proportion of the state (lands, enterprises, etc.) than in Western monarchies.
The tsarist autocracy had many supporters within Russia. Major Russian advocates and theorists of autocracy included the world famous writer, Fyodor Dostoyevsky,, Mikhail N. Katkov, Konstantin S. Aksakov, Nikolay Karamzin, Konstantin Pobedonostsev and Pyotr Semyonov. They all argued that strong and prosperous Russia needs a strong tsar, and philosophies of republicanism and liberal democracy are not fit for Russia. For common people, the tsar was responsible for all good in their lives, while all the disasters came from meddling bureaucracy, nobles, and such.
In Poland, tsarist autocracy has been analyzed more critically by Stanislaw Mackiewicz.
History
Ivan III built upon Byzantine traditions and laid foundations for the tsarist autocracy, a system that with some variations would govern Russia for centuries. Additional influences include the Tatar Yoke and the Mongol ideas and administrative system, credited with bringing the culture exhibiting some characteristics of an oriental despotism to Russia (it should be noted, however, that terms oriental despotism and its development, the Russian despotism, have been criticized as misleading, since Muscovy, and Russia, never had characteristics of pure despotism, such as the ruler being identified with a god).
Peter the Great reduced the power of the nobility and strengthened the central power of the tsar, establishing a bureaucratic civil service based on the Table of Ranks but open to all classes of the society, in place of the nobility-only mestnichestvo which Feodor III had abolished in 1682. Peter I also strengthened the state's control over the church (the Orthodox Church). Peter's reform caused a series of palace coups seeking to restore the power of the nobility. To end them, Catherine the Great, whose reign is often regarded as the high point of absolutism in Russia, in 1785 issued charter to the nobility and gentry, legally affirming civil rights they had acquired in preceding years, and charter of the Cities, establishing municipal self-government. This placated the gentry, however in fact the real power rested with the state's bureaucracy. This was built on by later Tsars. Alexander I established State council as advisory legislative body. Although Alexander II established system of elected local self-government (Zemstvo) and an independent judicial system, Russia did not have a national-level representative assembly (Duma) or a constitution until the 1905 Revolution. The system was abolished after the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Influences
Some historians see the traditions of Tsarist autocracy as partially responsible for laying groundworks for the totalitarianism in the Soviet Union. They see the traditions of autocracy and patrimonialism as dominating Russia's political culture for centuries; for example, Stephen White wrote that Russian political culture is "rooted in the historical experience of centuries of absolutism." All of those views had been challenged by other historians (for example, and Martin Malia (as cited by Hoffmann)).
See also
Further reading
- Paul Dukes, The Making of Russian Absolutism, 1613-1801, Longman, 1986
- Marshall Poe, "Russian despotism" : the origins and dissemination of an early modern commonplace. Thesis (Ph. D. in History). University of California, Berkeley, 1993.
- Hugh Ragsdale, The Russian Tragedy: The Burden of History, M.E. Sharpe, 1996, ISBN 1563247550
External links
- . By the Chancery of the Committee of Ministers, St. Petersburg. 1896.
|
| |
|
|
