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The main military reforms of Peter 1. Strengthening Russian statehood: military reforms of Peter I

According to the remark of the prominent Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky: “Military reform was Peter’s first-priority transformative task, the longest and most difficult for both himself and the people. It has a very important in our history; it's not just a question about national defense“The reform had a profound effect both on the structure of society and on the further course of events.”

The military reform of Peter I included a set of government measures, including the reorganization of the system of army recruitment and military administration, the creation of a regular navy, the improvement of weapons, the development and implementation of a new system of training and education of military personnel.

During Peter's military reforms, the previous military organization was abolished: the noble and streltsy army and the regiments of the “new system” (military units formed in the 17th century in Russia on the model of Western European armies). These regiments went to form the regular army and formed its core.

Peter I introduced new system recruitment of the regular army. In 1699, conscription was introduced, legalized by the decree of Peter I in 1705. Its essence was that the state forcibly annually recruited peasants and townspeople into the army and navy from the tax-paying classes, a certain amount recruits. From 20 households they took one single person between the ages of 15 and 20 (however, during the Northern War, these periods constantly changed due to a shortage of soldiers and sailors).

By the end of Peter's reign, the number of all regular troops, infantry and cavalry, ranged from 196 to 212 thousand people.

Along with the reorganization ground army Peter began to create a navy. By 1700, the Azov fleet consisted of more than 50 ships. During the Northern War it was created Baltic Fleet, which by the end of the reign of Peter I consisted of 35 large linear outer ships, 10 frigates and about 200 galley (rowing) ships with 28 thousand sailors.

Under Peter I, the army and navy received a uniform and harmonious organization, regiments, brigades and divisions were formed in the army, squadrons, divisions and detachments were formed in the navy, and a single dragoon type cavalry was created. To manage the active army, the position of commander-in-chief (field marshal general) was introduced, and in the navy - admiral general.

A reform of military administration was carried out. Instead of Orders, Peter 1 established a military collegium in 1718, which was in charge of field army, "garrison troops" and all "military affairs". The final structure of the military college was determined by a decree of 1719. The first president of the military college was Alexander Menshikov. The collegial system differed from the order system primarily in that one body dealt with all issues of a military nature. IN wartime At the head of the army was the Commander-in-Chief. Under him, a Military Council (as an advisory body) and a field headquarters headed by a quartermaster general (assistant to the commander-in-chief) were created.

During the reform of the army, a unified system was introduced military ranks, finally formalized in the Table of Ranks of 1722. Service ladder included 14 classes from field marshal and admiral general to the ensign. The service and ranks of the Table of Ranks were based not on birth, but on personal abilities. Paying much attention to the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, Peter I established the development and production of new types of ships, new types of artillery guns and ammunition. Under Peter I, the infantry began to arm itself with flintlock rifles, and a domestic-style bayonet was introduced.

The government of Peter I gave special meaning education of the national officer corps. At first, all young nobles were required to serve as soldiers in the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Guards regiments for 10 years, starting at the age of 15. Upon receiving their first officer rank, noble children were sent to army units, where they served for life. However, such a system of training officers could not fully satisfy the growing needs for new personnel, and Peter I established a number of special military schools. In 1701, an artillery school for 300 people was opened in Moscow, and in 1712 a second artillery school was opened in St. Petersburg. To train engineering personnel, two engineering schools were created (in 1708 and 1719).

To train naval personnel, Peter I opened a school of mathematical and navigational sciences in Moscow in 1701, and in 1715 in St. Petersburg - Maritime Academy. Peter I forbade the promotion to officers of persons who had not received appropriate training at a military school. There were often cases when Peter I personally examined “minors” (children of the nobility). Those who did not pass the exam were sent to serve in the navy as privates without the right to be promoted to officer.

Reforms were introduced unified system training and education of troops. Based on the experience of the Northern War, instructions and regulations were created: “Military Articles”, “Institution for Battle”, “For Field Battle Rules”, “Naval Regulations”, “Military Regulations of 1716”.

Taking care of the morale of the troops, Peter I awarded distinguished generals with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, established by him in 1698, and soldiers and officers with medals and promotions (soldiers also with money). At the same time, Peter I introduced severe discipline in the army with corporal punishment and death penalty for serious military crimes.

Creating a powerful Russian fleet served as the beginning of the mastery of the entire sea. In 1710, with the participation naval forces Vyborg, Riga, Fr. were liberated. Ezel, Revel. In 1713, with the capture of Helsingfors, the Swedes were finally driven out of the Gulf of Finland. By the summer campaign of 1714, the Baltic Fleet had become so strong that it armed Peter with confidence in his ability to measure his strength with the Swedes at sea. The fleet consisted of 15 battleships armed with 42-74 cannons each, 5 frigates with 18-32 cannons and 99 galleys. By decree of Peter 1 of November 16, 1705, marine regiments were organized for the first time on ships.

On June 4, 1719, in the battle with the Swedes in the Strait of Ezel, the Russian fleet under the command of captain of the second rank N.A. Senyavin's first victory was won without boarding, using only guns.

By the end of the first quarter of the 18th century, Russia had become one of the strongest maritime powers. On January 13, 1720, Peter 1 issued the first naval charter. The publication of the Maritime Charter in Russia seemed to sum up a certain result maritime history countries: in the shortest possible time a strong navy. Peter used all the best that was in Western shipbuilding. But he, first of all, took into account the peculiarities of the Russian theater of war and navigation off the coast of the Fatherland. Peter's fleet differed from European fleets, first of all, in that at first it consisted mainly of rowing ships, varying in size and armament. Peter proceeded from the fact that such ships are simple to build, relatively easy to control, and are well used to support the ground army. Only after the victory at Poltava did intensive construction of battleships begin in Russia. Only they could provide Russia with dominance in the Baltic Sea.

He stands among the most educated and talented builders of the armed forces, generals and naval commanders of Russian and world history of the 18th century. His whole life's work was to strengthen Russia's military power and increase its role in the international arena.

As noted by the prominent Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky, “military reform was Peter’s primary transformative task, the longest and most difficult for both himself and the people. It is very important in our history; it is not just a question of state defense: reform had a profound effect both on the structure of society and on the further course of events.”

The military reform of Peter I included a set of government measures to reorganize the system of army recruitment and military administration, create a regular navy, improve weapons, develop and implement a new system of training and education of military personnel.

During the reforms, the previous military organization was abolished: the noble and streltsy army and the regiments of the “new system” (military units formed in the 17th century in Russia on the model of Western European armies). These regiments went to form the regular army and formed its core.

Peter I introduced a new system of recruiting the regular army. In 1699, conscription was introduced, legalized by decree of the emperor in 1705. Its essence was that the state forcibly annually recruited a certain number of recruits into the army and navy from the tax-paying classes, peasants and townspeople. From 20 households they took one single person between the ages of 15 and 20 (however, during the Northern War, these periods constantly changed due to a shortage of soldiers and sailors).

By the end of Peter's reign, the number of all regular troops, infantry and cavalry, ranged from 196 to 212 thousand people.

Along with the reorganization of the land army, Peter began to create a navy. By 1700, the Azov fleet consisted of more than 50 ships. During the Northern War, the Baltic Fleet was created, which by the end of the reign of Peter I consisted of 35 large battleships, 10 frigates and about 200 galley (rowing) ships with 28 thousand sailors.

The army and navy received a uniform and harmonious organization, regiments, brigades and divisions appeared, in the navy - squadrons, divisions and detachments, a single dragoon type cavalry was created. To manage the active army, the position of commander-in-chief (field marshal general) was introduced, and in the navy - admiral general.

Military administration reform was carried out. Instead of Orders, Peter I established a military collegium in 1718, which was in charge of the field army, “garrison troops” and all “military affairs”. The final structure of the Military College was determined by a decree of 1719. The first president of the military college was Alexander Menshikov. The collegial system differed from the order system primarily in that one body dealt with all issues of a military nature. In wartime, the army was led by the Commander-in-Chief. Under him, a Military Council (as an advisory body) and a field headquarters headed by the Quartermaster General (assistant to the commander-in-chief) were created.

During the reform of the army, a unified system of military ranks was introduced, which was finally formalized in the Table of Ranks of 1722. The service ladder included 14 classes from field marshal and admiral general to warrant officer. The service and ranks of the Table of Ranks were based not on birth, but on personal abilities.

Paying much attention to the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, Peter I established the development and production of new types of ships, new types of artillery guns and ammunition. Under Peter I, the infantry began to arm itself with flintlock rifles, and a domestic-style bayonet was introduced.

The government of Peter I attached particular importance to the education of the national officer corps. At first, all young nobles were required to serve as soldiers in the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Guards regiments for 10 years, starting at the age of 15. Upon receiving their first officer rank, noble children were sent to army units, where they served for life. However, such a system of training officers could not fully satisfy the growing needs for new personnel, and Peter I established a number of special military schools. In 1701, an artillery school for 300 people was opened in Moscow, and in 1712 a second artillery school was opened in St. Petersburg. To train engineering personnel, two engineering schools were created (in 1708 and 1719).

To train naval personnel, Peter I opened a school of mathematical and navigational sciences in Moscow in 1701, and a Maritime Academy in St. Petersburg in 1715.

Peter I forbade the promotion to officers of persons who had not received appropriate training at a military school. There were often cases when Peter I personally examined “minors” (children of the nobility). Those who did not pass the exam were sent to serve in the navy as privates without the right to be promoted to officer.

The reforms introduced a unified system of training and education of troops. Based on the experience of the Northern War, instructions and regulations were created: “Military Articles”, “Institution for Battle”, “For Field Battle Rules”, “Naval Regulations”, “Military Regulations of 1716”.

The military system created by the government of Peter I turned out to be so stable that without significant changes lasted until the end of the 18th century. In the decades following Peter I of the 18th century, the Russian armed forces developed under the influence of Peter's military reforms, and the principles and traditions of the regular army continued to improve. They found their continuation in the combat activities of Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov. The works of Rumyantsev “Rite of Service” and Suvorov “Regimental Establishment” and “Science of Victory” were an event in the life of the army and a great contribution to domestic military science.

The material was prepared by the editorial staff of RIA Novosti based on open sources

Many people know that the changes carried out by Peter I radically changed the state. The transformations affected all spheres of life of Russian citizens, leaving a major mark on history.

The reforms were of great importance for further development countries, laid the foundation for numerous achievements in all spheres of life of the state and its citizens.

It is very difficult to cover all the innovations that revolutionized the structure of Russia at the beginning of the 18th century in one article, but we will try to briefly describe what transformations broke the old social structure.

Peter I, with his reforms, affected almost all spheres of life.

The transformations took place simultaneously the most important areas government activities:

army;
estates;
public administration;
church;
economics and finance;
science, culture and education.

The activities of most areas have changed fundamentally.

Most of all, the sovereign dreamed of creating a fleet and developing maritime trade relations with Europe. To achieve this goal, he went on a journey. Returning after visiting several European countries, the tsar saw how much Russia lagged behind in its development.

Moreover, backwardness from Europe was manifested in all spheres of activity. Peter understood that without reforms Russia would forever lose the opportunity to compare in terms of development with European states. The need for transformation is long overdue, and in all areas of life at once.

Thus, the Boyar Duma did not fulfill its intended function of governing the country. The training and armament of the Streltsy army was not suitable. If necessary, it is unlikely that the soldiers would cope with their task. Level industrial production, education and culture was significantly lower than European.

Although there have already been some shifts towards development. Cities were separated from villages, crafts and agriculture were separated, and industrial enterprises appeared.

The path of Russia's development took place in two directions: something was borrowed from the West, something developed independently. On such a basis, Peter I began global transformations in Russia.

The goals of the reforms are summarized in the table:

Military reforms

The most famous transformation of Peter I was the creation of a navy. Under Peter I, about 800 galleys and 50 sailing ships were built.

The army reform introduced regular regiments of the new system. These changes began under Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich. But then the regiments were assembled only for the duration of hostilities, and after the end they were disbanded.

The reorganization consisted in the fact that soldiers were specially recruited for the regular army. They were removed from their families and could not engage in anything other than military affairs. The Cossacks ceased to be a free ally. He was under an obligation to regularly supply a certain number of troops.

Social change

Thanks to Peter's reforms, the lives of all segments of society changed. The nobles were forced to serve on an equal basis with everyone else. They started, like everyone else, from the lower ranks. The rest could rise to senior officials on par with the nobility. The “Table of Ranks” was published. It appointed 14 service ranks.

Compulsory training was introduced to prepare for service. It included literacy, arithmetic (numbers at that time), and geometry. Completion of training was also mandatory for the nobility.

In addition, there was an exam after completion. If a nobleman did not pass it, he was forbidden to receive an officer rank and get married.

But changes could not happen instantly. In fact, the nobles still had privileges.

They were immediately appointed to the guards regiments and did not always begin their service with the lower ranks.

Despite this, there was a lot of discontent on the part of the nobility. But this did not change the reforms of Peter I.

Changes also occurred in the lives of peasants. Instead of house-to-house taxation, capitation taxation appeared.

An important decree on unified inheritance was issued. According to this decree, nobles had the right to leave their real estate to only one person. It could be the eldest child, or it could be another person in the will.

Governance reforms

There's a new one government agency- Governing Senate. Its members were appointed by the king himself. The work of this body was supervised by the Prosecutor General. At first, the Governing Senate had only an administrative function; a little later a legislative function appeared.

The Boyar Duma finally lost its significance and influence on the Tsar. The sovereign discussed all matters with his entourage, of whom there were few.

There have been changes in management various fields. Orders were replaced by collegiums.

The last 12 were:

church;
marine;
military;
foreign affairs;
trading;
by income;
by expenses;
financial;
mining industry;
manufacturing industry;
Justice;
urban.

Pay attention! Initially, the members of these boards were equal and consulted among themselves. The leadership of the boards by the minister appeared later.

Another transformation concerns the division of Russia. The country was divided into provinces, which, in turn, included provinces and districts. In the latter, the governor was appointed head, and in the provinces the governor was in charge.

One of the reforms of Peter I became key in history. She brought about an era palace coups. The king changed the law on succession to the throne. According to the new law, the sovereign himself could appoint an heir.

Economic changes are summarized in the table:

Financial reforms manifested itself in the fact that the taxation system has changed. More and more so-called indirect taxes appeared. Taxes were assigned to such things as stamp paper, baths, and beards. Coins were minted lighter.

A new position was invented - profit maker. These people suggested to the king what else could be taxed. These measures led to a significant increase in the treasury.

The church reform of Peter I made the church dependent on the tsar. After the death of the last patriarch Hadrian, the patriarchate ceased to exist. Appeared Holy Synod. This board represented the clergy. Its members were elected not by the church, but by the sovereign. Monasteries were also under state control.

Science, culture and education also did not remain aloof from Peter’s transformations; the sovereign tried his best to give Russia a Western look.

Social receptions in the Western style began to be held among the nobility and nobility. The upper class was ordered to cut off their beards. European clothing was introduced into fashion, home decoration was changed in imitation of London and Paris. Western literature was translated into Russian.

Significant changes were made in the field of education of noble offspring. Peter I opened several schools in which the humanitarian component of education faded into the background. Much attention was paid to the exact sciences. Changes also occurred in writing. The old letter was replaced with a modern one.

Important! Under Peter I, the first publicly accessible newspaper, Moskovskie Vedomosti, began to be published.

The table will help to briefly list the main directions of reforms and their achievements:

Military reforms	Standing troops instead of the Streltsy army and noble militia
Control	The Boyar Duma was replaced by the Senate provinces appeared
Church	instead of the patriarchate - the Holy Synod the church became completely dependent on the state
Social	equalization of nobles and boyars creation of the “Table of Ranks”, in which 14 ranks were divided
Education	creation of schools, university, Academy of Sciences
Economic	inclusion of the entire population in taxation the penny becomes the monetary unit
Culture	Western-style cultural development
Other	Since 1721 Russia becomes an empire

The most important events transformations with dates are reflected in the following chronological list:

1708–1710 – establishment of eight provinces;
1711 – establishment of the Senate;
1712 – emergence of companies in trade and industry;
1714 – decree on the transfer of real estate;
1718 – population census;
1718–1720 – emergence of colleges;
1718–1724 – reform of per capita taxation of peasants;
1719 – division of the country into governorates and provinces;
1721 – the beginning of the dependence of the church on the state;
1722 – “Table of Ranks”;
1722 – workshop organization;
1724 – introduction of large taxes on imported goods.

Features of the reforms

The transformations carried out by Peter I were among the most unusual in the history of Russia.

The features of the reforms of Peter I were that they:

they covered all areas of life;
transformations took place very quickly;
Coercive methods were used most;
all of Peter's transformations were aimed at imitating Europe.

The main feature of the reforms of Peter I can be called his direct participation in all ongoing reforms.

What happened after the transformation was completed:

centralized power;
strong army and navy;
stability in the economic sphere;
abolition of the patriarchate;
loss of independence by the church;
a big step forward in the development of science and culture;
creating the basis for Russian education.

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Let's sum it up

As a result of the reforms of Peter I in Russia there was a significant increase in all spheres of life. The transformations provided not only a huge leap in development, but also a good basis for further progress. The country began to develop at an accelerated pace.

In the reign of any sovereign one can find advantages and disadvantages. There is no person who could please everyone without exception. Trying to help the people, the ruler forgets about the top half of the population, and while caring about the latter, he does not think about the suffering of the people. But this is just an example; in reality, everything is much more complicated. The reign of Peter I, according to different people, brought benefit and harm to the country. This will be discussed in more detail in the article.

Pros

The main advantage of the reign of Peter I is carrying out reforms, which in many ways helped the state become stronger and solved some difficult questions and the problems it contains. Thanks to his firmness and perseverance, Peter I was able to reconstruct the state in some areas beyond recognition, of course, in a positive way.
System public administration became much simpler and more convenient. The creation of regulatory bodies has greatly facilitated management.
Peter I created the strongest regular army and navy in an incredibly short period of time.

Churches and peasants became state possessions.
For a long time Peter I studied educational program of European countries. To begin with, they began to build en masse educational institutions different profiles. These were simple schools and institutions for girls, boys, universities and so on. In his educational reforms, he largely focused on the West, thanks to which the system of schools and universities became better and of higher quality. Moreover, getting to school was now much easier than before. There were many more students, the population began to new life educated person, with new opportunities not only at home, but also abroad.

Not only the educational system, but also many others, looked to the West. They began to be built en masse new plants, factories, development and intensive mining of mineral resources was carried out. New methods and technologies of work were introduced that simplified work, but at the same time more jobs appeared, which was for ordinary people a real gift. The transformations also affected agriculture. The state purchased new tools. Cultures, types of domestic animals. This diversified the possibilities of agriculture and multiplied them tenfold.
Thanks to the new reforms, significantly the state treasury was replenished. The state prospered and received new opportunities not only in the domestic market, but also in the foreign market. Other states in Europe and Asia began to reconsider their attitude towards Russia in better side. Russia began to be recognized and respected.

Cons

Despite the benefits and positive aspects reforms of Peter I, there were opponents of their implementation. Any system has two “sides of the coin,” as was the case with Peter’s reforms. So it’s impossible to call them ideal.
The creation of a public administration system led to the emergence bureaucracy and corruption. Every official wanted to get a share of the profits in his personal pocket, and ordinary people suffered from this. In addition, the new system had not been tested before, which led to confusion at first.

The army and navy were created "on a quick fix» . Yes, it was an achievement, but not for those who served there. Still, the state of the service was poor; the employees did not have high-quality uniforms or even good barracks where they could rest. The quality of the food they ate also suffered. In general, there were a lot of shortcomings, and this is quite expected, because the goal was not quality, but speed. For those who sat in warm offices, this is not a problem and even a great achievement, but if one could ask the opinion of the unfortunate employees, they would probably be unhappy with this attitude.
In order to spend money from the treasury, it initially had to be replenished. For this purpose, they introduced new increased taxes. The population became poor and suffered greatly because of this.

The authority of the church has fallen greatly. The reason was that the church began to belong to the state, and it was the state that decided how and what it should do. The population could not help but react to this. The “almighty” church, their stronghold of hope, has now also become part of a state that infringes on their rights.
For work in factories, factories and even in agriculture were needed new working hands. To achieve this, ordinary people were often forced to work and taken away from their families for several months. Of course, they were paid for such work, but not enough to cover their physical and mental fatigue.
The state replenished the treasury, but also spent quite a lot. Although not of high quality, the army and navy were created, and a lot of money was spent for this. As well as their content. The same applies to the construction of schools, factories, factories and so on. Nothing comes for free.
There was another significant drawback. Peter I “broke” not only the system of management, training, service and work in Russia, but also traditional ideas and culture Russian society. This was the extreme limit that should not be crossed. Perhaps this was not important for the rich layer of the population, but the common people suffered greatly from this, which is why they disliked the ruler.

Conclusion

It is impossible to make dramatic changes in a short period of time. And yet, Peter I did everything that depended on him to ensure that the state prospered. It was thanks to his reforms that Russia gained greater influence abroad. But she still had opponents, and quite a few. Many countries continued for a long time consider this country barbaric. So were all of Peter’s reforms positive? Yes, partly, but every action has different consequences, so it’s impossible to say for sure.

For the state, his rule was indispensable. It is unlikely that another ruler could do more for the country than him. But for ordinary people, the reforms of Peter I became a problem. They suffered greatly from them. Although there were positive sides too. All changes are initially poorly perceived. And yet people got the opportunity to study, more jobs and opportunities appeared for people of different classes. So, if you look at it in perspective, then even for ordinary people the reforms were for the better.