The creation of the Supreme Administrative Commission became an important event in the political history of Russia. The fact of the existence of this body indicates an attempt by the tsarist regime of the late 19th century to cope with public sentiments based on the expectation of constructive, consistent reforms.
What is this commission
In 1880, the forces of the tsarist regime established the Supreme Administrative Commission. This year was marked by the active struggle of the autocratic power against the revolutionary movement. There is an opinion among historians that the reason for the creation of the Commission was an explosion staged by opponents of tsarism on February 5 in the Winter Palace.
The person whose direct subordination was the Supreme Regulatory Commission was Loris-Melikov Mikhail Tarielovich. The body also included K.P. Pobedonostsev, A.K. Imeretinsky, M.S. Kakhanov and other prominent statesmen. The creation of the Supreme Administrative Commission, according to some historians, was connected with the need to streamline the actions of
law enforcement agencies in the capital of the Russian Empire in the face of growing revolutionary sentiments.
Activities
The Supreme Administrative Commission was called upon to unite the work of various state law enforcement bodies (including the courts). The main goal of the commission's work was to counteract the growing activity of revolutionaries. The tasks faced by this organization were to expedite investigative actions against suspected crimes against the state, resolve issues of punishment in the form of links, and administer police oversight bodies.
Among historians, there is a version that Loris-Melikov intervened quite actively in the work of most areas of public policy, but this was facilitated by support in the tsarist circle. And therefore, the establishment of a supreme administrative commission could be evaluated as a simple formality - key decisions were made, one way or another, within the framework of the tsarist line. And therefore, according to historians, the fact that the establishment of the supreme administrative commission pretty soon resulted in its abolition became completely unsurprising. Loris-Melikov headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country.
Background
In popular historiographical sources, there is a version that the reforms carried out by the tsarist regime in the 60-70s of the 19th century had signs of inconsistency, despite the fact that they carried a number of progressive signs: the development of capitalist elements and the concomitant economic growth, strengthening the country's position on the international arena.
According to historians, the Supreme Administrative Commission appeared as the response of the tsarist regime to crisis tendencies in the field of political processes - organizations began to appear that sought to correct the shortcomings in the country's governance by revolutionary methods. In addition, a significant part of Russian society did not have a pronounced political position, and there was a risk that radically minded cells would gain sympathy in the eyes of citizens.
Personality of Loris-Melikov
Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov was born in 1824 in Tiflis. His family has Armenian roots. He studied at the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages. Then - in the military schools of St. Petersburg. In the years 1843-47 he served in the hussar regiment in Grodno. Then he fought in the Caucasus for several years, after which he took part in the Crimean War and subsequent major military conflicts between Russia and Turkey. After the conclusion of peace between the powers, he was appointed interim governor-general of Astrakhan, Saratov and Samara, and successfully solved the tasks of countering dangerous epidemics in the region. He worked as governor-general in Kharkov, where he took part in the reform of the state apparatus. After he headed a new government agency called the Supreme Administrative Commission (year 1880).
Loris-Melikov on the situation in the country
In his memoirs about the conditions under which the Supreme Administrative Commission functioned, Loris-Melikov emphasized that the first priority was to reassure the citizens of the country. And only then to carry out reforms. The activist wrote that the Russian Tsar was under pressure from various sides. Firstly, from the foreign policy arena, the great powers forced the emperor to change the San Stefano peace treaty signed with the Ottoman Empire on conditions unfavorable to Russia. Secondly, the Russian intelligentsia demanded consistency in the reforms: after the abolition of serfdom in 1861, it was necessary to adapt the liberated peasants to the new conditions of farming. And this despite the fact that the conservative moods of the progressive public, who believed that the reform of 1861 was not compatible with Russian reality, did not subside.
Draft Constitution of Loris-Melikov
In January 1881, Loris-Melikov proposed to Emperor Alexander the Second for consideration a document containing the basic principles of transforming the country's governance, which, according to the activist, were adequate to the socio-political situation. Historians have called this document the "Constitution of Loris-Melikov." It contained a proposal to create commissions for the preparation of laws related to financial matters, management in the regions and the formation of a legislative function. The composition of these bodies was to include deputies elected in provincial zemstvos and city councils.
The main task of the reforms was to create an institution of popular representation, a prototype of parliament. The emperor did not mind the idea. But on the day when Alexander the Second signed a draft appeal to the government on the issue of transformation, the Narodnaya Volya terrorists committed an attempt on the king. The emperor was unable to survive.
Volunteers
The main structure, which, according to many historians, posed the greatest threat to the tsarist regime, was the "People’s Will." This organization was a conspiratorial structure, but at the same time found channels of inclusion in political processes. Its programmatic provisions included the seizure of power by revolutionary rebellion and the subsequent implementation of democratic reforms. “Narodnaya Volya” believed that terrorist attacks - the most effective method of countering the regime.
In February 1880, they organized an explosion in the Winter Palace, which led to the need for the formation of such a structure as the Supreme Administrative Commission. The year of the creation of this body, according to a number of experts, was characterized by the highest social tension in Russia.
History of law enforcement in Russia
Despite the fact that the time when the establishment of the Supreme Administrative Commission took place - a year of especially active activity by radicals, which, in the opinion of many historians, did not have such pronounced manifestations in the previous several decades, such a body had historical prototypes. In particular, in the mid-17th century, the king created the so-called Secret Affairs Order, designed to control the work of key government agencies and conduct investigations regarding the work of politicians. Under Peter the Great, the Transfiguration Order was established . The body carried out the task of investigating precedents of insulting the personality of the Emperor, subversive work, misconduct in the guard. At the beginning of the 18th century, a new body was formed - the Office of Investigation, and a few decades later - a Secret Expedition, designed to investigate cases of violation of public order. In the following decades , the internal affairs bodies of the Empire acquired different names. At the end of the 19th century, when the need was ripe for counteracting radical groups in the country, the Supreme Administrative Commission appeared.
Historical Heritage Commission
Among historians, there is a version that the Supreme Administrative Commission became a body that had a direct impact on the formation of the Soviet, and then the modern system of state institutions of law and order. Some historiographical data contain information that the counter-revolutionary organs of Soviet power created in 1917 in their functions were very similar to the Supreme Administrative Commission. Then the NKVD was created, such structures as the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR and the KGB appeared.
In 1991, bodies were established to localize the work of Soviet structures in the RSFSR. After the collapse of the USSR, Russian MVD and FSB appeared. Thus, there is reason to say how great the historical role of such a body as the Supreme Administrative Commission is: the 1917th — revolutionary — year was a period of testing by the state a new format for opposing protest moods, and based on this experience, the Soviet, and then the modern system of organs grew law and order.
Historians Assessment
Among Russian scientists there are experts evaluating the historical role of the supreme administrative commission in the context of modern political processes. In particular, there is a version that the authorities under the tsar and the ruling elites of today's Russia make common mistakes. For example, the emergence of terrorist organizations, supporters of this hypothesis believe, today and then it was associated with the arbitrariness of the elites, their lack of desire to carry out the necessary reforms, moreover, by peaceful means. If terrorism is somehow countered, experts say, the emphasis should be on an ideological factor, on adjusting the principles of economic development, in which opposition and subversive cells in society will not be able to influence a population that has, for example, a stable and high paying job.
It is important, historians emphasize, that the high-quality work of the special services is not just in an “emergency” mode - when terrorists become more active, but constantly. In these areas, experts believe, the Government of Tsarist Russia was mistaken, and government agencies of the Russian Federation are not conducting sufficiently clear work.