The adoption of the “cast-iron” censorship charter took place during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, whose policy was associated with the strengthening of the state and its bureaucratic apparatus. According to the new charter, censorship became a separate agency. Why was this document called "cast iron"? We will talk about this, as well as the year of publication of the “cast-iron” censorship charter, today.
General Statutes
The new charter, established by Nicholas I, regulating censorship, was very strict and provided ample opportunities for arbitrary interpretation. According to its provisions, a special censorship department was created, which was headed by the Supreme Censorship Committee. This committee included ministers of education, external and internal affairs.
The censorship charter was called the “cast iron” because of the strictest prohibitions contained therein. So, for example, he did not allow criticism of the government, as well as other authorities, of making any proposals for reform.
This fully applied to the discussion of foreign policy issues. A ban was imposed on the admission to print of such places that could imply a double meaning. It was impossible to substitute dots for places cut out by censorship.
The fight against sedition
As you know, the reign of Emperor Nicholas I began in an atmosphere of struggle against sedition. In it, he relied on the strength of the police and the establishment of strict censorship. At the same time, the activity of the state bureaucratic apparatus was aimed at preserving the privileges of the nobility, which he, in fact, represented and defended.
As for censorship, here the king did not need any new inventions. At first, he was completely satisfied with the policy pursued under Alexander I by the Minister of Education Shishkov A.S., who was in this post from 1824 to 1828. However, Tsar Alexander did not always support Shishkov, and under the new emperor he managed to realize his ideas regarding censorship.
Long before A.S. Shishkov was appointed minister, he was engaged in censorship reform, criticizing the charter adopted in 1804 and the small number of censors. Many of his ideas received support during the censorship reform period of 1826.
Publication of a “cast iron” censorship charter
The new censorship charter had two authors - Admiral Shishkov and Prince Shirinsky-Shakhmatov P. A. (one of the notable statesmen in the reign of Nicholas I).
The “Pig-iron” censorship charter, the year of publication of which is 1826, became the basis for the implementation of censorship reform. It was thoroughly penetrated by the desire to regulate all conceivable tasks of censorship, as well as the actions of the apparatus designed to carry it out.
In this regard, the volume of the new charter was five times the volume of the charter of 1804. It contained 19 chapters, in which there were 230 paragraphs. Wherein:
- 11 chapters outlined the goals and objectives facing censorship;
- 8 chapters described the nature of censorship in various types of printed materials, disclosed the methods and methods for its implementation in all details.
Censorship
According to the instructions of the “cast-iron” censorship charter of 1826, under the control of censorship there were three areas related to socio-political as well as cultural life:
- Rights and domestic security.
- The formation of public opinion.
- Science and youth education.
As before, censorship was carried out by the Ministry of Public Education, and the head of its activity was the Main Directorate of Censorship. The Supreme Censorship Committee, consisting of the three ministers mentioned above, was created to help him.
The Supreme Committee was subordinate to several others located in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vilno, Derpt. In addition, the following were involved in the censorship sphere:
- Spiritual Department.
- Academy of Sciences.
- All universities.
- Some administrative institutions are central and local.
Thus, duplication of functions was observed, which entailed subjectivity in censorship and censorship bodies.
What prohibited the document?
The “Cast Iron” censorship charter prohibited the publication of historical works in the following cases:
- When in them persons who encroached on the legitimate authority and were justly punished for their deeds were portrayed as victims worthy of a better fate.
- If there was expressed an unfavorable attitude towards the monarchist system.
- When there was a comparison of different forms of government.
- If there was reasoning regarding the historical process.
Of all the works of a philosophical nature, only one textbook was allowed to be published. Paragraph 115 of the charter prohibited publication of such passages from essays and translations in which there was a double meaning when one of the meanings contradicted the rules of censorship.
The danger of strict censorship
The “cast iron” censorship charter abounded with unnecessary details that did not directly relate to censorship and greatly overloaded its text. So, it gave detailed rules for the guidance not only for the censors themselves, but also outlined the rights and obligations of book sellers, directors of printing houses, lithographs, and libraries.
The charter of 1826 characterized the position of the censor as an independent profession, requiring constant attention and, therefore, not combined with another position. The staff of censors increased, their salaries increased several times.
At first, the rules of the new charter were carried out with all severity, but subsequently the prevailing opinion was that the government’s tough custody of all printed materials poses a considerable danger.
Censorship mitigation
In 1827, V. S. Lanskoy, the Minister of the Interior, began developing a special censorship charter that regulated the activities of foreign censorship. Moreover, he considered it necessary to depart from the foundations of the “cast-iron” censorship charter. To justify his views, he turned to Nicholas I, who, contrary to expectations, gave an order, not only that in certain cases it is not necessary to follow certain paragraphs of the charter, but also about the need to review it as a whole.
In accordance with the highest decree, a commission was set up that drafted a new charter submitted for discussion by the Council of State. Thus, in 1828 a third, more loyal censorship charter appeared. He allowed the publication of information from the field of Russian history, its geography and statistics, and was based on the principle that it should prohibit only those works that harm the faith, the throne, the personal honor of citizens and their good morals.