Paul 1 took the throne after the death of Catherine 2. His personality remained ambivalent and incomprehensible, some considered him the genius of the Enlightenment, others - crazy. The domestic and foreign policies of Paul 1 also give rise to conflicting assessments.
The childhood of Paul 1
Pavel 1 was born on September 20, 1754, he was the son of Catherine 2 and Peter 3. The future emperor studied science from childhood, teachers believed that the boy has a living mind and is gifted by nature.
Pavel loved his father, Pyotr Fedorovich very much, and considered his mother guilty of his death. He suffered the loss of his father very hard.
Marriages of Paul 1 and life in Gatchina
Catherine 2 married her son when he was 17 years old, to Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse, after baptism - Natalya Alekseevna. She died during childbirth.
And in 1776 Paul married again. The spouse was Dorothea of ​​Württemberg, called after baptism Marya Fedorovna. She was a relative of the Prussian king and there is an opinion that it was under her influence that Paul began to like German traditions.
The relationship between Catherine 2 and her son did not go well. The Empress gave the spouses after the wedding Gatchina, which, in essence, meant the deportation of the heir. Here Pavel Petrovich has an army consisting of half a sailors, a cuirassier regiment and an infantry battalion. The future king often organizes shows and teachings.
In 1777, Paul 1 gave birth to a son, Alexander, who was immediately expelled from the family and given up for education to those appointed by Catherine 2. Parents were allowed to visit their son only on special days. All attempts by Paul to participate in the political life of the country were immediately suppressed by the empress.
Paul 1 ascended the throne at age 42. Having no special skills in managing the state, he nevertheless was an outstanding bright personality. Below you can find out what was the domestic and foreign policy of Paul 1. Briefly, the table shows the main points.
The first thing that Paul did after the coronation was to rebury his father’s ashes in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Why was Catherine’s policy not continued?
Domestic and foreign policy of Paul 1 was strikingly different from Catherine. This is largely due to the difficult personal relationship between the mother and son.
The emperor could not forgive his mother a conspiracy against his father, the result of which was the death of Peter 3 and the ascension to the throne of Catherine. The rumors that Pavel was the child of Saltykov, and not Peter, and therefore he was not from the Romanov dynasty, added fuel to the fire .
Therefore, the domestic and foreign policies of Paul the first not only differed from the course of his mother, but broke and remade it. Often he acted contrary to Catherine.
Domestic Politics of Paul 1
The domestic and foreign policies of Paul 1 can be briefly designated as a systematic change and extermination of all the innovations of Catherine 2.
Military and peasant reforms
They are considered the largest changes in the state. Paul 1 amended the statutes of infantry, sailors, and cavalry. Under the new laws, officers were responsible for the health and life of soldiers. They were required to provide annual leave, officers did not have the right to use them to work on their estates. The soldiers were reduced to 25 years, at the end of which a pension was awarded. Paul 1 formed a new army unit: courier corps, pioneer regiment, etc.
The domestic and foreign policies of Paul 1 are largely reflected in the Russian people. So, the situation of peasants has improved, but some of the emperor’s actions in history are considered strange. For example, Pavel distributed many state serfs to the landlords, believing that they would be better off there.
The duties of the peasants changed greatly: the landowners could demand to work out the corvee no more than three times a week, the grain service was abolished.
The position of the nobility
Paul 1 deliberately weakened the nobility. Apparently, the emperor was afraid of a palace coup. He allowed the nobles to be punished bodily for robbery, drunkenness, murder and official misconduct.
Pavel canceled noble meetings, introduced a poll tax, forbade collective petitions and participation in elections for those dismissed from public service for misconduct.
This was in its focus the domestic and foreign policies of Paul 1. The table on which the main external changes in the country are briefly listed is presented below.
Key domestic policy developments |
| 1796 year | The army introduced the Prussian order. Censorship is intensifying; foreign books are being banned. |
| 1797 year | The law of succession is adopted. There is a ban on leaving and studying abroad. Favorites of Catherine 2 fall into the link. |
| 1798 year | Industrial enterprises are allowed to buy peasants. |
Restriction of the nobility |
| 1798 year | The governors undertake to be present when the selection of a noble leader takes place. |
| 1799 year | Provincial meetings are being canceled. It is forbidden for district leaders to choose provincial leaders. Ban on collective petitions. |
Peasant Reforms |
| 1796 year | Peasants are attached to the land in New Russia. |
| 1797 year | The corvee is limited to three days. It is forbidden to sell landless peasants and yard people under the hammer. |
| 1798 year | It is forbidden to sell Ukrainian peasants without land. |
The results of the domestic policy of Paul 1
The emperor’s attempts to document all the rules of life of the subjects, to train the army and oppress the nobility led to the logical death of Paul 1 at the hands of the conspirators. It is documented that the news of the death of the sovereign was met with glee.
Descendants and successors evaluated his rule negatively, considering Paul a tyrant and tyrant. The domestic and foreign policies of Paul 1 were also strongly condemned.
Foreign policy
The domestic and foreign policy of Paul 1, in short, was originally aimed at fighting France. In 1798, an anti-French coalition was even organized . The army commanded A.V. Suvorov, thanks to his talents, Northern Italy was liberated and the troops crossed the Alps. But in 1799 the agreement was terminated, and the army was withdrawn from Europe.
The alliance with England did not end too well — Paul accused her of failing a joint expedition to the Netherlands.
The internal and foreign policies of Paul 1 were impulsive and emotional. The table illustrates the main events of foreign policy.
Foreign policy of Paul 1 |
| 1798 year | Creation of an anti-French coalition: Russia, Austria, Ottoman Empire, England, Naples |
| 1798 year | The black sea squadron F. Ushakova wins the Mediterranean - the French fortress of Corfu was repulsed. |
| 1799 year | Campaign of A.V. Suvorov. Northern Italy freed from the French. |
| 1800 year | The country's foreign policy is changing - an alliance with France is becoming a priority. |
| Consequences of an alliance with France | Russia is emerging from the war and breaking diplomatic relations with England and Austria. |
| The Russian army begins to prepare for a campaign in India. |
Peace is concluded with France. Russia takes part in alliances against Austria and England. |
Thus, the domestic and foreign policies of Paul 1 are well outlined. The scheme helps to concisely outline the most fundamental, crucial decisions for both the country and the emperor.
Foreign Policy Outcomes
The emperor’s actions in relation to England are considered rash. The internal and internal and foreign policies of Paul 1 are negatively evaluated. It can be summarized in one word - short-sightedness. This is due to the almost started war with this power because of the interests of the Maltese knights. Many note the unjustified risk of Asian hiking.