The reign of Nicholas 1 began with the suppression of the Decembrist uprising in 1825, December 14. The reign ended during the Crimean War, during the defense of Sevastopol in 1855, in February.
At all levels of the management system, Nicholas 1 sought to establish maximum diligence, giving the structure "expediency and harmony."
As a priority, the king saw the strengthening of the police and bureaucracy. Reforms of Nicholas 1 in this area consisted in the struggle against revolutionary movements, in strengthening the autocratic order. The king saw the fulfillment of these ideas in the consistent conduct of militarization, centralization and bureaucratization. The reforms of Nicholas 1, in short, contributed to the formation of a well-thought-out system of comprehensive state intervention in the country's cultural, economic, social and political life.
Along with this, the tsar strove for personal control over all forms of government, as well as for concentrating in his hands the decisions of both private and general affairs, without involving relevant departments and ministries. In this regard, numerous secret commissions and committees were created, which were directly under the authority of the ruler and often replaced the ministries.
The reforms of Nicholas 1 also affected the office. Growing, this department became a reflection of the regime of monarchical power.
Of great importance was the publication of the fifteen-volume Code of Laws in 1832. Russian legislation has become streamlined, absolutism in the country has gained a firmer and clearer legal foundation. However, this was not followed by any changes either in the political or social structure of feudal Russia.
Reforms of Nicholas 1 affected the activities of the Third Branch of the Private Chancery. Under his leadership, the gendarme corps was established. As a result, the whole country (except for the Transcaucasian region, the Don Army, Finland and Poland) was divided into five, and then into eight districts under the control of gendarme generals.
Thus, the Third Division began to report to the sovereign about the slightest changes in the mood of the people. In addition, the department was responsible for checking the activities of the state system, local and central administration bodies, identifying corruption and arbitrary acts, holding those responsible to account, and so on.
The main danger of "dissent" and "freethinking" lurked in the field of press and education. So Nicholas believed. 1. Reforms in educational institutions began from the very rise of the king to the throne. The emperor believed that the Decembrist uprising was the result of a "false educational system."
Thus, since 1827 it was forbidden to accept serfs in universities and gymnasiums. In 1828, the Charter on Educational Institutions was published, and in 1835, the University Charter.
Reforms of Nicholas 1 affected censorship. In 1828, new rules were introduced. They certainly softened the earlier adopted ones, but provided for a large number of restrictions and prohibitions. Nicholas 1 considered the fight against journalism one of the main tasks. From that moment, the publication of many magazines turned out to be banned.
In the second quarter of the 19th century, the peasant question arose sharply in the country. Nicholas 1 carried out the reform of the state village. However, the changes were very controversial. Of course, on the one hand, support was provided to entrepreneurship, the prosperous part of the village. However, along with this, taxation oppression intensified. As a result, the population responded to the changes in the state village by mass uprisings.
In the period from 1839 to 1843 a monetary reform was carried out , as a result of which a credit ruble was approved, which was equal to one ruble in silver. This transformation has strengthened the financial structure in the country.
The last years of the reign of the emperor by contemporaries were called the "gloomy seven years." The government during this period took measures to terminate the connection between the Russian and Western European people. Entrance to Russia for foreigners, as well as the exit of Russians from it, was virtually prohibited (the exception was the permission of the central government).