The results of the reign of Peter 1 were so significant, majestic that many historians justifiably divide Russian history into the pre-Petrine and post-Petrine era. Attitude towards this emperor became both a stumbling block and an apple of discord for researchers. It divided the scientists into two camps: those who approve of the transformation of Peter 1 and condemn them.
So, the former believe that the foreign and domestic policies of Peter the Great served as a powerful impetus for the country's progress. The latter, on the contrary, are convinced that the emperor only consolidated serfdom and feudalism with his actions, and the violent breakdown of established traditions and lifestyles entailed other shocks that occurred during his reign.
Be that as it may, the domestic policy of Peter the Great touched almost all spheres of society.
One of the main transformations of the emperor is a change in the state system of governing the country. Back in 1708, the country was divided into eight large provinces in order to strengthen local power. The provinces were divided into provinces, and the provinces, in turn, were divided into counties.
After the Battle of Poltava, he completely reformed the authorities (both local and central). In 1711, the Senate replaced the Boyar Duma. The nine dignitaries elected by Peter took the oath, which he also wrote, and managed the finances of the state, created new laws. And in 1722, Peter 1 also appointed the Attorney General.
In the period from 1718 to 1721, 10 colleges replaced 50 orders. Each board was engaged in a specific industry. Spiritual affairs, for example, were managed by the Synod, created in 1721.
And the proclamation of Peter 1 as emperor in 1721 finally strengthened his power as an unlimited, autocratic monarch.
The domestic politics of Peter 1 led to social transformations. According to the decree on uniform inheritance issued in 1714, the noble estate and the boyar estates were considered one and the same. He combined the two estates into one, whose representatives began to be called nobles. The same decree obliged to inherit the estate of one of the sons. Also, nobles were ordered to serve in the Navy, in the army or in government.
In 1722, a Table of Ranks was published, which divided the service into court, military and civil. There were fourteen grades, and one could rise higher only after passing the next step.
The entire population, except for representatives of the clergy and the nobility, paid a tax to the state, the so-called “capitation tax” (separately for each individual male, and age and working capacity were not taken into account). City artisans paid taxes, which, moreover, were required to register in the workshops. Also, since 1724, without the written permission of the landowner, the peasant could not leave to work in another locality. And at the same time, all the poor, sick, crippled, and sent to monasteries or almshouses were selected around the country.
Thus, a new construction of society gradually developed, based on the estate principle and governed by state legislation.
The domestic policy of Peter 1 almost did not affect agriculture. The development of new lands, the breeding of new breeds of livestock, the cultivation of new varieties of cultivated plants did not stop. Peasant duties were not established by law, but by the landowners themselves, so serfs were often under heavy oppression.
The domestic policy of Peter 1 did not always lead to positive transformations. This was due, first of all, to the lack of a special plan for various reforms. Often it also happened that the created regulations were not justified and abolished over time, but instead, new ones were created and immediately introduced.