Государственный совет и министры во второй половине XIX века: конфронтация и сотрудничество

Abstract

The legislative process in the Russian Empire fell into two main phases: the law was first developed in the ministries and then discussed by the highest lawmaking institutions, primarily the State Council. Thus, the cooperation of all participants in the lawmaking process was a prerequisite, but it was not always possible to achieve it. Ministries tried to preserve the integrity of their projects, while the Council of State often made significant changes to ministerial submissions in an effort to save them from shortcomings and weaknesses. Throughout the second half of the XIX century confrontation between the heads of departments and the legislative institution was formed in different ways. The analysis showed that during the reign of Alexander II the violation of the legislative process was more frequent and the emperor repeatedly approved bills that were not discussed in the State Council. However, this path did not guarantee the successful implementation of the new law. On the contrary, the changes made to the projects of the State Council were aimed primarily at the workability of government measures. And this justified them in the eyes of ministers and the monarch himself (especially in the reign of Alexander III), ensured their agreement with the Council’s opinion.