The Third Section's Oversight of the Private Life of Provincial Officials (1820–1830s)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the oversight of the Third Section of His Majesty's Own Chancellery of the private life of provincial officials in the 1820s and 1830s. The research is primarily based on documents from the archives of the Third Section, the Corps of Gendarmes and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The recent research revealed that the secret police under Nicholas I not only looked after political opposition but also supervised service activities of provincial officials, as well as the private life and behaviour of subjects. In practice, these activities were closely intertwined. The article deals with the examples of the intervention of the Third Section in the private life of provincial officials with the main accent on the civil governors. The central theme is the case of Perm governor Kirill Tyufyaev (1777–1845). The research revealed that there was no common approach to the limits of government intervention in the private life of officials. Under Nicholas I this area became the object of supervision of the secret police primarily through gendarme staff officers in provinces. Gendarmes paid particular attention to family discord and indecent behaviour. Nicholas I often personally delved into the details of such cases. The sovereign tried to avoid unnecessary publicity but intervened when the circumstances of the private life of employees became the subject of public discussion. In this case, the home life ceased to be a private matter and could end their career. As a representative of the supreme power, the governor had no right to discredit it with his behaviour.