DRAFT ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS OF CATHERINE II AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNORSHIPS: LOCAL CONTRADICTIONS AND RESISTANCE

Andreev Aleksey Evgenievich

The article examines the projects of administrative reforms of Catherine II as a key stage in the formation of the "fiscal-police" state in Russia in the second half of the 18th century. The institutional structure of viceroyalties, their functions in tax administration, management of social expenditures and ensuring police control are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to local contradictions: the growth of administrative costs, the limited resource base and resistance from the nobility, urban communities and peasants. It is shown that the reforms simultaneously strengthened the vertical of power and gave rise to new forms of social tension.

Keywords:Catherine II, administrative reform, viceroyalties, provincial reform, Treasury Chamber.