Catherine the Great and the Russian Nobility: A Study Based on the Materials of the Legislative Commission of 1767

xi, [1], 268, [4] pp. 8vo. Dukes "constructs a clear, analytical picture of the attitude of the nobility to the chief questions of the day. The numerous instructions and debates initiated by the Commission provide evidence of contemporary opinion on serfdom, agriculture, industry and commerce; the qualifications for noble status and the rights and privileges of this class; the attitude of the nobility to local government and class organization; the role of the crown and the nobility in central government and the nature and purpose of education. Dr. Duke's perceptive use of this material has enabled him to give a balanced and convincing account of Catherine's ambitions and achievements." CONTENTS: Preface; Abbreviations; CROWN AND NOBILITY IN RUSSIA BEFORE 1762: services and Privileges, Serfdom and the Economy, Government and Society, Education and Culture; PETER III, CATHERINE II AND THE NOBILITY: Peter III's Emancipation Manifesto, Catherine II and Her Policy, The Elections to the Legislative Commission, The Opening and Agenda; SERFDOM AND THE ECONOMY: The Economic Content of the Instruction, Contemporary Ideas on the Economy, Catherine's Early Economic Policy, The Legislative Commission and the Economy; SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES: Qualifications for Nobility, Noble Rights and Privileges, Local Government and Class Organization, Central Government and the Role of the Nobility; EDUCATION AND CULTURE: Official Views of Education, Education at the Legislative Commission, The Church, Russian Culture; CATHERINE THE GREAT AND THE RUSSIAN NOBILITY: The Significance of the Legislative Commission, The Decrees of 1775 and 1785, Serfdom and the Economy, Government and Society, Education and Culture, Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.