«Introduction to the Code of State Laws»: M. M. Speransky’s Project as an Attempt to Implement the Principle of Separation of Powers

By the beginning of the 19th century. there were enough major events both in Russia and in the world as a whole. By that time, King Louis XVI had been executed in France, and the regime existing in the state was constrained by the revolution. England, Austria, Holland, Spain, and Prussia opposed the republic in the state, interested in suppressing new state and law ideas and preserving existing regimes and structures of government. And for the Russian Empire, the beginning of the 19th century is characterized by a fairly active discussion and formation of projects for the modernization of the state system. Many projects are being considered. But it was M. M. Speransky who for the first time created a transformation plan aimed at limiting the power of the emperor. Thus, with regard to the state, M. M. Speransky assumed the implementation of the principle of separation of powers exclusively according to the letter of the law and in accordance with the constitution adopted with the help of the people. In accordance with the views of the statesman that, in fact, are similar to the thoughts of the liberals of Europe, any state transformations should not have hindered the expression of free will and the protection of individual rights. It is his project «Introduction to the Code of State Laws» that will receive partial implementation within the framework of the absolutist feudal Russian Empire and will be able to reflect the political views of M. M. Speransky himself most widely. The general provisions’ analysis of his proposed modernization in the project «Introduction to the Code of State Laws» allows us to show in general all the work of M. M. Speransky carried out as a Russian reformer.

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