M.A. Prikhodko. Historic and Legal Specific Features of Structural Organization of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Russian Empire in 1802– 1832

Abstract: The development of the structural organization of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Russian Empire in 1802–1832 is characterized by some specific features. The establishment of ministries in September 8, 1802 affected the Collegium for Foreign Affairs mainly as changes in its overhead personnel. A.P. Vorontsov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, State Chancellor, headed the Collegium for Foreign Affairs, and A.A. Chartoryisky, Vice Minister, was deputed. The Collegium for Foreign Affairs attached the Ceremonial affairs (that is, the Ceremonial Department of the Court Office) as well. In 1802 all the changes in the Collegium for Foreign Affairs were limited to above-mentioned. The legislative acts of the final period of the ministerial reform (1810- 1811): The proclamation “About the division of state affairs into special departments, with a specification of affairs for each department” dated July 25, 1819; “Supreme approved division of state affairs among ministries “dated August 17, 1810; and “General establishment of ministries” dated June 25, 1811, actually didn’t affect the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So, even after the issue of “The General establishment of ministries” dated June 25, 1811, the organization construction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not completed. Only the Decree “About the new formation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs” dated April 10, 1832, abolished the Collegium for Foreign Affairs, determined a new structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, encouraged the centralization of its organizational structure and the introduction of the unified clerical correspondence. Whereby, the major historic and legal distinctive features of the given development were as follows: the continuation of the Collegium for Foreign Affairs running as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a long time period (up to 1832); the gradual character of extension of “The General Establishment of Ministries” dated June 25, 1811, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; forming of dualism (between K.V. Nesselrode and I.A. Kapodistriya) in the governance of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire in 1815–1822, meaning that the dualism effected the structural organization of Ministry of Foreign Affairs; availability of Secret departments (subdivisions) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ structure: the Tsifirnaya forwarding department (departments) (a cryptographic department in charge of maintaining a classified correspondence); and its activity hasn’t studied thoroughly in scientific literature; the transfer period from the collegiate governmental system to the ministerial one in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1802–1832. The given historic and legal specific features of structural organization of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Russian Empire in 1802–1832 is of considerable scientific value from the historic and legal point of views.

Keywords: