To the History of Commission for the Eradication of Misuse of Power in the Taurida Province

Abstract

This article examines work of The Commission for the eradication of misuse of power in the Taurida Governorate, which existed in 1816–1819. The sources used for this study include documents from the Russian State Historical Archive and State Archive of the Republic of Crimea. This organization was established by the central authorities to examine the work of the local administration and illegal acquisition of land by officials. Members of ruling circle believed that the key to incorporation of the Crimea into the Russian Empire lay in regulation of land relations and bringing order to the bureaucracy work. That is why the first land commission in Crimea was created at the end of 18th century. Massive malpractice on the part of the Russian civil servants was a widespread phenomenon after the French invasion in Russia in 1812. Nevertheless, in Crimea the situation was more large-scale. Members of the Commission members identified numerous violations of laws. Moreover, local bureaucracy and Taurida civil governor A. M. Borozdin were under investigation. In this situation, in most cases Crimean Tatars suffered, which affected their loyalty to the Russian administration. Permanent military conflicts with Ottoman Empire and the lack of resources for the development of frontier areas forced high officials to seek compromise solutions. The local bureaucracy was not interested in investigating the cases of malpractice and sabotaged the work of the Commission. Moreover, the majority of the members of the Commission was involved in trial. This factor led to the creation of a new Committee under the Ministry of internal Affairs in 1819.