Phenomenon of Corruption in Legislation and Perception of the Russian Nobility of the Second Half of the 18th - First Quarter of the 19th Century

Abstract

The article examines the attitude to the phenomenon of corruption by the state and its perception by the Russian nobility of the second half of the 18th - first quarter of the 19th centuries. Based on the phenomenological analysis of the corruption concept in legislative acts and regulatory documents, as well as sources of personal origin, the article reveals the contradictory attitude of the nobility to corruption, which has become widespread in the environment of the officials. It is emphasized that a certain ambivalence in its perception stemmed from the unclear definition of corruption in official documents as well as contradictory attitude of the state to offenses on the part of officials. As a result, the discrepancy between the criminal act and the measure of punishment often blurred the boundaries of what was permissible in the noble environment. In addition, the duality of the corruption perception in its deep basis was the collision result of the traditional tribal consciousness remnants with modernization processes, leading to the affirmation of the Enlightenment ideas and values, primarily the honor and dignity of the individual, in the noble community. The growing pragmatism of Russian society, which increasingly conflicted with the principle of honest service to the state, also played a role.