The Imperial period of Russian history, from the accession of Peter the Great to the abdication of Nicholas II, was a time of enormous transformation, including in the sphere of civil–military relations. Peter the Great himself rose to power with the help of military officers, and for a century after his death the involvement of the army in sovereign power issues was a normal occurrence. Only in the nineteenth century did this pattern of behavior reverse itself, and to such an extent that by the end of the Romanov dynasty military intervention was practically unthinkable.

This chapter tells the story of this shift from a praetorian to an apolitical officer corps. Two major issues dominate the discussion. The first issue is the development of the Russian state. The second major focus of this chapter is the question of military involvement in sovereign power issues. Four cases are discussed: the palace coups of the eighteenth century, the Decembrist uprising of 1825, the uneventful (and thus highly significant) successions of the second half of the nineteenth century, and the Revolution of 1905–1906.

PETER THE GREAT AND THE BUILDING OF THE RUSSIAN STATE

Peter the Great transformed Russia from Muscovy, a medieval and “eastern” polity, into the modern and European state of Imperial Russia. The creation of many highly important political and social institutions, including a standing army and navy, usually is traced to Peter. Indeed, the very notion of the “state” as something separate from and even higher than the sovereign can be traced to Peter's reign.