The Chosen Council and the Secret Committee: Comparative analysis

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comparative analysis of the creation, functioning, and results of the activities of the Chosen Counciland the Secret Committee. The comparison is carried out according to the following parameters: reasons for creation, chronological framework, composition, relationship with the head of state, place and role in the structure of state power, main events, results, and consequences of their activities. Such a study has not yet been conducted in Russian and foreign historiography. The authors come to the conclusion that the creation and activity of the Chosen Council and the Secret Committee can be considered a pattern in the historical development of Russia, when at a certain stage of its history there was a need for institutions that could develop and carry out serious reforms, not being associated with the former ruling elite, but not completely breaking with it.