Zakon (The law), 1800–1856.

It is well known that the laws describe, so to speak, the internal life of the state. In them we see how its moral and political energies have come into being, taken shape, grown, and changed. Consequently, without knowledge of the laws, the history of the state can be neither clear nor authentic; and by the same token, laws without history often remain incomprehensible. Thus, the more promptly the laws are published, the more the sources of history will be available to contemporaries and the more authentically they will be made known to posterity. It is one of the many ironies of Russian history that, as the tsarist empire gained influence in European political life by virtue of its diplomatic and military achievements, it gradually fell further behind Europe in terms of economic development. This process of increasing relative economic backwardness appears to have gathered momentum in the reigns of Catherine II (1762–96), Paul I (1796–1801), and Alexander I (1801–25). All three monarchs prided themselves on their bold vision and admiration for certain aspects of Western European culture: enlightened administration, Prussian military efficiency, and the Napoleonic reforms to 1811, respectively. However, the problem of economic backwardness apparently escaped their notice entirely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]