Abstract:

The article investigates how both the education and expertise of the head of state and his advisers, and their relationship influenced decision-making and the fate of the country. Analysis of "personnel" policy of Ivan the Terrible, Alexei Mikhailovich, Fedor Alekseevich, Princess Sophia, Peter the Great, Alexander I, Nicholai I, Alexander II and Alexander III allowed us to conclude that the higher the King or the Emperor’s level of education was and the better they were prepared to govern the country, the higher was the level of professionalism in the people he selected for the state service. Kings and emperors who weren’t taught to govern the state and who lacked good education as a rule preferred narrow-minded passive performers. The author has revealed the following pattern: reforms aimed at emanci-pation of the society took place in Russia only when the sovereigns who had received good education and special country leadership training were on the throne. By contrast, the characteristic features of poorly prepared kings are the society deprived of any rights and freedoms, ignorance of the experience of the elite, absolute power pursuit, terror and consequently crisis and downturn in the country.

Keywords: head of state, preparation for country governance, personnel policies, Ivan the Terrible, Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter the Great, Alexander I, Alexander II, figures of Chosen Council, A.L. Ordin-Naschchekin, V.V. Golitsyn, value and outcome of the reforms of Peter the Great, fate of reformers, outcome of absolute power in Russia