Three centuries of the Table of ranks

Abstract

The system of job positions and ranks, which is currently in operation in modern civil service in Russia, is similar to the Table of ranks introduced by Peter the Great in 1722. This article studies the evolution of this institution, exploring its advantages and disadvantages. The Table of ranks, being a part of Peter the Great’s project of modernization, played an important role in organizing civil service. Civil servant’s career was determined by the length of service, merits and education. Originally, ranks coincided with job positions, but by the end of the XVIII century they diverged, with the length of service becoming a priority for job promotion. The XIX century saw an increase in the number of civil servants and gradual decrease in the share of the nobility in the total number of civil servants. During this period there were several attempts, however unsuccessful, to reform or to cancel the system of ranks. In October 1917 the Bolsheviks cancelled all ranks and titles. In the Soviet period, ranks were established for diplomats and public prosecutors. The system of ranks was renewed in early XXI century with the Federal law on “State civil service in the Russian Federation” adopted in 2004 and several Presidential decrees issued later. In fact, it was a new Table of ranks which was very close to that of Peter the Great’ The number of ranks increased from 14 to 15, some of their names are nearly identical. However, the system of modern job positions is much more complicated than in XVIII century. So far, the correspondence between ranks and job positions is determined only for the top-level positions. The significance of the new Table of ranks for an effective civil service is still to be determined