Catherine II’s transformations in the field of social, legal, medical and pedagogical assistance to children

Abstract

More than two centuries separate us from the reign of Catherine II (1762–1796). V.O. Klyuchevsky characterized those years as follows: Catherine II “had a long and extraordinary reign, created an entire era in our history”. Numerous memoirs and scientific studies are dedicated to her personality and the transformation of various aspects of Russian life, which contain both positive and negative assessments of her actions. The objective of our work included an overview of those significant changes in the field of public charity and protection of the rights of minors that occurred under Catherine II and were initiated by her. Her legislative and reform activities in this area were very active, a number of measures were taken aimed not only at preserving the lives of children, but also making them useful citizens of the Russian Empire “through upbringing and education”. The social and legal assistance complex included educational and orphan homes, maternity hospitals and hospitals, obstetric schools, whose activities were focused on supporting foundlings, illegitimate children and children deprived of parental care, as well as poor mothers; female education was introduced, commercial schools, cadet corps, a school at the Academy of Arts, schools, etc. were organized. Various institutions for children created according to the instructions of Catherine II were endowed with special rights and advantages, and were proclaimed state. All of Catherine II’s innovations in the area of state charity, children’s health, their upbringing and education were accompanied by the publication of legislative acts and orders, mostly prepared by her associate I.I. Betskoy, but they set out the initiatives and views expressed by her and sometimes verbatim included in the text of these documents.