A group of foreigners in the ruling elite of the Russian empire in the 1730s: main development trends

The article is devoted to foreigners as an integral part of the Russian ruling elite during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, when, as it is known, foreigners played a significant role in political decision-making and in court life. The author analyzes the concept of the ruling elite and establishes the criteria by which certain statesmen and grandees should be attributed to its representatives. He defines the main aspects of the analysis of the foreign part of this group, namely, the dynamics of its number, criteria and degree of integration into Russian society, the spread of favoritism. The analysis led the author to the conclusion that the foreign part of the Russian ruling elite increased from 24% to 36% during the period under review, integration processes slowed down compared to the previous period, and, on the contrary, the trend towards the spread of favoritism intensified.