Social policy of absolutism at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries in the prism of Soviet and modern historiography

The article analyzes the influence of the Soviet ideology, discussions of perestroika period and the events of modern Russian history on the historiography of the reign of Paul I. The circle of problems that lie before the state at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries is indicated. The relationship between the objective tasks of the state during the crucial period of the transition to the capitalist mode while maintaining feudal remnants is shown; between the activities of the emperor, aimed at preserving the foundations of autocracy, and the needs of society in emancipation (the interaction between Government and Society).