Power relations in Russian imperial administration of the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries

The article reveals the evolution of the interaction «center - region» in the structural-managerial aspect of strengthening the Russian Empire of the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries. Special attention is paid to authorities' attitude to the centralization and bureaucratization of management allowing just some power deconcentration on the outskirts of the state. Emphasis is placed on the research of traditional social-legal principals of state and representation of the people.