PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — L. P. Marney. DEVELOPMENT OF THE MONETARY AND CREDIT SYSTEM OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE 19 TH CENTURY IN PROJECTS OF M. M. SPERANSKY AND D. A. GURYEV
In the early 19 th century, two Russian statesmen, Secretary of State Mikhail Speransky and Minister of Finance Dmitry Guryev, proposed financial reforms with a particular emphasis on the development of the monetary system, a key component of the economic security of the Russian Empire. This strategy, which sought to enhance financial management, mobilise material resources, strengthen monetary circulation and stabilise the Empire’s financial system, had been in development since 1802, when the Ministry of Finance was established, and continued until 1823, when the subsequent finance plan was formulated. Despite the presence of certain discrepancies and idiosyncrasies, the finance plans devised by Speransky and Guryev constituted a unified programme for the development of the Russian financial system. The objective of this programme was to consolidate all revenue streams within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, to ensure the autonomy of the monetary system, to facilitate the implementation of administrative and political reforms, and, in general, to enhance the resilience and stability of the Russian Empire’s economic and political systems.