Russia is ruled by the all powerful aristocracy

Russia is ruled by the all powerful aristocracy. Catherine the Great came to power in 1762 and cemented the class system during her reign. She extended serfdom throughout the Empire and when she died from a stroke in 1796 it was estimated that half the population were slaves. She also left a very top-heavy society in which only the aristocracy could exercise power in government. Only they served and influenced Tsars and were eligible to attend university. They were also exempt from paying taxes. In financial terms, during Catherine the Great’s time, members of the aristocracy would be expected to own more than 1000 peasants, gentry 500 and the impoverished dvoryane less than 100. Tolstoy’s ancestors, on both his father’s and his mother’s side, include generals, diplomats and ministers of the Crown. The two families are not just from the aristocracy but from the old seigneurial class although the fortunes and status of the family had dropped somewhat by the time Tolstoy is born (p48, Tolstoy, Wilson).