Systematization of Legislation as a Factor in Strengthening the State Unity of the Russian Empire

The article examines the systematization of legislation carried out in the Russian Empire from the point of view of its influence on the processes of strengthening state unity. The purpose of the study is to identify the extent to which systematization contributed to the formation of a unified legal space in Russia during the empire period and thus positively influenced the strengthening of the state. To achieve this goal, general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as formal-legal historical-legal and historical-comparative methods were used. The historical prerequisites for the systematization of legislation in Russia are revealed, the role of foreign legal borrowings in the formation of the initial forms of systematization is shown. The main directions of the study of systematization in the Russian legal doctrine are characterized. The importance of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire, which is characterized as incorporation, as well as the role of M. M. Speransky in the systematization of legislation is emphasized. It is stated that there is a certain gap in the legal space of the Russian Empire due to the existence of the phenomenon of local law, primarily on the national outskirts. The existence of their own legislation in certain parts of the empire, such as the Grand Duchy of Finland, the Kingdom of Poland, and others, weakened the importance of the Code of Laws for strengthening state unity through a single law. In addition, the unifying importance of systematization was influenced by the role of customs, which regulated most relations among the peasant community, as well as among the population of the national outskirts. It is concluded that the systematization was objectively aimed at forming a unified educational space of the Russian Empire, that is, in fact, at strengthening state unity, but due to a number of features of the development of the domestic legal system, its unifying potential could not be fully realized.