Comparative analysis of migration policy in Russia under the reigns of Catherine II and Alexander III

This article is devoted to the social and political development of the Russian Empire under Catherine II and Alexander III. The issue of migration policy and its relationship with the economic, demographic and social indicators of the country was the purpose of this comparative study. The authors also analyze the challenges of socialization and education of human resources during the analyzed historical periods. The achievement of the main goal of the research was accompanied by a number of difficulties associated with gaps in statistical data. It was especially true for the reign of Catherine II, when the process of systematization of state documentation was in stage of formation. In these regards, the systematic work of various researchers using the retrospective method and the method of comparative analysis formed the methodological basis of the article. Despite certain restrictions related to the size of the article and the number of data used for research, it was possible to achieve the goal and reflect the main aspects of the policies of both sovereigns. As the result of the given research it was revealed that the effective migration policy of Catherine II led to the growth of the economy by attracting human resources to strategically important regions of the country. It allowed increasing development indicators, primarily in the field of agriculture and industry. The migration policy of Alexander III was more restrained and was one of the factors influencing the economy. The authors conclude that reigns of both Catherine II and Alexander III were accompanied by rapid growth of the country's economy due to the migration policies.