Early collegial institutions without a single leader Since the 18th century, a modern system of public administration was going to be created in Russia, including the formation of bodies such as the
Supreme Privy Council and the
Committee of Ministers whose powers are similar to the powers of the modern
Russian Government. In the period from 1726 to 1905 there was no official title for the leader of the government. The chief ministers (principal ministres) of certain
Emperor of Russia nonetheless led the government
de facto, but
de jure the head of government was a monarch.
Committee of Ministers (1802–1905) The
Committee of Ministers was established on 20 September 1802 in the course of Alexander I's
ministerial reform. All the ministers were independent from each other and were responsible for the activities of their departments individually. The committee was not responsible either for the activities of individual ministries, or for the coherence of their policies. During the first years of the existence of the committee, its meetings were chaired by the Emperor, and in his absence - by the ministers alternately, starting with the senior in rank, each for 4 sessions. In 1810, the chairmanship was given to the
chancellor and chairman of the
State Council Count N.P. Rumyantsev.
Prime Minister of the Russian Empire (1905–1917) The modern government type in Russia came after the establishment of the
Council of Ministers on 1 November 1905, created for the "management and union action principal chiefs of departments on subjects like law and senior public administration", and modelled on the relevant institutions within the constitutional states, when all the ministries and directorates have been declared part of the unified state management. The first Prime Minister was Count
Sergei Witte, who was appointed on 6 November 1905. ==Provisional Government/Russian Republic (1917)==