The Pugachev Uprising bolsters Catherine's determination to reorganize Russia's provincial administration.

In 1775 she divides Russia into provinces and districts according to population statistics.

She then gives each province an expanded administrative, police, and judicial apparatus.

Nobles no longer are required to serve the central government, as they have since Peter the Great's time, and many of them receive significant roles in administering provincial governments.

Catherine also attempts to organize society into well-defined social groups, or estates.

In 1785 she issues charters to nobles and townsmen.

The Charter to the Nobility confirms the liberation of the nobles from compulsory service and gives them rights that not even the autocracy can infringe upon.

The Charter to the Towns proves to be complicated and ultimately less successful than the one issued to the nobles.

Failure to issue a similar charter to state peasants, or to ameliorate the conditions of serfdom, makes Catherine's social reforms incomplete.