A documentary narrative about the life and activities of a man whose name is associated with an entire era in the history of Russia - Count Alexei Andreevich Arakcheev. Based on archival documents, many of which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, the book gives an image of a major dignitary who played a crucial role in the mechanism of autocratic power at the end of the 18th - first quarter of the 19th centuries, reveals the secret springs of his rise, the true meaning of the phenomenon called “ Arakcheevism." The colorful personality of Arakcheev is depicted against the backdrop of the events of that time, in relationships with Emperors Paul I, Alexander I and Nicholas I, prominent dignitaries - M. M. Speransky, F. V. Rostopchin, M. B. Barclay de Tolly and others.