Analysis Of Nicholas Riasanovsky's The Image Of Peter The Great

The last Tsar Nicholas II ascended the throne in 1894 and was faced with a country that was trying to free itself from its autocratic regime. The serfs had recently been emancipated, the industry and economy was just starting to develop and opposition to the Tsar was building up. Russia was still behind Europe in terms of the political regime, the social conditions and the economy. Nicholas II who was a weak and very influenced by his mother and his wife had to deal with Russia’s troubles during his reign. In order to ascertain how successfully Russia dealt with its problems by 1914, this essay will examine the October Manifesto and the split of the opposition, how the Tsar became more reactionary after the 1905 revolution, Stolypin’s

Peter the Great was born to Tsar Alexis and grew up differently than many people of his time. “Peter proved a healthy child, lively and inquisitive. It is probably significant to his development that his mother’s former guardian, Artamon Sergeyevich Matveyev, had raised her in an atmosphere open to progressive influences from the West” (Britannica Academica). The fact that he grew up with a significant figure in his life who favored the west shaped his views in a major. Later in his reign, he focused on western civilization and how they thrived. Peter tried to implicate the same influences in Russia to further try and modernize and advance the culture, society, and government. Peter was a very lively and energetic child. “When Alexis died in 1676 Peter was only four years old. His elder half-brother, a sickly youth, then succeeded to the throne as Fyodor III” (Britannica

During the late seventeenth century under the leadership of Peter the Great, Russia underwent a period of modernization and westernization due to Peter’s reforms. However, without the reforms he instituted, Russia would have remained the most culturally unevolved country in Europe for quite a long time.

During the time periods between 1682 and 1725 Peter the Great took a number of steps to modernize russia and transform it into a major European power. These steps were promoting diversity, encouraging education, increasing foreign trade, enforcing a new style of dress, prompting progress in technology and changing old Russian appearances. Realizing that Russia couldn't confront the Ottoman Empire alone, Peter ventured out to Europe to look for the guide of the European rulers. Despite the fact that the mission failed it presented Peter to Western European artists, scientists, craftsmen, and noble families. This persuaded him that Russia should take after Western Europe in certain ways

Peter the Great made it his ambition to pursue military growth in Russia. What started out as a defenseless country, ended as an army of 210,000 men. “At his (assumption of the throne) Russia had no armed forces except for the inefficient and untrustworthy Streltsy (hereditary military units).”- Document F. Peter the Great had many accomplishments. His greatest was the army, he formed in Russia. With all the power concentrated in his hands, Peter the Great was able to get things done efficiently and effectively. It took less time because, under the rule of absolutism, no one could question Peter’s work or capabilities. He built a professional army of 210,0000 men, created a navy and fleet of forty-eight ships and smaller vessels. Rather than being an insignificant vulnerable country, Russia was made into a dominant country. The amount of power that Russia had acquired was feared by other countries. Absolutism prevented many rebellions because of a new found fear. Many countries and people were afraid of Russia’s potential to become a dominate country. However, this was beneficial for absolutist leaders because no one would question or rebel against their actions. Many historians argue that Peter the Great’s method of absolutism was an excuse for tyranny. However, his achievements for the country of Russia outweigh the costs of inequality and unshared wealth. If Peter the

Peter recognized that his country was falling behind the European countries in knowledge, technology, trade, and governing ability. Using his absolute power as a czar, he brought in foreign advisers to help him modernize, westernize and educate his people. Peter had a great respect for Europe, and his reforms had a lasting influence in Russia, though there was of course opposition from the more conservative nobles.

As an enlightened despot, it was common for rulers to change every law and policy possible in order to make life better for their people as according to enlightenment ideals. The ruler was seen as being in charge only to serve the people (Document 3). The ruler was to put the needs of his people before the needs of himself, and could not do anything that would harm them (Document 4). In Russia, this was prominent amongst rulers. Peter the Great believed and acted on these ideas. He offered rights to the serfs in order to help them and made it so that anyone, no matter of their social standing, would suffer the same consequences for breaking the laws (Document 10, 6). According to Document 3, “the ruler and the ruled can be happy only if they are firmly united.” This shows how the people expected their rulers in this time to meet their needs to make them happy and to help them flourish as a

Finally, Peter the Great reformed Russia by reorganizing the country’s economic structure and altering the social scene to mirror Western culture. Historically, Russia was an agricultural country whose tiny middle class took on the tax burdens of the exempt nobility. After traveling abroad, Peter the Great saw the need for internal reform, wanting to apply ideas of western mercantilism to stimulate economic growth by developing industry and commerce. For “When Russian

In Russia, Westernization was nothing new as the late nineteenth century had rolled around, for they had already been immersed in political conflicts of Western Europe by the earlier parts of the century. Russia’s Westernization had even been started by Peter the Great. Being so well adapted to the politics of the West, the conservative Russian nobility had feared revolutions by the liberal West. Russia then had attempted to

It is said that Peter the Great’s significance on Russian history is difficult to overestimate – Peter implemented a series of reforms towards the Russia society, in fields of government, religion, military, and most of them have consistent effects. However, the new order of precedence known as “Table of Rank”, which was created by Peter in 1722, has an inconsistent impact on the society and government throughout the history. Although Peter had a great vision for the table of rank, it ultimately produced more negative impact towards the society as a whole than positive influences.

Under the rule of Peter the Great, the economic health of Russia skyrocketed. Peter started the Grand Embassy which was a group comprised of about 250 nobles who travelled to Europe to study economics. Peter I and these nobles first studied the methods of other countries in economics to further westernize Russia. Peter the Great made “large capital investments” in order to advance the economy further. Under his rule “foreign-trade turnover was increased sevenfold.” This shows just how influential Peter the Great’s rule was. In industry, Peter advanced Russia heavily. He started many factories which provided many jobs for serfs as wells as providing the necessary armaments for the Russian military. Peter made so many advancements in the factory

In 1679, Peter Alekseyevich, famously known as Peter the Great, visited western Europe in an attempt to establish and strengthen Russia’s position in the modern world, such as ideas that would reform the domestic structure of Russia. Through Europe's customs and industry, Peter the Great sought to westernize Russia. Decrees such as the new calendar and compulsory education for Russian nobility transformed daily lives.

Peter as a young man went to Sweden and built ships however when he returns with this skill of ships he was obliged to pull Russia into the modernizing world even when they felt they were just fine where they were. Peter went to the coast to develop ports and get trade route established, he created St. Petersburg. However he had always deep down never liked the city of Moscow, the nobles, urban life, the courts, and the Orthodox Church. He taxed everything from birth to death: births, marriages, and even caskets. His way of governing was mostly getting his country into the modern life style and progressing in all of the different way. He in some ways believed in equality because he didn’t really like how the nobles were different with their long beards so he cut them off. He also leaned towards the mercantilism aspect of capitalism because he wanted there to be ports so that they could start modernizing and exporting more than they actually

As a result, Peter toured Europe seeking to use Western ideas in order to help Westernize Russia. Peter was able to work with Germans who lived in Russia and studied the German army. In addition, Peter also studied Europe’s philosophy and science. He was so involved in refining Russia’s structure, that he visited various European countries under an alias in order to be one with the crowd and study European customs and methods. Peter’s goal was “to make his country a great power commensurate with its size and potential so that it might forever be safe from foreign invasion or domination.”

The reforms and westernization of Peter the Great made Russia a more modern and stronger power in Europe under his rule and until his death in 1725. Peter was a powerful and forceful leader with a vision. He wanted to westernize Russia and bring the state to a more modern era in order to compete with Europe for goods and services.