Peter the Great:
- Peter III was Peter the Great's grandson
- Peter was 24 years old when he became the sole ruler of Russia, in 1696
- Peter is referred to as 'the Great' as he was one of Russia's best reformers (reform = make changes to in order to improve things)
- Peter the Great ruled absolutely
- Peter died in 1725
"Peter the Great had the mind of a genius, the body of a giant, and the ferocious temper of a bear. He was so strong that he was known to take a heavy silver plate and roll it up as if it were a piece of paper. If someone annoyed him, he would knock the offender unconscious." - euro webonline
Striving for Westernization:
When Peter the Great first came to power, in 1696, Russia still a land of boyars and serfs (Serfdom in Russia lasted into the mid-1800s, much longer than it did in Western Europe)
(What are Serfs?
Serfs were peasants and were treated as slaves in Russia. Russian landowners wanted serfs to stay on the land and produce large harvests. The landowners treated the serfs like property. When a Russian landowner sold a piece of land, he sold the serfs with it. Landowners could give away serfs as presents or to pay debts. It was also against the law for serfs to run away from their owners. The very word 'serf' comes from the Latin word for 'slave')
From Peter's visit to the West in the 1680s, he became fascinated by the modern tools and machines in the foreigners’ shops, and gained a passion for ships and the sea. Peter was the first Russian ruler to go outside the Russian borders.
The young czar believed that Russia’s future depended on having a warm-water port, only then could Russia compete with the more modern states of western Europe.
Peter was the first czar to travel to the West aiming to gain knowledge of the West, hoping to practise the many things he learnt into Russian life. He wanted to make Russia a great European nation like England, Spain, or France. Peter traveled through Germany, Holland, and England, studying the lastest developments in industry, shipbuilding, and military technology. On his return, he founded the Russian navy and forged a network of military alliances. His ambition was to expand Russian territory westward to the shores of the Baltic Sea.
As part of his attempts to westernize Russia, Peter undertook the following:
- Introduced potatoes, which became a staple of the Russian diet
- Started Russia’s first newspaper and edited its first issue himself
- Raised women’s status by having them attend social gatherings
- Ordered the nobles to give up their traditional clothes for Western fashions
- Advanced education by opening a school of navigation and introducing schools for the arts and sciences
- To modernize his army, Peter hired European officers, who drilled his soldiers in European tactics with European weapons. Being a soldier became a lifetime job. By the time of Peter’s death, the Russian army numbered 200,000 men. To pay for this huge army, Peter imposed heavy taxes
-Peter believed that education was a key to Russia’s progress, so he enhanced the educational system and encouraged subjects and learning
(What are Serfs?
Serfs were peasants and were treated as slaves in Russia. Russian landowners wanted serfs to stay on the land and produce large harvests. The landowners treated the serfs like property. When a Russian landowner sold a piece of land, he sold the serfs with it. Landowners could give away serfs as presents or to pay debts. It was also against the law for serfs to run away from their owners. The very word 'serf' comes from the Latin word for 'slave')
From Peter's visit to the West in the 1680s, he became fascinated by the modern tools and machines in the foreigners’ shops, and gained a passion for ships and the sea. Peter was the first Russian ruler to go outside the Russian borders.
The young czar believed that Russia’s future depended on having a warm-water port, only then could Russia compete with the more modern states of western Europe.
Peter was the first czar to travel to the West aiming to gain knowledge of the West, hoping to practise the many things he learnt into Russian life. He wanted to make Russia a great European nation like England, Spain, or France. Peter traveled through Germany, Holland, and England, studying the lastest developments in industry, shipbuilding, and military technology. On his return, he founded the Russian navy and forged a network of military alliances. His ambition was to expand Russian territory westward to the shores of the Baltic Sea.
As part of his attempts to westernize Russia, Peter undertook the following:
- Introduced potatoes, which became a staple of the Russian diet
- Started Russia’s first newspaper and edited its first issue himself
- Raised women’s status by having them attend social gatherings
- Ordered the nobles to give up their traditional clothes for Western fashions
- Advanced education by opening a school of navigation and introducing schools for the arts and sciences
- To modernize his army, Peter hired European officers, who drilled his soldiers in European tactics with European weapons. Being a soldier became a lifetime job. By the time of Peter’s death, the Russian army numbered 200,000 men. To pay for this huge army, Peter imposed heavy taxes
-Peter believed that education was a key to Russia’s progress, so he enhanced the educational system and encouraged subjects and learning
St. Petersburg:
To promote education and growth, Peter wanted a sea port to create easy access to the West. Therefore, Peter went to war with Sweden to gain a piece of the Baltic coast, Peter gained this area after a 21 year long war. This area was referred to as Russia's "window into the West" and would be named 'St. Petersburg'.
The conditions of this area were not ideal for building structures upon it as it was swampy. However, Peter still believed that the positive aspect of water access out weighed the negative, as St. Petersburg would allow ships to freely sail down the Neva Riverinto, the Baltic Sea and on to the West of Europe. Peter the Great started construction in St. Petersburg in 1703 and for every summer, his army forced thousands of serfs to leave their homes and work on St. Petersburg. An estimated 25,000 to 100,000 people died from the terrible working conditions and widespread diseases.
When St. Petersburg was finished, Peter ordered many Russian nobles to leave the comforts of Moscow and to settle in his new capital.
In time, St. Petersburg became a busy port and is known to be a beautiful location
The conditions of this area were not ideal for building structures upon it as it was swampy. However, Peter still believed that the positive aspect of water access out weighed the negative, as St. Petersburg would allow ships to freely sail down the Neva Riverinto, the Baltic Sea and on to the West of Europe. Peter the Great started construction in St. Petersburg in 1703 and for every summer, his army forced thousands of serfs to leave their homes and work on St. Petersburg. An estimated 25,000 to 100,000 people died from the terrible working conditions and widespread diseases.
When St. Petersburg was finished, Peter ordered many Russian nobles to leave the comforts of Moscow and to settle in his new capital.
In time, St. Petersburg became a busy port and is known to be a beautiful location