Russia was by far the largest country on earth when Peter the Great was crowned. The vastness of its dominion extended from the Baltic Sea all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Russia’s rapid expansion began in the 17thcentury with the Russian settlements on the Pacific coast, the reconquests and territories of Ukraine and Kiev, and the pacifications and conquests of Siberian tribes. The majority was still dependent on an agrarian society, with little infrastructure and a short growing season. In Russia, only a small fraction of people lived in cities, while agriculture was inferior to Western Europe due to its inefficient methods and short growing seasons. A class of feudally dependant people, also known as serfs or kholops who had a status similar to slaves in Russia, was a major institution up until 1723. Russia was also largely cut off from sea-borne trade. Internal trade, manufacturing and communications were all heavily dependent upon seasonal changes.
Peter, upon his arrival at power, realized that to modernize feudal Russia’s antiquated economic and social foundations, it was necessary to emulate the Western societies. During Peter’s reign, Russia-Europe relations became closer and more varied. Peter, a young Tsar in 1697, took advantage of the Great Embassy Tour to visit Europe. Peter’s earlier victory in 1696 against the Ottomans, during which he took the Black Sea fortress and the Azov fortress, laid the foundation for this trip. Peter was ready to commit Russia’s support for the Holy League in its fight against the Ottoman Empire. Peter traveled throughout Europe to promote his campaign. Konigsberg was one of them. Even though it was ultimately unsuccessful The Great Embassy had significant consequences in Russian history. Peter was able lay the foundation for future alliances between Denmark, Brandenburg-Prussia, Saxony and other countries, which proved important during Sweden’s Great Northern War from 1700-1721. Peter was able to gain a crucial insight into cultural transfer mechanisms, which would prove vital. Peter’s journey led him to the realization that passively using European technologies and hiring foreigners would not help Russia on a long-term basis. In the eyes, of the Tsar, Russia’s prestige demanded of its subjects that they acquire knowledge and skills from Europeans. This included the aristocratic group, so that they could independently apply these faculties towards the betterment for Russia. Peter, the Russian tsar, enlisted the help of young aristocrats to bring his vision to life. Peter was also eager to implement change in other areas. He converted the administrative colleges into Swedish-style colleges after drastically reducing the number of old central institutions in Moscow. In 1721 the Emperor (Imperator), using ancient Rome as a model, gave himself this title. Peter wanted to change the Russian state as well as society. This included a revolution in culture. Peter moved the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. Peter broke the Muscovite tradition of Orthodox ceremonial court customs. Instead, he reoriented court etiquette by mimicking baroque symbols and forms. Peter ordered that his aristocracy dress according to the styles and fashions of contemporary Europe. Peter the Great became the first person to introduce the archetypal autocratic system in Russia. In many ways, his visits to Europe made him believe that European customs are superior to Russian traditions. In part due to his Western European advisors, he reorganized Russia’s army in a modern Western style and dreamed Russia could become a maritime superpower. His courtiers, officials, and nobles were also forced to wear European clothing. He also made them shave the long beards they had grown for centuries. Peter the Great taxed those who defied him and shaved their beards, imposing a $100 annual tax. Peter the Great was also responsible for important social changes. He wanted to put an end to arranged weddings, which was the norm for the Russian nobility. In 1699, Peter changed the date to celebrate the new year. It was moved from September 1st. Peter changed the way the years are counted. Traditionally they started at the creation of the universe, but now, after his reforms, it is from Christ’s birth. Peter declared that the Julian Calendar was in effect in the year 7207 according to the old Russian Calendar. The Julian Calendar is used throughout Europe and has standardized Russian almanacs with those of other civilized Western countries. Peter’s primary goal was to weaken and reduce the power of the Russian Boyars. These boyars proclaimed Slavic dominance and resisted any European influences and interventions. Although their influence had declined steadily since Ivan The Terrible’s rule, the Boyar Duma was still a powerful political force. Peter viewed boyars in Russia as being regressive and an obstacle to reform and Europeanization. Peter deliberately targeted boyars by imposing taxes and requiring them to perform services in order to destabilize their economic standing and increase their dependence on the centralized rule. Before Peter’s reign, Russia’s administration system was comparatively antiquated in comparison to many Western European countries. The state had been divided into uyezds consisting mainly of cities and areas around them. Peter abolished the old, impractical divisions in 1708 and created eight new governorates. In 1711, a brand new state institution was created: the Governing Senator. The tsar chose all its members out of his closest friends, and the original number was ten. All positions, including their termination, were determined by imperial decrees. In 1713 another decree created the Landrats. It was an eight-to-12 member local government body that governed each governorate. They were appointed by the royal. Peter reorganized Russia’s administration divisions in 1719 after the Collegia government departments were established. The new provinces, which were based on the Swedish system of granting greater autonomy to larger, politically more significant regions, while retaining direct control over smaller, more rural ones, were designed after that system. Peter the Great’s mistrust of the elitist boyars and their anti-reformist ways culminated in 1722 when he created the Table of Ranks, a list of official ranks within the Russian military and government. Peter’s boldest reform was the creation of a complex hierarchy of titles and honorifics. These were all categorized with numbers which denoted the degree of loyalty to or service rendered by the tsar. Previously, the highest positions in the state were held by hereditary families. With the Table of Ranks however, anyone could rise up the bureaucratic ladder with enough hard work, talent and loyalty. Soon, a new class of technocrats took over the civil service and replaced the boyar class. The Table of Ranks remained unchanged until 1917, with only minor modifications. Peter the Great’s reforms were bolder than any other tsars before him. In the old Muscovite Russia state functions were mostly limited to military defense and tax collection. Peter’s legislation, on the other hand, covered all aspects of Russian life, and had a significant impact on the lives of almost every Russian. Peter’s reforms have contributed to Russia’s increased military success and revenue. Peter created an authoritarian state in Russia that was a powerful tool for legitimizing and strengthening the rule of law. Many public institutions in Russia and the Soviet Union trace their roots back to Peter. Peter the Great’s reforms were designed to modernize and improve a Russia that was economically and socially behind. By westernizing Russia, he also created a new and improved relationship between Russia the West. Visitors from Europe today could see these changes in action. Friedrich Christian Weber portrayed the Russian empire, in 1739, as “veranderte Russland”. Count Francesco Algarotti at the time was a Venetian philosophical figure who coined the metaphor of Peter the Great opening Russia’s “window to Europe”. Peter’s visionary Reforms led to the first convergence of perceptions between Russia and Europe. Vasilii N.Tatishchev, the first Russian historian to document and record a comprehensive history on the Russian Empire drew a more accurate map of Russia that divided the empire into two parts, the European and Asian. This was a sign of Russia’s acceptance and arrival in Europe. Peter the Great died in 1616, and his successors were faced with the challenge of disseminating his legacy. The 18th century Russia seems to have been a pioneering imperial laboratory in Europeanization. Peter the First’s reign, which was marked by many victories and a complete overhaul of Russian culture and socioeconomic structure, wasn’t without controversy. Millions of people died as a result of his ambitious and wide-ranging projects. Peter’s ironclad authority over the Russian Government Assembly led to centuries-long subjugation. His desire, to make the Russian identity more European, led to a loss in cultural identity and pride, which is still felt by many Russians to this day. Some historians have traced the fractures in Russia’s nationalism back to Peter the Great. Michael Cherniavsky is one historian who argues that Peter’s reforms created a dual consciousness which caused a schism among the Russian Church. The “Old Believers”, peasants and “Europeanizing” Gentry who were opposed to such changes and still held on to their past, created a rupture between them and the “Europeanizing”, gentry. Peasants began to wear beards, old clothes and perform traditional rituals in response to this. They created their own Russian identities. Being “Russian”, however, was also closely associated with being an Orthodox Christian and living under the tsar. Peter’s state began to separate itself from the ethnoreligious, more traditional sense of community. It became a nonethnic nation-state that was cosmopolitan and European. Russians had to decide between these two interpretations. Peter the Great, in conclusion, was not “great” until he reconciled his vision with his steely resolve and his determination to turn the Russian Empire into modern, civilized societies at any cost, despite any opposition. The legacy of Peter the Great still sparks debate. His vision and accomplishments are relevant today, not only to Russia during his reign, but also the rest of the world.
