Peter the Great and the Modernization of Russia

Overview | Before Peter | Czar Peter | Reforms | Warm Water Port

Peter the Great is one of the prime examples of what the force of individual initiative can do in history. He basically dragged, kicking and screaming, an entire society toward modernization. He saw that European technology, and the culture which drove it, were an avenue to power. He did not want his country left behind, much less to be left vulnerable to the expansionist powers in Europe. To this end, he plotted a modernization strategy for Russia which would one day make her the greatest power in Europe.

Russia Before Peter

Before Peter the Great, Russia was an almost solely agricultural society. It was cut off from year round shipping and sea lanes because it did not have a warm water port. (The only real seaport being Archangel in the north in the White Sea.) The Russian Orthodox church was different than the rest of Europe. There was devout fear of change among the people. Xenophobia (fear of anything foreign) and anti-intellectualism was rampant among all classes of society. The government was unstable and much like the conflicts going on within the English Constitution and the French Monarchy there was endemic conflict between the nobles (boyars) and the sovereign, in Russia called the Czar. (In some texts this ruler is called a Tsar. The name is a derivative of "Caesar".)

Peter the Great Comes to Power

Peter came to the throne in 1682 along with his brother Ivan V. He was placed in power by the palace guard called the Streltsi, which played a role not unlike the Praetorian Guard in ancient Rome. His elder sister was made regent. Turmoil reigned as Sophia, Peter, the boyars, and the Streltsi all vied for power. Peter gained dominance in 1689 when his sister was turned out of office. From this time on he worked to limit the power of the boyars, to make the czar secure from the Streltsi, and to advance the military and territory of his country.

In 1697 Czar Peter decided to make a grand tour of Europe in disguise (though thinly veiled). He travelled throughout western Europe, visiting with powerful monarchs, scientists, men of business, engineers, and technicians. He was especially fascinated by shipyards, and factories. He realized that the military might of the west was due to its technological advancement and manufacturing capabilities. When he returned to Russia, he was determined to advance his own country in a similar direction.

Reforms of Peter the Great

Nearly seven feet tall, Peter the Great was an imposing figure. He was also a tough minded individual. He was ruthless in his efforts to change Russia. He began with the boyars. He insisted that they shave and cut short the long sleeves which were the fashion among them. He also worked to make them loyal to the state by publishing a table of ranks that made a noble's rank equal to his status in the government or the army and not on his birth. In this way Peter also forced the nobles to work for the advancement of Russia and not their own private interests.

He then proceeded to deal with the Streltsi. These guard troops had rebelled while he was away on his "grand tour". Peter I swiftly put down their rebellion. He had over 1200 men tortured and executed. Their bodies went on display to discourage future misbehavior. He also dealt with recalcitrant "Old Believers" in the Russian Orthodox church which resisted reforms by restructuring the hierarchy so that he could have a bigger say in the running of the church.

In administration he looked to the Swedish model, creating "colleges" or groups of officials who ran departments. To deal with central administration he created a "senate" which handled the running of the country on a daily basis when he was absent from the capital. He sent promising young men abroad to learn how certain industries worked. He established iron mines and steel mills in the Ural Mountains. Most of the industries he sponsored, especially ship building, were done to enhance the military status of Russia.

Seeking a Warm-Water Port

In order to secure uninterrupted trade with the rest of the world, Russia has long sought warm-water ports. For Peter the Great it was the spur to war with both the Ottoman Empire and Sweden. The wars with the Ottoman Empire were inconclusive. However, the war with Sweden (under Charles XII) after the battle of Poltava resulted in the conquest of Estonia, Livonia, and part of Finland. These territories afforded Peter the opening he needed to found a new city, a warm-water port called St. Petersburg, which he made the capital of Russia.

St. Petersburg was designed to be a very European city. The very name "burg" is German for town, while the Russian name for town is "gorod". The new capital was his window to the west. The language of the nobility and court became French. Houses were built in the European style, with an occasional onion dome just to remind the visitor where he was. New buildings were largely neo-classic, in the Greek and Roman style. Russia would be the arbiter of the fate of Napoleon after Waterloo. She would be a powerful force against Hitler in World War II. And yet for all of Peter's work. the basis of the economy remained agriculture. Huge boyar estates were served by a peasant class that was attached to the soil. The work toward administrative, industrial, and social advancement became a brittle shell. Much of the peasant class would remain recalcitrant, and many of the nobles became mired in an ennui which became known as Oblomovism. Even so, the Russia of today lives with the decisions and deeds of Peter the Great, making that country an integral part of a modern Europe.

Overview | Before Peter | Czar Peter | Reforms | Warm Water Port