Russian Revolution - Land of the Tsars - Peter the Great
The Rise of the Romanovs
Ivan’s son proved to be physically and mentally incapable of ruling. After he died without an heir, Russia experienced a period of turmoil known as the Time of Troubles. Boyars struggled for power, and heirs of czars died under mysterious conditions. Several imposters tried to claim the throne.
Finally in 1613, representatives from many Russian cities met to choose the next czar. Their choice was Michael Romanov, grandnephew of Ivan the Terrible’s wife Anastasia. Thus began the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia for just over 300 years (1613-1917).
Peter the Great Takes the Throne
Over time, the Romanovs restored order to Russia. They strengthened government by passing a law code and putting down a revolt. This paved the way for the absolute rule of Czar Peter I. At first, Peter shared the throne with a feeble-minded half-brother. However in 1696, Peter became sole ruler of Russia. He is known to history as Peter the Great because he was one of Russia’s biggest reformers. He also continued the trend of increasing the czar’s power.
Russia’s Differences from Europe
When Peter I came to power, Russia was still a land of boyars and serfs. Serfdom in Russia lasted much longer than it did in Western Europe. Serfdom continued in Russia into the mid-1800s. When a Russian landowner sold a piece of land, he sold the serfs with it. Landowners could give serfs away as presents or to pay debts. It was also against the law for serfs to run away from their owners. Most boyars knew little of Western Europe. In the Middle Ages, Russia had looked to Constantinople, not to Rome, for leadership. Then Mongol rule had cut Russia off from the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration. Geographic barriers also isolated Russia. Its only seaport, Archangel, was choked with ice much of the year. The few travelers who reached Moscow were usually Dutch or German, and they had to stay in a separate part of the city.
Religious differences widened the gap between Western Europe and Russia. The Russians had adopted the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity. Western Europeans were mostly Catholics or Protestants, and the Russians viewed them as heretics and avoided them.
Peter Visits the West
In the 1680s, people in the German quarter of Moscow were accustomed to seeing the young Peter striding through their neighborhood on his long legs. (Peter was more than six and a half feet tall.) He was fascinated by the modern tools and machines in the foreigners’ shops. Above all, he had a passion for ships and the sea. 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 24 years old when he became sole ruler of Russia. In 1697, just one year later, he embarked on the “Grand Embassy,” a long visit to Western Europe. Peter’s goal was to learn about European customs and industrial techniques. With him were 200 servants and 55 boyars. Never before had a czar traveled among the Western “heretics.” On his journey, Peter insisted on keeping his identity a secret. He went to the Netherlands in the plain clothes of an ordinary worker and labored as a ship’s carpenter for four months. However, a Russian giant in a Dutch seaport attracted attention. Word of his identity soon spread. Yet if a fellow worker addressed him as “Your Majesty” or “Sire,” he would not answer. After all, he was just plain “Carpenter Peter.” Peter also visited France, England, and Austria before returning home.
Peter Rules Absolutely
Inspired by his trip to the West, Peter resolved that Russia would compete with Europe on both military and commercial terms. Peter’s goal of westernization, of using Western Europe as a model for change, was not an end in itself. Peter saw it as a way to make Russia stronger. Peter’s Reforms
Although Peter believed Russia needed to change, he knew that many of his people disagreed. As he said to one official, “For you know yourself that, though a thing be good and necessary, our people will not do it unless forced to.” To force change upon his state, Peter increased his powers as an absolute ruler. Peter brought the Russian Orthodox Church under state control. He abolished the office of the patriarch, head of the church. He set up a group called the Holy Synod to run the church—under his direction. Like Ivan the Terrible, Peter reduced the power of the great landowners. He recruited able men from lower-ranking families. He then promoted them to positions of authority and rewarded them with grants of land. Because these men owed everything to the czar, they were loyal to him alone. 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.
Westernizing Russia
As part of his attempts to westernize Russia, Peter 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, and ordered the nobles to give up their traditional clothes for Western fashions. Peter imposed a tax on beards, so men would not wear them in another attempt to Westernize the population. Peter also believed education was a key to Russia’s progress.
A New Capital
To promote education and growth, Peter wanted a seaport that would make it easier to travel to the West. Therefore, Peter fought Sweden to gain a piece of the Baltic Coast. After 21 long years of war, Russia finally won the “window on the sea” that Peter wanted. In 1703 he began building a new city on Swedish lands occupied by Russian troops. Although the swampy site was unhealthful, it seemed ideal to Peter. Ships could sail down the Neva River into the Baltic Sea and on to Western Europe. Peter called the city. St. Petersburg, after his patron saint. To build a city on a desolate swamp was no easy matter. Every summer, the army forced thousands of luckless serfs to leave home and work at St. Petersburg. An estimated 25,000-100,000 people died from the terrible working conditions and widespread disease. When St. Petersburg was finished, Peter ordered many Russian nobles to leave the comforts of Moscow and settle in his new capital which is similar to Louis XIV actions at the Palace of Versailles by bringing the nobles under scrutiny and close at hand. This was a move for political, economic, and social reasons to preserve their countries and to consolidate their power over them. For better or for worse, Peter the Great had tried to reform the culture and government of Russia. To an amazing extent he had succeeded. By the time of his death in 1725, Russia was a power to be reckoned with in Europe.
