The Nature of Peter the Great

The Nature of Peter the Great

Peter the Great ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. Peter carried out a policy of "Westernization" and expansion that transformed Muscovite Russia into a major European power. He also created a series of reforms that have more political freedoms and flexibility in the nobility, or lack there of, of his citizens. But why did he do all these things, more greedy ulterior motive, and were his actions ultimately for the betterment of the people.

Peter was aware of the superiority of Western Europe, and in 1697, at the age of twenty-five, he went abroad for eighteen months to learn and to experience life in the West. He went first to Amsterdam, at the time the wealthiest city in the world - its harbor packed with sailing ships. In Amsterdam he worked in a shipyard. He visited factories and mills, museums and botanical gardens. He walked the streets, seeing well-dressed and friendly people. He visited people in their homes, met with architects, inventors and engineers, and he saw the benefits in printing. It is here that Peter found his inspiration. He learns of things that most Russians were not privilege to. He meets with people of all social status and a separation between church and state.

Peter the Great felt Russia was a "backwards country" that needed to be reformed on a large scale. One of his first priorities was the reorganization of the military. His policies in the military section of his nation would affect the entire social structure of Russia. He created a draft in which peasants were required to serve for twenty-five years. Most peasants would find such a demand worthy of rebellion but Peter the Great gave them an incentive. In 1722 Peter introduced the Table of Ranks, which determined a person's position and status according to service to the tsar rather than by birth or seniority. He was the first person to create a nobility based on merit than on birth. He created a reform that was years ahead of what other nations would do.

War dominated much of Peter's reign. At first Peter attempted to secure the principality's southern borders against the Tatars and the Ottoman Turks. Peter achieved Muscovy's expansion into Europe and its transformation into the Russian Empire through several major initiatives. To provide uniforms and weapons for the military, Peter developed metallurgical and textile industries using serf labor.

Peter's reorganization of the government structure