Download The Russian Empire

The Russian Empire
1500-1750
Kathryn Burke, Alexa
Ballenger, & Emma Badger
Politics
• Peter the Great wanted progress
and a westernized Russia.
• He secured more power for
himself and changed his name
from the traditional “tsar” to
“emperor”.
• Peter the Great installed a
Western-style senate instead
of the customary duma body.
• Developed technical colleges
and academies controlled by
the government.
• Moved the capital of Russia
from Moscow to St. Petersburg
which was the “Window to the
West.”
Economics
• Most Russians lived as
farmers, hunters,
builders, scribes, or
merchants in the 16th
and 17th century.
• In the early 1700s,
Peter the Great built
factories and iron and
copper foundries to
provide munitions and
supplies for the
military.
Serfs: A Source of Labor
• Peter the Great also increased the burden
of taxes and forced most of the labor onto
the serfs.
• Serfs were the majority of the Russian
people, forced by law and custom to work
the land of their overlords.
• Russia depended on serfs for their basic
food necessities and therefore were not
freed in the Westernization process.
Siberian Resources
• Even before Peter, other Russian
leaders realized that the land to the
east was wide open to expansion.
• Furs and timber were the first valued
resources to come out of Siberia.
• After 1700, gold, coal, and iron also
became important supplies from
there.
• Controlling Siberia also gave Russia
power over the fur and shipping
industries.
Religion
• Russian Orthodox Church
• founded by Apostle Andrew and
Vladimir the Great
• Under control of the tsar
• By mid-10th century, there were
small Christian communities
developing, although paganism
was still dominant throughout
Russia.
• Peter the Great brought the
Russian Orthodox church under
strictly under state control after
he came to power
• In 1448, the Russian Church
became independent from the
Patriarchate of Constantinople
Peter the Great: Military Revolution
and Foreign Affairs
•
•
•
All of Peter the Great’s military
endeavors were prompted by the
Baltic Sea, over which Russia
desperately sought for control.
It was all about “control through
trade” If a country controls a
major sea, success will follow
Wanted to gain access to the Baltic Sea
– Why was access to the Baltic Sea so
important?
• Its location! The location of the
Baltic Sea made it perfect for
trade with surrounding
countries. The country with
control over the Baltic Sea was
likely to become a massive
economic super power
…continued
•
He gained nautical skills through his
relentless military trials, including The
Northern War, which lasted longer than
two decades, against Northern Sweden.
The Russians’ ship building skills vastly
increased during this time of military
revolution, with all the sailing and
battling over the Baltic Sea, just another
example of the many ways in which
Peter the Great westernized the military
of Russia.
In order to meet foreign policy
goals, Peter the Great
revolutionized military in
Russia by:
– First off all, Peter the Great built
the new army practically from
scratch, implementing tactics
and aspects of successful
European warfare
– Modeled after armies such as
the British and the French
– Peter the Great had this interest
in re-vamping the army because
of tensions held with Sweden
over control of the Baltic Sea. In
order to be successful, he
needed to make an army that
could conquer
Cultural Changes By Peter the Great
• Traveled in disguise throughout the Netherlands and
England to search for the key that made Western
European Societies wealthy and powerful
• After he returned home to Russia, he abolished the
older Russian fashions which were similar to those of
the Orientals, and ordered French styles to be worn
throughout Russia
• Houses were to be built of stone and brick
• He paid special attention to ships and weaponry while
in Western Europe
• Made no moves to abolish serfdom as Russia was
dependent on the labor
Continued…
• Forced men to shave beards to conform to European
styles (baroque style)
– Some men saved their beards after they were
saved and placed them in small coffins for fear
that they would not be allowed to enter heaven
without them
– Decreed that gentlemen, merchants, and other
subjects, except priests and peasants, should
each pay a tax of one hundred rubles a year if
they wished to keep their beards; the commoners
had to pay one kopek each.
– Peter attempted to bring women out of the normal
seclusion of upper class Russian women, by
requiring they be brought to social gatherings
with their husbands