History 240
Peter
the Great, Catherine the Great and the Rise of Russia
Objective
To understand how during the 18th Century Russia
evolved from a minor, peripheral state to the most powerful of the Great Powers
of Europe.
To identify the role in the development of Russian
power played by Tsar Peter the Great and Empress Catherine the Great.
Origins of Russia
Kingdom of Kiev expanded
northward but was cut down by Tartar invasions from Mongolia in 1015.
Mongols conquered Russia
in 13th Century and weakened Kiev, allowing for Russia growth in the
North.
Prince of Moscow first
to overthrow Tartars.
Tartar domination taught
Russians the need for military organization and centralized despotism to
overthrow Tartars and achieve territorial expansion.
Ivan the Great takes
title Tsar in 1472.
Origins of Russia
Tsars power based on
support of great landowners (Boyars) and Orthodox Church.
Moscow on important
trade routes Volga, Don, Dnieper.
Ivan the Terrible
(1533-84) tried to break power of Boyars and westernize Russia:
Created new nobility.
Fought wars of expansion
against Sweden and Poland. Extended Russia into Siberia.
Muscovite Russia largely
cut off from the West. Lacked the refinements of European society.
Peter the Great (1672-1725)
14th son of
Tsar Alexis.
Raised by European
experts.
Life of a rowdy student.
Disputed succession in
1682; Peter took control in 1694.
Large build with
enormous strength and violent temper.
Massive intake of food
and drink fuelled almost demonical energy.
Peters Goals
Strengthen Russia
internally increasing power of Russia government and expanding economy.
Strengthen Russia
externally Expanding territory to the Baltic and the Black Sea; expanding
Russian influence in Europe. Increase in size of army and create a navy.
Transform Russia from an
Asiatic to a European country. Bring Moscow out of backwardness and
boorishness.
Internal Transformations
Enlarged and
professionalized army- merged militia and foreign professionals into a unified
army, trained and dressed the same.
Nobles and serfs
conscripted into service for life. By 1725 had an army of 130,000, largest per
capita.
Increased revenue 300%,
the army took 85% of all government expenditure. Main sources of revenue direct
taxes on houses, and poll tax with nobility and clergy exempt. Census and tax
collection conducted by army.
Strengthen Russia
Church subordinated to
the state. Patriarche formally abolished in 1721 Church property put under control of a government department.
Church theology taught obedience to the state.
New educational program
to train soldiers. Schools of navigation, mathematics, artillery, languages,
medicine and engineering.
Established Academy of
Sciences in 1724, first Russian newspaper in 1703. Russians sent to Europe to
learn technology, economics, and political science.
Building the Russian Economy
Mercantilist principles
to stimulate agriculture and industry.
State ownership of most
enterprises iron foundries, armaments works, and cloth factories source of
raw materials and biggest customer.
State controlled prices.
Private enterprise could
only make profits on surplus that state did not want.
State takes over
successful businesses.
Political and Reform
Divided country into
units for local government.
Established a Senate
supervised by army officers.
Established the Table of
Ranks military and civilian structures of 14 ranks a career open to
talents.
Western dress
compulsory, beards trimmed, European calendar, abolished seclusion of women.
Russia as a European Power
Naval dockyard at Archangel. Campaigns against Turks
begin in 1695 to seek an outlet to the Black Sea. Built a river fleet on the
Don in 1696 and took Azov.
Seeking an anti-Turkish alliance in 1697 led to a tour
of Western Europe incognito. Studied gunnery in Koningsburg, shipping in
Holland and built cannon in England.
Russia and the Baltic Wars
Allies with Poland and
Denmark against Sweden in 1699 to break from European isolation.
To achieve goals of
developing direct contact with western naval powers and fulfill his domestic
reform program, he needed to expel Sweden from part of the Baltic coastline.
Needed to control
Russias economic outlets without reliance on Archangel or Swedish middlemen.
Seizing mouth of Neva River would give him a window on the West and a port
where he could build a real navy.
Russia and the Baltic Wars
Sweden won the early
battles but Peter learned lessons and worked with foreign experts to reform
army and administration on Swedish lines.
1702 Russian forces
reach the Baltic.
1703 Founding of St
Petersburg to replace Moscow as Russias capital. Poor location on swamps. City
built at great effort and cost of thousands of lives killed while building.
With new port on Baltic
he expanded the navy to 48 battleships and 800 galleys, capable of defeating
Sweden and alarming Great Britain.
Russia and the Baltic Wars
Victory over Swedes at Poltava
in 1709 allowed occupation of the Baltic Provinces. Made Europe take notice.
War ended in 1721 with
complete victory for Russia, the new dominant power on the Baltic. Expanded
influence in Poland and Germany. Russia a Great Power independent without
outside support. Geographic position allowed freedom of maneouvre.
1722 invaded Siberia and
extended Russian empire to the Pacific Ocean.
St Petersburg
Succession Crisis
New policy of naming
successors failed because Peter did not name a successor.
Whoever could gain
support of the nobility and the army.
Peters wife, grandson,
niece, daughter.
Peters nieces son,
Peter III succeeded in 1761. He was unpopular and did not like Russia. Hoped
for the throne of Sweden and admired Prussia.
He married German
Princess Sophie Auguste Fredericka, converted to Russian Orthodox and given the
name of Catherine.
Reign of Catherine the Great
Disliked her husband and
took many lovers.
Peter III wanted to have
her put away.
Catherine and lover
Prince Orlov arrange for him to be overthrown and killed.
Catherine proclaimed
Empress in 1762.
Catherine the Great
First to govern like
Peter the Great
Firm personal control on
government;
Charismatic, determined,
and a strong will;
Ambition for herself and
Russia;
Make Russia strong
internally, externally, and more European.
Although German by birth
and speaking French at Court, she did most to expand Russia and Europeanize it.
Catherines Achievements
Reformed the
administration, extending the authority of the Senate to cover the entire
country.
Uniform legal system.
Liberalized the economy,
freeing it from Peters state control: easier for private business.
Emancipated the nobility
from State control, and gave it greater control over serfs, which increased
degradation of peasants.
Brutally suppressed
rebellion of Don River Cossacks.
Catherine and the Enlightenment
Enthusiastic supporter
of the Enlightenment.
Read the works of the
Philosophes.
Corresponded with
Voltaire; had Diderot stay with her in St Petersburg.
She wanted Russia to be
like Enlightened Europe.
Supported the ideas of
Montesquieu and Beccaria:
Purpose of government
not to deprive liberty but to attain the Supreme Good;
Laws should secure the
safety of every individual;
Punishments must be
inflicted only through necessity;
Torture and maiming to
be abolished.
Catherine and the Enlightenment
Westernized the Court and nobility in manners, morals
and culture.
Great expansion in education.
Great increase in European books in Russian
translation.
Catherine and Poland
Poland was of crucial
strategic importance as a buffer state between Russia and Europe: Russian
policy was to turn it into a puppet state.
Catherine interfered in
Polish politics to keep it weak. She arranged for one of her former lovers to
be elected King of Poland in 1763.
When he tried to
exercise too much independence, she invaded and forced him to sign a treaty
giving Russia a pretext to intervene.
Preoccupation with Turks
1788-91 allowed Poland greater freedom from Russian control.
Partitions of Poland
Frederick II of Prussia
proposed first partition with Russia and Austria in 1772.
Catherine was furious at
decline in Russias influence between 1772 and 1792 and agreed with Prussia for
a second partition in 1793.
This provoked a rising
of Polish nationalists in 1794, which led to final partition in 1795.
Russia gained most from
these partitions and her position relative the other Great Powers increased.
Russia better situated
to protect Moscow and St Petersburg and now in the heartland of Europe.
Partitions of Poland
Catherine and Turkey
Expansion to the Black
Sea longstanding policy, but Turkey provoked the first war in 1768.
Treaty of 1774 gave
territory on Black Sea, special navigation rights, and right to protect rights
of Christians.
Peacefully annexed
Crimea in 1783.
Russo-Turkish War
1787-92 capture of Ochakov.
Ultimate goal
Constantinople never realized.
Increased Russia 200,000
sq mi and 7 m people.
Anglo-French and
Austro-Prussian rivalry leaves Russia as dominant power in Europe.
Russian Expansion to the Black Sea
Summary: Achievements of Peter and Catherine
Rise in Russian power
the result of reforms in military and civilian administration and acquisition
of strategically important territory:
St Petersburg provided a
window to Europe and Baltic provinces reinforced Russian power in Baltic.
Conquest of Crimea and
Ochakov important access to Black Sea.
Acquisition of more than
1/3 of Poland made Russian centre of power more secure.
Achievements of Peter and Catherine
Development of a large
and effective army and navy.
Europeanization of
Russian government and culture.
Personalities and
governing style of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great play important roles
in raised the power and status of Russia to a great degree in a short time.
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