Historic World Leaders: Peter The Great

Peter the Great took trips to west towards Europe in hope to gain knowledge and better Russia when he came back. Peter travelled to European countries such as England, Holland, and Germany in which he was able to receive a degree from university and expand his knowledge of the world. Peter the great stayed in Holland for four months while developing his skills in ship building and carpentry. Shortly after, Peter the Great went to England, where he took full advantage of his opportunity. He went on to receive a doctorate from the University of Oxford. Peter the Great explored all over England in an attempt to gain the most knowledge and culture possible so he could incorporate that in his everyday life.

When Peter the Great returned to Russia he brought back many, technical experts, artisans, and craftsmen, and in return sent Russian nobles to study in Europe. So to speak, Peter took a large step in advancing the country from an economic standpoint. Peter also changed the customs of the city, “Bullying his nobles into shaving their beards and adopting Western dress”. Peter was rather against the idea of seclusion and, he forced nobles into allowing women to be more free willed and have a voice. As well as himself, Peter sent others, “talented sons of the Russian nobility” to Europe in hope of them retaining similar knowledge that they could implement when they came back to Russia. This was a big step for Russia, as they have never exchanged cultures like this before.

On May 27, 1703, St. Petersburg was founded Peter the Great, which would form the capital and structure of Russia for the next 200 years. St. Petersburg holds some of the greatest architecture to date, the city is such a treasure, “Not a single tall new building is permitted within a specified radius of the centre”. One of many of Peters ventures in Europe included working as a laborers apprentice in Amsterdam. He was brilliant enough to realize simple, yet unknown aspects of everyday things. For example, St. Petersburg had to be built on the same exact type of marshy and delta land as Amsterdam. In order to develop St. Petersburg to perfection, he sent Russian architects to learn the Dutch building methods. At this time, one of Peter’s greatest accomplishments was the thing that was most important to him: his palace. After returning from his trip to Paris in 1717, “Peter brought back a whole caravan of French craftsmen”. Peters brilliance and westernization in St. Petersburg provided as a stepping stone for Russian art for centuries.

When adding enhancements to St. Petersburg. Peter realized that it could serve as a naval base. When he traveled to foreign place’s he often took a liking towards other countries navies and decided that it was a good idea to create one of his own. At its height, “Peter's Baltic Fleet consisted of 800 ships served by 20,000 men”. St. Petersburg served as a port for trading as its geographic location was prime in the economic game. St. Petersburg was located on the most western part of Russia, while one side of it faces inland and the other is bordered by the water. For Peter, increasing Russia's network and trading empire was crucial to improving Russia as a whole. Peter was big on the idea of mercantilism, “He worked hard to get Russia into a position where she exported more than she took in”. Peter’s new reforms continued to improve and drive the growth of the super power Russia has become today.

As well as founding a new city Peter the Great’s contributions lead to him rebuilding the base of Russian society. Peter introduced the table ranks, a way of structuring the social status among the citizens. Among this table there were several different classes ranging from the nobles to the serfs and slaves. This method of society strived for a short period, while soon after a gap started to form. The Nobles started to become richer and richer as the bottom classes became poorer and in a sense dehumanized. “The status of the common people soon became no better than that of the contemporary African slaves in the colonial American south”. While Peter saw this as a win for Russia’s economic growth, the country began to lose its hard-working middle class.

In order to maximize power, Peter changed the tradition of the past leaders, marrying other leaders from different world powers. It was tradition that Russians would marry Russians and stick to their own nationality, “In the past, Russian rulers had married only Russians”. Peter thought differently and realized the benefits of monarchs combining with other monarchs to create super powers. Peter’s use of persuasion resulted in him earning respect from other European leaders. While Peter attempted many times in marrying his daughter into one of the Royal European kingdoms, he was not able to achieve that. Peter tried in joining power with other countries, eventually marrying off a decent part of his family, his niece, her sister, his daughter, and his infant grandson. While Peter did not achieve his main goal of marrying off his daughter, he was the first Russian leader to change the tradition that was set in place before.

Peter the Great's military conquests led to the expansion of Russia and is why Russia’s land mass is greater than any other country’s today. Peter’s most notorious and what felt like an ever-lasting war, was the Great Northern War which was on going for 21 years. The Great Northern War, resulted in Sweden and the Russian led coalition fighting over the Baltic Sea and the territory it held. Peter was focused on conquering the Baltic Sea as it bordered his city, and did not want to have it effect traders coming in and out of Russia. Charles XII and Sweden controlled the Baltic Sea at the time Peter felt it was right that he conquer it. Russia began to expand westward in hopes of conquering new territories. After first conquering Ukraine, his army then continued on to the Pacific and eventually reaching the borders of China. After finding minimal amounts of loot in those regions, Peter wanted to head southward towards the black sea. In order to get to the Black Sea he would have to go through Iran, Peter was not successful in achieving this. While not all successful, Peter’s military conquests are still in effect today as he did the most possible in attempt to expand territory for Russia.    

In conclusion, Peter the Great’s influence on Russia allowed it to be the country it is today and the global superpower it has become. Russia’s rich culture and history can be tributed to Peter the Great and his achievements. Peter established strict reforms that would aid the advancement and modernization of Russia. Peter the Great was one of the world's most accomplished leaders: he founded a new city, St. Petersburg, restructured the base of Russian society, explored westward gaining new ideas and concepts, and expanded Russia’s territory, making it the largest country to date.