Russia, The, And Territorial Expanse Of Russia

Throughout its long history, Russia has been trapped in a continuous cycle of authoritarian regimes; only interrupted briefly with periods of tumultuous democratic transitions that were plagued by poor bureaucracy and weak institutions. Therefore, time and time again, Russia has turned towards authoritarianism. In the late 1900’s to early 2000’s, Russia again saw the fall of democracy coincide with the rise of a competitive authoritarian regime. This rise of competitive authoritarianism in Russia in the late 1900’s to early 2000’s was largely the result of the resource curse which granted Putin’s Administration false economic performance legitimacy. This in turn reinvigorated past strongman ideals, while at the same time solidified negative

During the late seventeenth century under the leadership of Peter the Great, Russia underwent a period of modernization and westernization due to Peter’s reforms. However, without the reforms he instituted, Russia would have remained the most culturally unevolved country in Europe for quite a long time.

Peter the Great of Russia was a strong and absolute ruler. Czar Peter I used a form of absolute rule called autocratic rule. Meaning that he ruled with unlimited authority over his subjects and land. Many people tile Peter the Great as a modernizer of Russia (Mendrala, 41). Peter the Great is responsible for Russia’s westernization, he enforced Western ideas, technology, and culture. By attempting to cultivate the western European way of life Peter made Russia diplomatic, military, political, commercial, scholastic, literary, and industrial (Source #2). During his reign Peter the Great develops a number of policies, and he dramatically reforms his country. Like any ruler, Peter encounters a few problematic incidents, but is able to overcome

Despite all the work Alexander II did toward reforming Russia, the “Era of Great Reforms” left one crucial aspect unaltered: the power of the emperor. The intentional neglect of this was what kept the reforms from realizing their true potential. This led to dissatisfaction, which encouraged repression, terror, and most importantly: revolution. The first was the Polish Rebellion, caused by the failure of Russian authorities to suppress Polish nationalism. Although the Poles failed, other minorities sprung up for their voice

Peter the Great’s reforms had a profound impact on Russia, it introduced an era of change that he became known for. From Peter’s childhood he became known for his infatuation with ideas about the military and navy, enjoying pastimes like shipbuilding and sailing, as well as mock battles with toy armies. This strong influence left a lasting impression throughout Peter’s life, exemplified through his reforms and relations with Europe. This impacted Russia as Peter’s keen interest in Europe was a key inspiration for his reforms as his desire for knowledge and advancement was reflected in his personality and his rule. Peter’s interest in Europe also impacted Russia as it corresponded with a growing westernisation of typical Russian values and

Peter took Russia into the European world, “westernizing” it, and leading him to create what is known as the “the window to the west” for Russia. He did this by adopting European customs, administrative systems, architecture, and many other ideas from Europe. He mainly focused on the navy and new technology advances Russia could use (Whisenhunt 329). Usually overlooked, Peter the Great was also able to create St. Petersburg, contributing to his positive effect on Russia. St. Petersburg made Russia a major European power politically and socially, through culture and economics.

Peter the Great ruled over Russia from the late 1600’s to the mid 1700’s. He influenced Russia in many ways and shaped It in to a westernized country. Russia became westernized when Peter the Great began to fear the Ottomans, because they were great fighters and they continuously ransacked Russia. Peter decided to travel to Western Europe in disguised in search for allies to help his country. His trips to the west led to extensive changes in Russia; he became intrigued with western Europe and constructed Russia to have similar customs.

Any revolts against the changes that Peter the Great put in motion were “dealt with swiftly and with great cruelty” (Sattler). Peter invaded both the Ottoman Empire and Sweden, this gained Russia access to the sea and its first “ice-free” port (Sattler). These moves put Russia into the game of European politics and war. The Western advisors that Peter brought back with him after his travels through Europe helped him improve

If one would review the past of Europe during the16th and 17th centuries, they would find that it was an age of Prosperity due to the absolute monarchs that ruled during that time. These centuries were filled with great leaders such as Peter the Great and Louis XIV, that demonstrated all the characteristics of an absolute monarch and benefited the greater good in the lands they ruled. Peter the Great was such a great example of this that he changed Russia in a land of insignificance to one of great power. With this he also created the Russian newspaper, great trade, the Table of Ranks, and St. Petersburg which was Russia's warm water port. People such as Peter that were willing to defy the roles of an absolute monarch and bring new concepts

Peter I (the Great) became Tsar of Russia in 1682 and instituted many comprehensive reforms designed to modernize and develop Russia during his reign. In The Revolution of Peter the Great, James Cracraft’s portrays the Tsar as an ambitious and pivotal leader who sought to create a modern and powerful nation that rivalled those in Western European. Peter desired to reform Russian government by establishing new bureaucratic, civil, and educational institutions within the state. Peter also promoted change for Russian traditions, society, and the church. Cracraft argues that although Peter’s reforms had social and economic consequences, it was the cultural revolution that had the greatest impact on Russia. Cracraft describes Peter

Under the rule of Peter the Great, the economic health of Russia skyrocketed. Peter started the Grand Embassy which was a group comprised of about 250 nobles who travelled to Europe to study economics. Peter I and these nobles first studied the methods of other countries in economics to further westernize Russia. Peter the Great made “large capital investments” in order to advance the economy further. Under his rule “foreign-trade turnover was increased sevenfold.” This shows just how influential Peter the Great’s rule was. In industry, Peter advanced Russia heavily. He started many factories which provided many jobs for serfs as wells as providing the necessary armaments for the Russian military. Peter made so many advancements in the factory

In 1679, Peter Alekseyevich, famously known as Peter the Great, visited western Europe in an attempt to establish and strengthen Russia’s position in the modern world, such as ideas that would reform the domestic structure of Russia. Through Europe's customs and industry, Peter the Great sought to westernize Russia. Decrees such as the new calendar and compulsory education for Russian nobility transformed daily lives.

The reign of Peter the Great saw Russia evolving from a medieval state into a modern, western state. Peter’s reforms, domestic policies, and foreign policies allowed for Russia to become a legitimate competitor in the global world and to become a power in Eastern Europe. Peter’s reign had a positive, forward effect on the Russian land.

Peter the Great: His Life and World was written by Robert K. Massie. Massie studied modern European history at Oxford and American history at Yale University and was obviously fascinated with the rulers of Imperial Russia, as shown by his writing of multiple of their biographies. The book covers the rules of multiple tsars and goes into detail about the decisions, arguments, problems, and successes of each individual ruler. Beginning with Alexis and ending with Peter I, Massie documents the reign of each successive tsar. Of course, this encompasses

Russia’s Return as a Superpower. There are concerns that Russia may once again “reassert itself militarily” (Wood 7). After the original fall of communism in 1991, Russia seemed to be on a path to democracy. Currently the notion of a democratic Russia seems to be fading as Russia “has been centralizing more and more power in the Kremlin” (Putin 2). Regional governors, who were once elected by the people, are now being appointed by Moscow.