2/14/11
How did Peter the Great begin to open Russia to the West?
v Xenophobic
¨ Afraid of foreigners and foreign ideas
¨ Mongols
Ø They conquered Russia from the east and prevented them from going west
Ø Russia eventually pulled away from the Mongols
Ivan III 1462-1505
¶ Prince of Moscow, created a new Russian state, separated Russia from the Mongols and Mongol influence
Ivan IV (the terrible) 1533-1584
¶ First to take the title “Czar” or “Tsar”
¶ Used cruelty
¶ Expanded territory
¶ Crushed nobility (boyars) à Russia became even more of an autocracy (rule by one, very similar to absolute monarchy)
¶ Assembly of landowners- Zemski Sobor- who implemented Ivan’s ideas
¨ Time of Troubles
Ø Trouble = factionalism, anarchy, no clear ruler, everyone was fighting
Ø A time of internal dispute
Ø Ended when the Zemski Sobor chose a new czar, Mikhail Romanov
Even though he was chosen by the Zemski Sobor, Romanov still said he was a divine right monarch
¨ 17th Century Muscovy
Ø Czar is divinely chosen and absolute/ autocratic
Ø Consultative assemblies had no independent power. They only met if the czar needed their advice
Duma- Council of Boyars
Zemski Sobor
Ø Shortage of peasants = no workers
à Serfdom developed in Russia in the 17th century, the same time when serfdom was disappearing in Western Europe
Ø Townspeople
Merchants and Artisans were self contained classes- merchants could not become artisans and vice versa
Ø Mikhail Romanov cautiously initiated contact with the West
Foreigners had to settle in the ghetto, which was the foreign quarters (chas ve shalom the Russians come in contact with the foreigners and get some of their ideas
v Peter
¨ Education
Ø His father hired a priest to be his tutor. The priest was a drunk, and usually he would fall asleep during the lesson. Instead of telling his father, Peter left his schoolroom during the tutor’s nap and went to the foreign quarter. Russians weren’t allowed in there, so when his servants went to get him, they wouldn’t come in and were afraid to get him.
What does Peter find in the foreign quarter that is so interesting that he keeps on returning?
¶ He found real education, not just Church education. He found teachers in there and hired them to teach him math, military science, etc. He learned what he wanted to learn instead of studying bible
Ø Peter’s toys
Peter didn’t have play dates
Peter’s one favorite game was war
¶ He wandered around Moscow, went up to any kid around his age and asked if they wanted to play. If the kid said yes, he would get him uniform and weapons, and they would meet on the field and practiced drills and war stuff
¶ In this way, Peter picked up a lot of friends who played war together for ten years. They became Peter’s Two Regimens- who were trained soldiers that were completely loyal to Peter
Ø Western tour 1697-98
Peter is grown up, and decides to see the West so he could learn about the West and bring it back to Russia
¶ Technology especially
Went to work in a shipyard to learn about ship making hands on
He went on this trip “incognito”
He hired exceptionally talented craftspeople to come back with him to Russia
Brought the first printing press to Russia
No interest in humanities, liberal ideas, or intellectualism
Ø (Peter had a half brother who was mentally ill and a sister Sophie who was the ruler, and Peter and his half brother were under her. Eventually sent sister off to a convent)
Ø Revolt of the streltsy (which was put down by Peter’s loyal soldiers) à rapid return and bloody vengeance
¨ Goal
Ø Make Russia a military power
¨ Reforms
Ø Government
Duma and Zemski Sobor were never called to meet. Instead, Peter created a senate to run the administration while he was on military campaigns
Copied Western ideas like different boards of administration/colleges to run foreign affairs, war, justice, etc.
Atmosphere of fear- government workers were afraid of Peter
Table of Ranks
¶ All members of the landowning classes must serve in the military or civil service
¶ Wanted these nobles to have an education, so he required nobles to get and education, but Peter did not have the facilities for nobles to learn
¶ People could become nobles if they rose high enough in the government
Ø Economy
4/5 of government budget went to the army and navy
Sent students abroad to study engineering- wanted to boost the economy
Mercantilist as a way of getting money
Developed iron mine
Raised taxes
¶ Taxes on peasants were burdensome
Ø Religion
Seeing religion as very important, Peter wanted to control it (although he was a non believer and often mocked the Russian church)
No more Patriarch (head of the Russian Orthodox Church). Instead he created the Holy Synod, which was a group of people that ran the church, dominated by a layman Procurator, whom Peter appoints to enforce his ideas à rejection of Peter’s chuch by the “Old Believers” à Peter persecuted them for not following his ideas
Ø Cultural changes
Wanted people to look like the Westerners
Noblemen had to shorten their coats and cut their beards to be more like the Westerners. At first, noblemen who refused to cut their beards were heavily taxed, and then beaten. Russians believed that they needed beards to get into heaven
Role of women
¶ Required to take off their veils and come to parties and socialize 3 times a week!
¶ Women had the right to choose their spouses
Gambling was in
2/15/11
¨ Great Northern War 1700-1721
Ø Russia did not have any sea route for trade because the shores of Russia froze over in the winter
Goal was to control the Baltic Sea to get an ice free port- “window on the West”
Ø Fought Sweden
Peter figured this would be an easy war because the Swedish king, Charles XII, was young. But really Charles was a military genius, so he crushed Peter and his allies
Peter reorganized, conquered territory, and ultimately defeated Charles
Ø Treaty of Nystadt
Peter’s gains were recognized
Ø St. Petersburg became the new capital
Swamp along the Baltic that was built up into a capital
Nobles were forced to build themselves houses and move to St. Petersburg
¨ Result of Peter
Ø Russia modernized, and became a force in Europe
But this did not last. Once Peter died, the aristocrats tried to pull back form everything Peter did, however many reforms remained (St. Petersburg was still the capital…). Also, the next rulers were not as strong as Peter.
Ø Negative: cruelty and brutality
Cost of peasants lives
Cost of money
Were Catherine II and Alexander I “Enlightened Absolutists”?
v Catherine II The Great
¨ Born Princess Sophie of Anhalt Zerbst (German principality)
Ø Parents wanted to arrange a marriage between her and the Russia heir (Czarevich/prince Peter who would become Peter III). She went to meet him, but she didn’t think much of him. However, she thought fondly about being the ruler of Russia, so she went along and married him at 14.
Ø She is Lutheran, and Russia is Russian Orthodox. She was rebaptised into the Russian Church and took the name Catherine
Ø Her mother came to Russia and tried to help her, but Catherine insisted on doing things on her own. She learned the language very quickly, mastered Russian, and impressed everyone
Ø Problem: She didn’t get along well with the queen Elizabeth Petrovna (Peter’s aunt and adoptive mother)
Ø Elizabeth died, and at the funeral Catherine was sobbing (phony), while Peter was clapping and cheering that she was dead à Peter became the czar, and Catherine became czarina.
¨ Peter III and Catherine II
Ø Peter didn’t make a good impression
Ø Peter was not popular/friendly with his soldiers and guards
7 Years’ War
¶ During this war, Peter abruptly switched sides from Austria to Prussia, and gave up his winnings
¶ The military was upset that he threw away all their hard work and sacrifice
¶ Peter made his soldiers and guards dress and act just like the Prussians
¶ Meanwhile, Catherine was going around the guards, talking to them and making friends with them
6 months later, Peter was arrested by his guards and announced Catherine as the new ruler. A few days later the news came to Catherine the Peter died of a “heart attack”, other story- he had a pillow fight with his guards and Peter was “accidentally” smothered.
Ø Catherine was smart and ambitious
Well educated
¶ She educated herself- read the philosophes and wanted to be considered enlightened
¶ Corresponded with both Voltaire and Diderot
Reform
¶ Elected assembly to create a new law code
Ø Instruction
§ Formal memo that Catherine wrote telling the assembly her ideas for the law code to guide them
§ Seems very liberal
· Questions serfdom and capital punishment
· Discusses equality of citizens- subject to the same laws, no torture, people should be judged by their peers
¶ The new law code was never written – 1½ year talk without real change
Ø Deal instead
§ Catherine put the nobles in charge of serfs and local government, and she could do whatever she wants in foreign affairs (similar to Frederick William the Great Elector in Prussia)
§ Strengthened palace guard and nobility
§ Divided Russia into 50 provinces, with leaders chosen by nobles
§ Gentry were organized into corporate groups and got privileges
§ Charter if Nobility
· Gentry had a right to trial by their peers
· Exempt from taxes
· No corporal punishment
§ Conditions for serfs got worse
· Could no longer appeal to the state
Ø Pugachov Rebellion
Cossacks and serfs rose up and killed nobles
Rebellion was squashed by the government
Pugachov was tortured and executed
à Harsher treatment for serfs
No rural reform, and serfdom was expanded to more areas
Peasants on crown land became serfs
¨ Foreign Affairs
Ø Expansion
Southward against the Turks and Westward against the Poles
Ø War with Turks à Treaty of Kuchuk-Kaainarji
Catherine got the right to “protect” Christians in the Ottoman Empire (really right for them to meddle in Turkish affairs)
Sailing rights in Turkish waters
Ø Poland
Had an extremely weak central government. They had an elective monarchy. The nobles who chose the monarch did not want to be told what to do, so they chose the weakest person to rule who could not tell them to do anything. They also had Liberum veto, so for anything to happen it had to be a unanimous vote- if a country wanted to have a war with Poland, all you had to do was bribe one voter to vote for you and not Poland. Poland also had a very small army
Prussia, Russia, and Austria decided to partition Poland. They continued to take land until Poland ceased to exist
¨ Catherine died, her son ruled, he died, and then his son, Alexander I came to power (who was important)
¨ We end here with Russia in 1801
