Russia Today
Former Soviet Region
Compared in Latitude & Area
with the United States
Russia’s Time Zones
Rich Soil of the Steppes
Chernozen Soil
Themes
in Russian History
 Geographic and cultural isolation.
 Renaissance, Scientific
Revolution, and Enlightenment
don’t really make it to Russia.
 Expansion by conquest.
 Need for warm-water ports.
 The necessity of a strong, central
government.
Early Russia
Early Byzantine Influences:
Orthodox Christianity
Early Byzantine Influences:
Orthodox Christianity
Early Byzantine Influences:
Cyrillic Alphabet
Russian Boyars (Aristocrats)
Ivan the Great (r. 1462-1505)
Ivan III Tearing the Great Khan’s Letter Requesting More
Tribute in 1480
Russia in the Late 1500s
Michael Romanov
(r. 1613-1645)
Romanov Dynasty
(1613-1917)
Romanov
Family Crest
The Pendulum
of Russian History
Pro-West
For Progress & Change
Encourage New Ideas,
Technologies, etc.
Anti-West
Isolationist
Xenophobic
Ultra-Conservative
 A few Tsars
 Most Tsars
 Intellectual elites
 Russian Orthodox
Church
 Merchants/businessmen
 Young members of the
middle class
 Military
 Boyars
 Peasants
REFORM-MINDED
LEADER
DEMAGOGUE
Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725)
Great Things Peter Did:
Built St. Petersburg
 Started in 1703 and it became a symbol of
Peter and a new, more powerful Russia.
 “A great window for Russia to look out at
Europe.” – Peter
Great Things Peter Did:
Modernized Russia
 Peter visited Holland and England and
vowed to transform Russia into a great
power.
 He expanded the army and constructed
a new navy.
 He improved agriculture by introducing the
potato.
 He improved the economy by importing
skilled workers.
 He allowed women to appear in public
without veils and collected a beard tax.
Great Things Peter Did:
Handled the Nobility
(Boyars)
 Boyars = old military nobility who
supported traditional Russian culture.
 Peter compelled them to:
 Shave their beards.
 Buy expensive houses in St.
Petersburg.
 Serve in the army of civil administration.
Great Things Peter Did:
Exploited the Serfs
 Peasants were forced into the army and to
build St. Petersburg.
 In central Europe, serfs were bound to the
land, but Russian serfs could be sold apart
from land.
 Nobles forced serfs to work in mines
and factories.
Great Things Peter Did:
Defeated Sweden
 Post-30 Years’ War, Sweden controlled
entire eastern Baltic shore.
 Peter defeated Charles XII in the Great
Northern War (1700 – 1721).
 He gained control of warm water outlets
on the Baltic shore.
 The defeat contributed to Sweden’s decline
and Russia became the dominant power on
the Baltic.
Russia & Sweden After the
Great Northern War
 Yay:
Evaluating Peter’s
Greatness

Built St. Petersburg.

Modernized Russia.

Won the Great Northern War.

Provided a model of how a leader could change a
nation.

Transformed Russia into a great power that would
play an increasingly important role in European
history.
 Boo:

Policies increased disparities between nobles and
peasants and millions of exploited serfs formed
an estranged class that did not share in Russian
society.

Economy was too reliant on serf labor.