Chapter 18 Outline – The Rise of Russia
IV. The Early Modern Era
C. The West and the World
1. Overview
- Between 1450-1480, Russians drove out the Mongols and began a period of great expansion
 Up until the 1400s, Russia played a small role in the world
 Russia influenced by Byzantine culture and most Russians converted to Eastern Orthodox
 By 1750, Russia became a major power in Asia and eastern Europe
2. Russia’s Expansionist Politics Under the Tsars
- Once Russians drove the Mongols out, they were able to rise in power
 Moscow led the drive to kick out the Mongols (as did many local Russian princes)
 Ivan III (Ivan the Great) (1440-1505) = Freed Russia from Mongol rule and united Russians
using religion (Orthodox) and pride in Russia (nationalism)
a. The Need for Revival
- Russians paid tribute while under Mongol rule, but otherwise left alone, so Russian culture survived
 Mongol rule did hurt Russian economy, and Russia was reduced to a purely agricultural society
- Third Rome = Ivan the Great claimed Russia succeeded Byzantium as the 3rd Rome, and even
married niece of last Byzantine Emperor to gain control of Orthodox Church, and called himself Tsar
- Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) (1530-1584) = made Russia more autocratic (tsar had all the power) by
killing nobles (called boyars) whom he suspected were plotting against him
b. Patterns of Expansion
- From 1450-1750, Russia expanded greatly, mostly in central Asia
 Russia expanded south to the Caspian Sea and east to the Ural Mountains
 Cossacks = Russian peasants/frontiersmen, recruited by Russian tsars to move to new territories
- Tsars used newly acquired territory to reward loyal nobles and bureaucrats with land
 Through expansion east into Asia, Russia developed trade with other Asian societies
- The expansion of Russia, along with expansion of Ottoman Empire (both into Asia) meant the end of
the power of nomadic groups (which had been based in central Asia)
 Expansion into Asia meant different cultures were under Russian rule and Russia became diverse
 A large portion of these new Russians were Muslim (Russians did not force them to convert)
c. Western Contact and Romanov Policy
- As Russia was rising b/t 1450-1750, the tsars increased their interactions with western Europe
 Russia started trading with Britain (Russia gave furs and raw materials for manufactured goods)
 Tsars brought in Italian artists and architects (ex: designed churches and palace in the Kremlin) –
mixed Renaissance-styles w/traditional Russian styles to create onion-shaped domes
- The Time of Troubles = Ivan IV died w/out heir and boyars fought for control
 Romanov Dynasty (1613-1917) = In 1613 boyars chose member of Romanov family to be tsar
 Romanovs restored order and continued expanding Russia (added Ukraine, which include Kiev)
- Alexis Romanov = 2nd Romanov tsar, abolished assembly of nobles and took over Russian church
 Old Believers = religious conservatives who were exiled to Siberia
3. Russia’s First Westernization, 1690-1790
- By late 1600s, Russia became one of biggest empires, yet it was almost a totally agricultural society
 Peter I (Peter the Great) (1689-1725) = Westernized (modernized) Russia’s economy and
culture, without making it fully Western
a. Tsarist Autocracy of Peter the Great
- Peter I was an absolutist who used extreme force to put down revolts, created secret police to prevent
dissent, had specially trained military force like those in the West, and had no interest in parliaments
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Peter I selected many non-aristocrats (elites) to be in the bureaucracy which limited an
aristocratic threat to his power
In foreign policy, Peter I attacked Ottoman Empire (with no major victories) but gained valuable land
when defeating Sweden
 St. Petersburg – name of city on Baltic Sea (land gained from Sweden) which gave Russia a
warm water port and allowed Russia to focus west and become more a part of the Western world
What Westernization Meant (Peter I used Western ideas to reform Russia)
Political reforms of Peter I:
 Established unified code of law throughout Russia, including a tax code (peasants taxed heavily)
 Improved military (established hierarchy of control, improved weapons, created a navy)
 Appointed loyal governors for the different Russian provinces (reduced nobles power)
 Training institutes set up for aspiring bureaucrats (to get non-aristocrats into bureaucracy)
Economic reforms of Peter I:
 Built up mining industry (Russia had a lot of iron and he used it to make munitions and ships)
 Economy didn’t get too urbanized (no big commercial class), but improved, helping pay for army
Cultural reforms
 Peter I focused on reducing power of the Russian elite (potential threats to power) largely by
changing their way of life – had to cut off beards and wear Western-style clothing
 Peter I provided more education, especially math and science
 Russian society became more like western Europe (ex: clothing, ballets like they had in France,
Christmas trees like they used in Germany)
Peter I gave more rights and freedoms to upper class women
 Allowed them to attend public events (which they could in western Europe)
 Got rid of old tradition of groom getting whip from bride’s father on wedding day
The Westernization Peter I was creating was geared toward the upper classes, not ordinary Russians
 The increased manufacturing used coerced labor, not paid laborers like most of western Europe
 No desire to dominate world trade, just improve economy some to pay for stronger military
 Russia’s Westernization was limited and Russia never blended in with western Europe
Many Russians opposed Westernization
 Peasants resented that their landlords were Westernizing and revolted
 Some in the upper classes opposed the changes and felt Russian traditions were being trampled
Consolidation Under Catherine the Great
After Peter died in 1724, Russia had several weak rulers, leading more to oppose to Westernization
Catherine II (Catherine the Great) (1762-1798) = First powerful Russian ruler after Peter,
continued many of Peter the Great’s policies, including strengthening the monarchy
 Pugachev Rebellion (1770s) = Huge peasant rebellion that Catherine stopped (used this
rebellion to further centralize her power)
 Catherine used Enlightenment ideas to advance Russia (ex: imported French Enlightenment
philosophers, patronized the arts and sciences, and reduced traditionally severe punishments)
 Catherine gave nobles extreme power over their serfs in return for loyalty of the nobles
Catherine patronized Western-style art and architecture
 Encouraged nobles to visit western Europe and send their children there for education
Catherine further expanded Russia
 Got more Russians to settle Siberia, claimed Alaska, and continued fight against Ottomans
(which the Russians finally began winning)
Catherine got Russia more involved politically with Europe
 Partition of Poland (late 1700s) = Poland lost its independence, Russia got much of its land
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From 1450 to time Catherine died in 1796, Russia had gone through major development
 Got independence from Mongols, created powerful monarchy, became more Westernized which
grew the economy, and the military was greatly strengthened
 Russia also expanded – became largest empire in the world (based on amount of land controlled)
4. Themes in Early Modern Russian History
- Russian nobles maintained great influence in Russian society, and 2 types of nobles emerged
 Some nobles lived in cities and patronized the arts (they were Westernized)
 Some nobles were smaller landowners who were not very Westernized
a. Serfdom: The Life of East Europe’s Masses
- In 1200s, Russian peasants had higher status than those in western Europe, but during 1600s and
1700s, life for Russian peasants was getting worse and worse, so by 1800, half of Russian peasants
were serfs, and the other half were in debt to the government
 Russian government encouraged serfdom – nobles could help control the peasants which was
tough for Russian government b/c Russia is so large
 Laws passed in 1600s and 1700s increased landlords power over serfs (ex: nobles could tax serfs
and punish serfs harshly for crimes), and most peasants were very poor and illiterate
 Obrok = Labor serfs required to do for their landlords
- Russian serfs treated like slaves (could be bought and sold, and punished by masters)
 Unique b/c most examples of slavery are when people rule outsiders, not their own countrymen
- Most of eastern Europe (like Poland and Hungary) also treated peasants harshly
- During this time, western Europe was advancing past eastern Europe (which was using serf labor) as
eastern Europe would send grain to western Europe in return for manufactured goods
b. Trade and Economic Dependence
- Landlords were at the top of Russian society, and serfs at the bottom, but other groups also existed
 Cities were small (95% of population lived in the countryside)
 Manufacturing took place in countryside, so no artisan class
 Government expanded, so had some bureaucrats
 There were some small merchant groups, but most trade done by Westerners living in Russian
cities (nobles didn’t want competition, so tried to prevent this group from gaining status)
- Russian economy improved (Russia able to export enough to finance the growing government)
 Traded furs and other commodities with central Asia (showing not all trade done with the West)
 Improved economy led to Russian population growth (double in the 1700s to 36 million people)
- Despite some improvements in the economy, there were some problems
 Russia had outdated agricultural techniques – there was no innovation (serfs didn’t create
innovations b/c they would not get profits, so why bother, and landlords focused on making more
money by taxing the serfs rather than by creating new innovations)
 Despite expansion of manufacturing by Peter the Great, Russian manufacturing still behind West,
and Russia remained a mostly agricultural society dependent on trade with the West
c. Social Unrest
- Russia’s economic and social system led to unrest and protest
 Constant peasant (serf) revolts (such as the Pugachev Rebellion) occurred
 This social unrest would lead to major changes in Russia in the near future
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