16:5 Absolute Monarchy in Russia
Why this is important: Much of Russian history is defined by an internal conflict between those who preferred to
maintain traditional Russian values that were often more closely aligned with the East and those that sought to become
a great power in the tradition of the West. Russia’s absolute monarchs used their emerging power to modernize and
expand the Russian state in ways that were similar to French and German absolutists. They sought to westernize
internally and to expand, particularly in support of gaining a warm water port. This would eventually lead to Russia
becoming one of the five most important powers of the modern era.
Important Terms:
Peter the Great
Westernization
Boyar
Warm-Water Port
Great Northern War
Catherine the Great
How does your book describe Russia in the early 1600’s?
What inspired Peter the Great to explore western technology?
What does westernization mean?
What were Peter’s goals?
How did he control the Boyars? How was this similar to Frederick and Louis XIV?
How did Peter strengthen serfdom? Why did he do it?
How did Peter treat those that resisted westernization?
What did peter do to increase Russian military power?
Why was a warm-water port so important to Peter?
What geographic area did Peter try to expand into? How successful was he? Who did he have to fight?
Who did he fight in the Great Northern War? How did he win and what was the result?
List four accomplishments of Peter’s Reign:
Describe Catherine the Great:
Why did conditions grow worse for serfs under Catherine’s rule?
When and how did she gain a warm-water port?
Describe in detail how and why Poland was partitioned