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: Cyrillic Alphabet

Russian Boyars (Aristocrats)

Ivan the Great (r ) Ivan III Tearing the Great Khan’s Letter Requesting More Tribute in 1480

Russia in the Late 1500s

Michael Romanov (r )

Romanov Dynasty ( ) Romanov Family Crest

The Pendulum of Russian History Pro-West For Progress & Change Encourage New Ideas, Technologies, etc. Anti-West Isolationist Xenophobic Ultra-Conservative  Most Tsars  Russian Orthodox Church  Military  Boyars  Peasants  A few Tsars  Intellectual elites  Merchants/businessmen  Young members of the middle class REFORM-MINDED LEADER DEMAGOGUE

Peter the Great (r )

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

Evaluating Peter’s Greatness  Yay:  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.