The Rise of RussiaBy: Lachlan Moore, Eva Holland, Austin Rieth, and Joe Daus

Russia’s first Westernization:Peter I Peter I ruled from 1689 to 1725 He built up tsarist control, and expanded Russia’s territory He had an interest in changing Russia’s economy and

culture like the west Peter traveled incognito through western lands looking for

allies against the Turks

Peter I cont. Brought many western artisans to Russia Peter was an aristocrat Didn’t institute a parliament Used Nobel titles for bureaucrats, and even elected no

aristocrats This freed Russia from the aristocrats He created a military force specifically for putting down local

militias

Catherine the Great German born Russian tsarina in the 18th century, ruled after

the assassination of her husband, gave appearance of enlightened rule, accepted western cultural influence, maintained nobility as service aristocracy by granting them new power over peasantry.

Her marriage was arranged to Peter III She hated her son and husband Her husband was mentally unstable and gave frequent

threats of divorce

Catherine the Great cont. She used the Pugachev Rebellion to extend government

control over religion She supported enlightenment by: Imported French philosophersCreated new law codesReduced traditional brutal punishmentEncouraged education and the arts Held campaigns against the Ottomans Claimed territory in Alaska Claimed part of Poland

Accomplishments of Catherine the Great Made Russia an economic powerhouse Constructed a strong central state Created one of the largest empires in the world Improvements in the arts

Russia and the Mongols The emergence of Russia as an Eastern superpower

depended upon gaining freedom from the Mongols Ivan the 3rd (Russian emperor who gained power in 1462)

freed Russia from Mongol rule and was then given the title Ivan the Great

After Russia was freed from Mongol rule, Ivan the Great took even more Mongol territory in the Ural mountians

Patterns of Expansion Russian expansion matched that of Macedonia and Rome

because of the steady gain of power Ivan the 4th,also known as Ivan the Terrible, continued the

Russian policy of land expansion Cossacks (peasants recruited to migrate to seized lands)

expanded and settled future Russian lands

Western Contact & Romanov Policy The Time of Troubles was when there was no Russian heir to

the throne in the 17th century The Romanov family took over and lasted until the great

Russian revolution of 1917 The Romanovs tightened Russian serfdom and created new

laws to bind peasants to their land

Serfdom: The Life of East Europe’s Masses After the expulsion of the Tartars, increasing numbers of

Russian peasants fell into debt and became serfs The Russian government encouraged serfdom and in 1649

fixed hereditary status of serfs Life for serfs deteriorated, they became more like slaves By 1800 half of the Russian peasants were serfs

Estate Agriculture, Trade, and Dependence Nobility used estate agriculture system, this stifled social

mobility and urbanization, prevented possible merchant class Began to rely on Western manufactured goods Economic system supported Russia’s doubling population Although agricultural methods were traditional

Social Unrest More peasant rebellions against landlords taking land Pugachev Rebellion in 1770s was led by Pugachev who was

a cossack cheiftain He claimed to be tsar, and promised end of serfdom and

taxation; he was publically executed

Russia and Eastern Europe The Balkan picked up Enlightenment ideas through trade

with Greece Czech, Slovak, and Hungary had Western influences Russian territory pushed into Polish areas Although Poland and Lithuania combined to be the second

largest state in Europe, economic setbacks led to weakness The eclipse of Poland highlighted Russian emergence on the

European as well as Eurasian stage