The Development of Яussia

GOAL: To understand the contributions Peter the Great and Catherine the Great made to the

development of Russia

Discuss pre-Peter Russia

• Use ASPRITE- All of them!

What do these depictions of Peter tell you about the way he was viewed and/or wanted to be viewed? Focus on the way he’s dressed.

(Hint: This is a portrait of him on his Grand Embassy)

What do these depictions of Peter tell you about the way he was viewed and/or wanted to be viewed? Focus on what he’s holding and what he has around him.

The primary reason for Peter’s “westernizing” of Russia was: A) his love for European civilizationB) his desire to modernize the Russia econC) his desire to make Russia the social equal of Euro powersD) his desire to strengthen the Russia army & stateE) his desire for a more egalitarian society

The primary reason for Peter’s “westernizing” of Russia was: A) his love for European civilization

Not enough- WHY did he love it???B) his desire to modernize the Russia econ

Close- but to what end? Why did he want a stronger econ?C) his desire to make Russia the social equal of Euro powers

What does that even mean? Also, clearly no, because he increased # of serfs.D) his desire to strengthen the Russia army & state

Yes!E) his desire for a more egalitarian society

Means equal. Clearly no.

What was Peter’s goal???(one word!)

Peter’s Grand Embassy- his tour of Western Europe (know the term)What was the purpose of this journey?Why is it significant that he “disguised himself” as a common sailor to go on

this tour?

One of Peter’s primary goals was to modernize the military. Explain how EACH of these helped in his modernization and centralization plans.

Liquidation of the streltsi-

Use of foreign officers-

Standardize uniforms and modernize equipment-

Forcing nobles to serve in the military-

Draft peasants (for life!-

Where was Peter’s most important territorial gain?

Why did he want this region so badly?

What did he do with it?

What did it become for Russia? (key idea/term)

To accomplish his goals, Peter needed to expand the role of the state; to do that, he needed to increase his revenue flow. Explain how EACH of these helped in his modernization and centralization plans.

Expanded state service-

Got rid of inherited rank-

Increased taxes-

Expanded serfdom-

This is a Russian beard tax token from the reign of Peter the Great, Anyone who wanted to keep a beard had to buy one of these tokens (which bore the legend "the beard is a superfluous burden"). Costs varied by profession -- nobles and officers paid 60 rubles, top merchants paid 100, and so on. Additionally, everyone passing into a city while wearing a beard had to pay a kopek's worth of face-fur-toll.

What DUAL role did the beard tax play in Peter’s Russia?Then do doc activity!

Describe the role of the church in Peter’s plans.You answer should include the following terms/ideas:

Holy Synod

Role of church in a decentralized, feudal state

Comparing Peter’s church to anywhere else in Europe.

Opposition to Peter’s plans with the church

Catherine’s most important territorial conquests came against who?Why was this territory so important?

(Hint- “The this water’s connected to this water. This water is connected to this water…”

Why was Poland partitioned?

How did it happen? What wars did Poland lose that allowed this to happen? (hint: none!) So how did it happen???

What does the Partition of Poland tell you about the importance of centralization? What lesson do you think other countries would learn from Poland’s disappearance from the map?

What does how the partition actually physically happened show about a certain 18th century international political concept? How so???

BONUS QUESTION: Why didn’t Western Euro get involved to stop this? Especially France! France was very big on Poland and had a LOT of connections: cultural, political, and economic, among others. So why did they just stand by and watch it burn?

Peter the Great loved to visit the foreign quarters of Moscow in his youth. He visited with foreigners, from ambassadors to laborers. His Grand Embassy reinforced his attraction to Western European ways.

Catherine the Great was German. She was raised in Germany and spent most of her life their before her marriage.

What does the combination of these two facts tell you? It took the combination of these two to pull Russia out of the Middle Ages and into “great power” status. Why were THEY necessary to make it happen?

Just as importantly, was their the transformation they desired complete? Why or why not?