Peter the Great
By Andrew Ruf
Peter the Great's Personality
As a child Peter was very curious and poorly educated. Peter was also just under seven feet tall and very athletic as a child. Growing up to take the crown of Russia, he became very controlling but with that he had many success doing so. Peter controlled the church and nobles forcing many to shave their beards to adapt to western societies.
Peter goes into power in Russia
Peter was only 10 years old when he took power in Russia in 1682. Peter wasn't that educated and curious as he spent hours in the “German Quarter”. When Peter got older and had more experience with the Russian government in 1697 he dressed in a disguise and set out west to discover their ways and learn about their technology to help improve Russia.
Peter's Accomplishments
When it came to accomplishments Peter had many also leading up to Russia catching up in their time compared to its neighbors. One of the most well known and important accomplishments Peter had was in 1697 when he dressed in a disguise and set out west to discover their ways of life and especially technology to help improve Russia for the best. Simplifying the Russian alphabet was also one of Peter's easiest yet made a huge impact on Russia. On the other hand Peter had some negative accomplishments, this included having no mercy for anyone who resisted the new order and when palace elite guards went against him he had over 1,000 rebels tortured and executed. Peter also got involved in a long "Great Northern War" in the last 1700's against the Kingdom of Sweden.
Peter the Great Policies/ Legacy
Peter the Great died in 1725, he left a legacy that made yourself question whether he was actually "Great" or not. He expanded and improved his army, territory, trade, and most importantly ending Russia's period of "isolation". However, Peter used physical force and terror to maintain his absolute rule over Russia, which was why his policies were mainly for the growth of serfdom. Later after Peter the Great's death Russia had to pick a successor to take the crown within the Romanov family which turned out to be "Catherine the Great". This all ultimately impacted Peter the Great's policies and legacy and why he was so important to Russian culture.