Peter The Great
Russian Empire
The Life of Peter the Great
Peter the Great was born may 30, 1672, and died January 28, 1725. He Co-ruled Russia in 1682 with his half brother Ivan when he was ten years old. Even though he was on the throne, he did not take control of the government until 1689.
Peters Goals
Peter the Great's main goals were to Modernize Russia, and expand their border. He approached these things by using force. He used terror to enforce his power, and it worked. These policies made Russia grow exponentially. When he died in 1725 he accomplished these goals to modernize and expand Russia.
Modernization
In 1697 Peter traveled to European cities to learn about the modernization in the west. When he came back he brought back technical experts, teachers, soldiers, and the Idea of westernization. Peter wanted to persuade his people into changing their way of life, but it was harder than he thought. He forced people to change their way of life, anyone who revolted was tortured and killed.
Expanding Russia's Borders
Peter wanted to Expand so he created the largest standing army in Europe, and built a Navy. In 1700 the Great Northern war began as Peter sought out to defeat the Swedish, so he could expand Russia. During the beginning Sweden defeated the Russian army which was 5 times the size of Sweden 8,000 man army. Although in defeat Peter did not give up. He rebuilt his army, and defeated the Swedish in 1709.
Accomplishments of Peter
Peter the great had many accomplishments. He took Control over all Russian institutions along with the Russian Orthodox Church. He defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War, and Expanded the borders of Russia. Also Throughout his reign he developed a 200,000 man Army, which was the largest standing army in Europe.