Russia in the age of Peter the Great : 1682-1725

Peter the Great, often known as the Tsar Reformer, initiated a bold programme of modernisation and Westernisation that affected the lives of all Russia's subjects. He founded a new capital, St Petersburg, which became a symbol of cultural change, and a navy, which signalled Russia's emergence as a maritime power. At the same time he reinforced the old institutions of serfdom and autocracy. This magisterial book — a history of Peter and the Russia he governed — examines the impact of a man who was both acclaimed as the architect of the New Russia and condemned as a crude despot who sacrificed cherished traditions for the sake of international success. Drawing upon previously unavailable sources, Lindsey Hughes provides an engrossing account of one of the most significant periods in Russian history. She proceeds thematically, discussing Russia's foreign policy, the army and navy, economy, governing institutions, society, arts, education, and religion. She explores the experience of women, and investigates the life of the court (including Peter's 'All-Drunken Assembly'), feasts, entertainments and popular culture. Although not a biography, the book is dominated by Peter himself, a six-foot-seven-inch giant who enjoyed the company of dwarfs and ordinary people, adopted disguises and pseudonyms, married a peasant, and had a passion for cultural reform. Hughes recounts the events that shaped Peter's youth, provides an intimate character sketch, and explores his complex family relations (including the tragic conflict with his eldest son Alexis, whom he condemned to death). Her account closes with a reconsideration of the Petrine legacy from Peter's time to our own, as his name and image become harnessed to sell beer and cigarettes and his new statue in Moscow provokes renewed controversy. Hughes's thorough and scholarly account is certain to become the leading study of one of Russia's most fascinating and significant periods. Peter the Great, the charismatic Russian ruler who introduced a program of westernization at the turn on the 18th century, has long been a focus for historians, biographers, and politicians. Here Hughes (Russian History/University of London) has produced the first truly comprehensive English-language account of Peter's reign and both its immediate and long-term effects. Drawing on newly available archival sources and an exhaustive body of secondary literature, Hughes places Peter the Great's reign within its historical context, both national and international. Then, in a dozen extensively footnoted and delineated chapters, she undertakes a programmatic study of Peter and his reign, covering the Petrine military and governmental institutions, the economy, the arts, education, and religion. Each chapter is a masterful and balanced account that blends the critical and the narrative with a direct and entertaining style. Despite sometimes limited sources, Hughes also examines popular culture, including often neglected subjects such as the role of women, pretense and disguise, and life at the Petrine court (drinking, dwarves, dress, and the like). A final section includes several biographical chapters on Peter and his family that exhibit the author's ongoing attempt to address and correct common misconceptions, which particularly abound in debates about Peter's domineering personality. As throughout her study, Hughes remains fair and judicious, arguing repeatedly that the reality of Peter the Great is far more complex than the 'plain man image' often promoted. Above all, Hughes consistently argues for an interpretation that recognizes the blend of the pragmatic and the inspired that characterized Peter and his actions. A remarkable work of scholarship that will open for English-speakers the full scope of Petrine Russia. (28 illustrations)- All of the important topics about the single individual who did more to affect the course of imperial Russian history than any other are covered here in remarkable detail: Peter the Great's establishment of Russia as a military power with his victory in the Great Northern War; his creation of the Table of Ranks, the basis of Russia's famous bureaucracy; his Westernization campaign. Hughes, a professor of Russian history at the University of London, leaves no stone unturned as she describes how Peter attempted to 'modernize' Russia. But while she notes in her introduction that she had access to previously unopened Russian archives, it's unclear what the details Hughes has gleaned from these archives have added to our overall knowledge about Peter. For the general reader, the best parts of the book come buried in the last section, where Hughes departs from her emphasis on the Petrine age and focuses on the more personal aspects of this 6' 7' man. Peter's fascinating private life most of his 14 children died at a very young age, and he most likely helped his heir die by ordering his torture shows that political scandal and intrigue is nothing new. Scholars and students of Russian history will welcome this encyclopedic work; those looking for a popular introduction would be better off trying Robert Massie's Peter the Great. (Sept.)- RUSSIA IN THE AGE OF PETER THE GREAT Contents Illustrations Preface Note on Transliteration, Abbreviations, Romanov Family Tree Reign of Peter I: Chronology of Events The Petrine Year 1 Beginnings 2 Russia and the World: 1696—1725 3 The Russian Military Machine 4 Government 5 The Economy 6 Peter’s People 7 St Petersburg and the Arts 8 The Petrine Court 9 Education and Learning 10 Religion 11 Peter: Man, Mind and Methods 12 Family Factors 13 Friends and Helpers 14 Responses Notes PREFACE CHAPTER 1: BEGINNINGS CHAPTER 2: RUSSIA AND THE WORLD: 1696-1725 1 2 CHAPTER 4: GOVERNMENT CHAPTER 5: THE ECONOMY CHAPTER 6: PETER’S PEOPLE CHAPTER 7: ST PETERSBURG AND THE ARTS CHAPTER 8: THE PETRINE COURT CHAPTER 9: EDUCATION AND LEARNING CHAPTER 10: RELIGION CHAPTER 11: PETER: MAN, MIND AND METHODS CHAPTER 12: FAMILY FACTORS CHAPTER 13: FRIENDS AND HELPERS CHAPTER 14: RESPONSES Bibliography Index Relying on newly available sources, a professor of Russian history at the University of London recounts the history of the Russia of Peter the Great and reconsiders the tsar's legacy as a modernizer and reformer in an illustrated, thematic account. UP.