In 1689, Tsar Peter I forced his way into power in Russia. Better known as Peter the Great, he overthrew his half-sister's regime and took control of the state. At this time, Russia was dealing with rapid expansion, yet it was still a very backwards country compared to the rest of Europe. Russia was also dealing with economic woes. Peter loathed this backward condition and devised a plan. Within ten years of gaining power, he began to travel through

western Europe in search of skilled workers. On his tour of western Europe, Peter met kings, scientists, craft workers and ship builders. He even worked undercover in a Netherlands shipyard in hopes of learning better methods of crafting vessels. Eighteen months later Peter returned to Russia and began to use this new wealth of knowledge to "westernize" his nation. His idea of

westernization was the modernization of Russia. He wanted to "turn Russia to the west".

Peter the Great adopted many of the ideas used by Ivan the Terrible in the fifteenth century. He ruled as a tyrant and held himself abov

In the implementation of his new ideas, Tsar Peter had twelve hundred of the streltsy, the elite army corps who opposed westernization, executed and hung in public. He left their decomposing bodies on display in front of the Kremlin for months to dissuade challenges to his authority. He even tortured his own son when he voiced opposition to Peter's wave of change. These merciless actions stunned everyone and proved his determination and power.

Louis XIV's Versailles. St. Petersburg was built by serfs and ensured Russia's access to the west.

deal with steep taxes as well. For them, a less than bountiful harvest often meant starvation.

Peter also appointed a personal agent to regulate the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church. This led to the church becoming a virtual extension of the state. In 1709, Peter defeated Swedish forces at the battle of Poltava and gained land on the Gulf of Finland. He then moved the capital of Russia to the newly constructed port city of St. Petersburg. It is here that Peter flaunted his country's rising wealth and created Peterhof, an elaborate palace emulati

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Approximate Word count = 750
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)