In my Russian History class, we were discussing the controversy of Peter the Great’s reign and influence on the country and culture of Russia. I found it to be a very interesting discussion, and wanted to explore the concept a little further, but teasing out thoughts in my blog this week.
Peter the Great was clearly a major influence on the city of St. Petersburg. After living in St. Petersburg for 2 months this summer, and visiting Moscow and Novgorod, the difference between the “modern” city of Petersburg, and the older Russian cities was obvious.
St. Petersburg was distinctly European, in architecture and culture, and there are various statues or monuments around the city to honor Peter the Great. Compared to other Russian Cities, it does not have the same “authentic” Russian feel—the buildings are brighter and more colorful, the palaces and buildings resemble European architecture, and overall it feels like a very westernized place.
Certainly, Peter the Great forced many citizens into this westernization. He imposed taxes on men who did not shave their beards and on women whose dresses were too “old fashioned.” He would stop at nothing on his quest to westernize Russia. Of course, these tactics were not exactly ethical for the ruler of a country, and there is a sense that he wanted to stifle the Russian culture.
Overall, I do not believe Peter the Great created an “artificial” European culture. What has evolved in St. Petersburg is unique—not quite Russian but not quite European—it is a culture all of its own. Furthermore, the amount of knowledge, art, and science that Peter the Great brought into Russia during this time was astounding. One visit to the Kunstkamera, a museum housing Peter’s collection of artifacts, shows that he greatly valued bringing education into Russia. Without this “forced” westernization, Russia could not boast the largest art museum in the world (The Hermitage) or even have expanded trading with Europe through the canals of the Neva River. It would be a much more isolated country, at least for long past the 1700’s. Russia is its own distinct country—it is not intricately bound with Europe. While this is good because the “Russian” identity is different from the “European” identity, it could have also created trade issues or isolation issues. Russia may not be one of the larger world superpowers as it is today if it had not started its diplomatic relations so early.
Furthermore, Peter did not change the culture of the entire country, he just founded a city that was unique to the rest of Russia. He did not come into Moscow and tear down historic monuments and force people to completely change. Rather he came to a location that had formerly been largely unpopulated swampland and turn it into a thriving trade post with the rest of the continent. This allowed for Russian influence to become a greater part of European exchange as well.
In conclusion, while Peter the Great did not conduct his overhaul of Europe in the most ethical ways, it would be naive to say that he ruined Russian culture or created a false, artificial culture. He simply added another element, or layer, to Russian history, and created a new city to thrive and build Russia’s wealth.
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