How Russia maintained and centralized power -- Anastasia Zausner
The early-modern period in Russia was when a central government and country borders were being established. During this period the Tsarist regime emerged, but there were only a select few leaders, or Tsars, credited with the advancement and spread of power in Russia. For instance, Ivan IV, who ruled 51 years from 1533 through 1588 and ascended to the throne at the early age of three, singlehandedly created the first Russian parliament, revised the legal code, founded a new wing of the army, and created the council of nobles, or chosen council. Ivan IV, or Ivan the terrible, was a personification of Russia’s ever changing and improving political climate. By the end of his reign, he had begun to transform Moscow into a multi-ethnic community, a great contrast from the former xenophobic nation. Peter the Great was a later czar who ruled between 1682 and 1725, and was known for maintaining Russia’s power via education and military action. Under Peter, the army was improved and an entire fleet was founded, which he then utilized to beat Sweden, a country that Russia had warred with, and lost to, throughout history. He then began building Saint Petersburg, a grand new political center that was a base for the Baltic fleet and a port for foreign trade. Formerly, Moscow had been the only city-center in Russia, and the addition of St. Petersburg made cities, and the government accessible to more, centralizing the country. Peter the Great’s project was so successful that it replaced Moscow as the capital of Russia until 1712. Peter’s next success for Russia was his creation of trade, or technical, schools. In 1701 he founded the Moscow School of Mathematics and Navigation, which not only helped many advance in the field, but also united Russia with other countries, as he was open to hiring many foreign teachers. This was said to be his most major attribution to the country. As the Tsars held so much power over Russia, the state’s growth can be ascribed to the leader’s achievements.