1 / 18

Russian Empire in Europe and East Asia

Explore the evolution of the powerful Russian Empire from the fall of the Golden Horde to the reigns of Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great. Witness the expansion, reforms, and challenges faced by the empire during this transformative period in European and East Asian history.

lulad
Download Presentation

Russian Empire in Europe and East Asia

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Russian Empire in Europe and East Asia

  2. The eventual fall of the Golden Horde contributed most to the formation of the Russian political “state” -1480 Moscow doesn’t pay tribute

  3. State of Muscovy • Member of Hanseatic League (Baltic Sea cities) • Hub of lucrative fur trade • Recruited “Cossacks” for a personal army • Promised them land in conquered regions • Ivan III took the title of “czar” ( Russian version of “Caesar”) when he married a Byzantine princess • Ivan became head of state and head of Russian Church Ivan III expropriated the Byzantine symbol of the double headed eagle ( an old Roman icon !) as a symbol of his authority: “The Third Rome”

  4. Like their “steppe” cousins, Russian Cossacks were expert horsemen and fearless warriors

  5. IVAN IV • Married into the prestigious Romanov boyar (nobles) clan • Suspicious of powerful boyars • Expansionist- multi-cultural empire • Started the oprichniki ( secret police) to spy on suspected traitors • Centralization of Gov’t • Known to skin victims alive and cook enemies in giant frying pans in center of Moscow ! ! ! ! • Left no heirTime of Troubles Ivan IV (the Terrible)

  6. The Romanov Dynasty • Assembly of Boyars elected a member of the Romanov family as tsar 1613 • Would rule Russia until the Russian Revolution of 1917 Michael I r.1613-1645

  7. Peter the Great : R.1689 – 1725 • In 1689 Peter set out to make Russia a match for western Europe • Went abroad and sent other Russians to study western science & military & industrial technology • But...did not select a western form of government ! Peter the Great spent much of his youth in the foreign quarter learning from West Europeans

  8. Reforms of Peter the Great • Military Reform • Paid professional army • Created a navy even before he had ports for ships • Secret police • Bureaucratic Reform • Relied on nobles to serve as government officials • Established a Table of Ranks or meritocracy- bring in non-nobles Commanded men to shave beards ( or pay a hefty tax) and wear western clothes

  9. Social Reform • 1st secular system of education • Economic Reform • State sponsorship of new industries • Mining and metallurgical industries

  10. St. Petersburg : His Window on the West

  11. St Petersburg ( the “Venice of the North” was built on the the river Neva to rival the great European cities that Peter saw on his travels . Peter lived in a small cabin for 7 years to personally oversee the building of city.

  12. Catherine the Great 1762- 1796 (Reign) • Married to grandson of Peter the Great • Had her husband deposed with help of nobility • Charter of Nobility • Enhanced their privileges • Extended rights over peasants • Created an effective tsarist bureaucracy- strong central govt/ nobles had local control

  13. Enlightened Despot??? • Instituted policies to improve lives of her subjects and thought of herself as an “enlightened despot” • More humane penalties for criminals • Public education for girls • Promotion of inoculation • She read Montesquieu and Voltaire, and invited philosophs to Russia

  14. Or Cruel Czar ???? • Pugachev’s Rebellion • Rebellion was brutally put down and Pugachev was brought to Moscow in chains and executed • Rebellion caused Catherine to rescind reforms and tighten her grip on Russia EmelianPugachev’s Rebellion 1773-1774

  15. Russian Empire expanded into present day Poland, Crimea and the Balkans

  16. The End of the Experiment • The outbreak of the French Revolution brought a speedy end to any intellectual & cultural experimentation in Russia • Catherine cut ties with western Europe

  17. Russian Empire : Overview • Grew from territorial state to huge Russian Empire in early modern era (1450-1750) • Became a powerful centralized gov’t under tsars • Agriculturedominated Russian economy with reliance of unfree and involuntary labor of serfs • Westernization made Russia a competitive empire but also created internal conflicts • Expansion stimulated cultural and commercial exchange as well as conflict with neighbors

More Related