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Peter the Great initiated more positive reforms for Russia than any other tsar.

Tsar was a term used to refer to the Russian emperor in the years before 1917. Peter the

great became leader of the greater Russia, and declared the Empire of Russia, 2nd November,

1721. From this day, the Romanov dynasty ruled Russia until 1917 when the Russian Revolution

ousted them. Direct descendants of Romanov ruled until 1730 after which the Anna, Peter the

Great’s niece, ascended to the Throne. Until 1917, there were a total of 17 Tsars. Each of them

had achievements and downsides to their rule as supreme leaders of Russia. Of all the Russians,

the most effective and powerful was Peter Alexeyvich I, popular;y known as Peter the Great. He

ruled for a total of three and a half years, a period which brought a lot of change to the Russian

governance. He is the most celebrated ruler who descended from the Romanov dynasty. He was

a reformist who put policy and people’s welfare top on his list. The changes Peter the Great

brought to Russia include improvements in legislation, finances, judiciary, churches, cities,

social life and army. The Great Northen War of 1700-1721 provided the fuel to Peter’s reform

engine. Russia had taken sides with Denmark and Saxony against Sweden’s quest to seize the

Baltic coast. During this time, Russia needed a strong army, which was well equipped with

skills, ammunition, money and uniform. At the same time, the country’s industrial revolution
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was just beginning to pick up, and needed bold leaders who could steer growth of the potential of

the country. Peter I is referred to as the Great Leader because he became one of the most

important leaders that put Russia on a global map as an economic and military powerhouse.

There are many achievements that are attributed to this leader (Cracraft).

First, the establishment of the Russian capital city was done under the declaration of

Peter the Great, right after the transformation of Russia into an empire that spun across two

continents: Asia and Europe. This accomplishment is attributed to him out of the efforts he made

to strengthen the country’s army, which was in a largely precarious condition before his tenure.

Before his time, there was no actual military or police base in Russia (Watson). The army

consisted of volunteers from all over Russian villages who had no military experience

whatsoever. In 1699, Peter the great formed an army and invested in it heavily, from training to

uniform and armory, thus transforming the weak military standing of Russia into one of the

strongest armies not only in Europe and Asia, but also on a global scale (Konstam). Formation of

this army came after he had built the first ever Russian navy. The synergy between the army and

the navy fought on behalf of the empire, conquering and extending the boundaries of Russia.

Second, the City of Russia, St Petersburg was established in May 1703 by Peter the great after

capturing Nyenskan, the Swedish fortress. This city was strategically placed since it enabled

Russia domination of the Baltic area. It became Russian capital 1713 until the empire was no

more. Third, Russia owes its strong educational foundation to this great leader

(historyofrussia.org). During his reign, there were many schools and universities that came into

existence. Moreover, Russia’s religious strength built up from his support of churches.
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The overall success of his administration could not come without a strong state. During

his short reign, Russia saw an overhaul of the administration and people’s representation. It

occurred twice. The second overhaul brought the provincial system to the country, which loosely

aped the Swedish system. The maintenance of the country, as it is, was already expensive and

many of the systems would have collapsed due to under-funding. Peter the Great established a

robust taxation system, after the poll tax was introduced. These reforms in the country’s

economic model resulted in a tremendous increment of government revenue by 600%, within 44

years (LeDonne). With large revenue streams, Russia’s position on the global scene moved

higher, based on its strong military, industry, education, economy and potential in its huge

population. These factors continued to propel the country through the centuries to date.

However, despite his strong stature as a great leader, Peter the first’s accomplishments

led to some disadvantages for the Russian people. The increase in taxation meant that people

would have to pay more money for the same standards of living. Even though there was a

transformed economy, life became expensive in Russia. The poor peasants who struggled to

survive made life harder for them. When he died, he left a leadership crisis since there was no

immediate heir to succeed him. This situation created tension in the great country.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it is vivid that Russia was a better country when Peter the

Great died, than when he had ascended to power. Russia has had many leaders before and after,
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but the image of Peter the great towers in achievements. He, therefore, deserve to be referred to

as ‘The Great Emperor’.

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Works Cited

Cracraft, James. The Revolution of Peter the Great. Harvard University Press, 2009.

historyofrussia.org. Peter the Great Accomplishments. 19 April 2011.

http://historyofrussia.org/peter-the-great-accomplishments/. 20 October 2015.

Konstam, Angus. Peter the Great's Army (2): Cavalry. Angus Konstam, 1993.

LeDonne, John P. The Russian Empire and the World, 1700-1917: The Geopolitics of Expansion

and Containment. Oxford University Press, 1997.

Watson, Thomas J. "Peter the Great." The Illustrated Magazine of Art 4.19 (1854): 57-61.