Peter the Great

by Matthew Smith Anderson

Peter the Great is one of the dominating personalities of early modern Europe. During his reign (1682/89-1725) Russia emerged from semi-Asiatic isolation on the remote fringes of the western world to become a great political and military power in her own right, and, for the first time, a principal actor on the European stage. The study does full justice to Peter's extraordinary contribution to the development of Russia - his determination to westernize the country; to furnish it with the means of self-defence; to change drastically its religious and educational institutions; to give it a voice in European affairs; and to create a new capital city - Peter's "window on the West" - of unprecedented splendour. The portrait of the Tsar that emerges is impressive but not attractive. Peter's energy and vision were matched by his brutality in public affairs, a lack of human affection in his private relationships, and the coarseness of his personal behaviour. The darker side of both man and mon