Early Modern Russia

From Rags to Russia

            For a country so politically and culturally present, Russia started from very humble beginnings. Many of the princes in Moscow started off as tax collectors for the Mongols, who had taken over and used their Russian subordinates as a source of tribute. However, even in the face of outright imperialism, Russia managed to keep its values intact. Independence from the Tatars was only the first step towards Russia becoming a superpower.

            For starters, the effects of Mongol rule on Russia were clearly visible. Even after Ivan III, also known as “Ivan the Great”, freed Russia from the grasp of the Mongols, many (mostly economic) problems were still present. After Russia declared independence from Mongolian imperial rule, the peasantry fell into a vicious cycle of debt, in which they could not fulfil their payments to their respective landlords and were consequently forced into servitude. This system of servitude, or serfdom, eventually developed into glorified slavery. The reign of Catherine the Great only made the conditions for the Russian peasantry worse. In spite of the ideas of the Enlightenment that Catherine the Great adopted, she still allowed the landlords to enforce extremely severe punishments on the serfs under their control. Later in the development of Russia, this system of serfdom, however harsh on the population of peasants, served as a tool in making Russia more present in terms of the global economy.

            But enough about the terrible conditions that the Russian serfs were forced into- the Russian tsars were one of the biggest highlights of early modern Russian history. Ivan III, as previously mentioned, was not only responsible for the independence of Russia from Mongol rule, but also organized a strong army, which came to be the pride of Russia. Additionally, Ivan the Great and brought back the tradition of centralization with a new desire for imperial rule.

            Secondly, Ivan IV, referred to as “Ivan the Terrible”, benefited Russia in terms of expansion and conquest, though he killed his son and also ended the lives of many boyars whom he suspected of conspiring against his reign. Later Russian tsars also improved the nation; some rulers that exemplified the principles of Russian rule were namely Michael Romanov, Alexis Romanov, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great. The first Romanov tsar, Michael, stabilized the internal structure of Russia, and continued the expansionist legacy that the first Russian tsars had established. Alexis Romanov interfered with the Russian church more, planning to rid the religion of faulty superstitions and other aspects that he believed came as a result of Mongol rule. His actions established a pattern of increased state control over the church, and he went so far as to exile the “Old Believers”, church-goers with traditionalist ideology who rejected Alexis Romanov’s reforms.

Later on, Peter I, known as Peter the Great, opened Russian culture and society to the influence of Westernization. However, like Catherine later did, Peter I was selective in which aspects of Western European culture he chose to adopt. He was primarily interested in Western technology and science, but preferred autocracy and absolutism over the parliamentary structure that some nations in the West had chosen. Catherine the Great also welcomed some aspects of Western culture, and had a significant influence on the lives of both the nobility and high classes of Russia (to which she encouraged education) and the peasantry (whom she affected through the policies she approved of).

Though problematic at times, the tsars of early modern Russia shaped the country to be a large chunk of land filled with the spirit of expansionism, autocracy, and the selective imitation of Western Europe. Collectively, these Russian leaders expanded their territories by some of the most effective means available, like the urging of Cossacks (peasants) into foreign lands to expand the rule of Russia in the world. In terms of autocracy, the early tsars brought many other aspects of Russian culture (such as religion) under the control of the tsars, and more generally, the state. The selective adoption of Western European principles proved to improve the conditions of some demographics (ex. women during Peter I’s rule) and influence Russian policies made regarding serfdom and the legal implications of it. Regardless of the fact that Russia eventually fell as a superpower, the entire development from a country in the metaphorical periphery to the star of the show is truly inspirational.

Written By Volunteer America