RUSSIAN EMPIRE
Founded by Peter I in 1721, imperialism replaced the era of tsardom in Russia. During the reign of Peter the Great, the medieval political systems of Russia were transformed into a modern and westernised structure of absolute monarchy, with the purpose of ameliorating Russia after the incident of the "Time of Troubles". This was influenced by the Enlightenment around Western Europe where people had begun to value reason, analysis and individualism, developing a reformed mindset in the society. This is a concept that was greatly supported by Peter I, leading to the transformation of the political and social systems of Russia.
Comprised of three continents, the Russian Empire was expanded through conquest, colonisation and diplomacy. These processes were frequently done by both Catherine the Great and Peter I. The empire stretched out from the north of the Arctic Ocean to the south of the Black Sea and from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean in the West. As one of the largest empires in the world, Imperial Russia was also the third most populated area with 125.6 million residents by 1897. The Russian Empire also ended in 1917 with a land size of approximately 21,799,825 km². After the separation of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the lands that previously belonged to the Russian Empire were divided into numerous countries including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Romania, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Sweden, Turkey and many more.
PETER THE GREAT: Founder of Imperial Russia
As the founder of Imperial Russia, Peter the Great, also known as Peter Alexeyevich, was believed to be ambitious and passionate about ‘modernising’ Russia. Before imperialism took place, Peter the Great had travelled around Europe in 1695 with the purpose of gaining knowledge and inspirations required to transform and improve Russia.
After his return in 1698, Peter the Great began to redevelop Russia, significantly in the area of military. In fact, he created the basic of Russia’s military tradition that is still used in the present time. Through mass conscriptions of peasants and nobles, Peter I was able to gain 300,000 military personnel by 1725, which allowed him to form the Navy. These military forces were essential to Peter’s plans of developing Russia into a major European power as soldiers were required to conquer other countries and colonise them.
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During his reign, Peter the Great had also increased the amount of tax charged as the money was needed for the improvement of the Russian military, and the restructuring of Russia’s political system into a bureaucratic state in St. Petersburg after the victory of the Great Northern War against Sweden. This resulted in the development of the reputation of Russia that secured more power and respect for the empire as it was a long war with numerous oppositions and contributions from other countries.
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