In the late 1600s, Russia was a vast remote land compared to Western Europe. It was underdeveloped. Its seaports froze in winter. It had little trade and its military was weak.
Then Peter the Great became the Tsar. In just 40 years, he transformed Russia into a powerful, modern state. Peter began this transformation in 1697 by seeing Western technology for himself. Setting out from Moscow, he passed through Riga, a Swedish commercial stronghold on the Baltic Sea. through the German towns of Berlin and Hanover, and on to Amsterdam, the Dutch commercial center.
His next stop was London, England. In all these places, the Russian Tsar studied navigation and shipbuilding, as well as architecture and military science. He learned how Western European countries had used new technology and trade to gain power and wealth.
When he returned home, Peter began a policy of westernization. His goal was to make Russians adopt western ways and ideas. He built new academies for studying science and engineering, and revised the Russian alphabet, making it easier for people to understand and use.
He ordered Russians to wear western-style clothes. He even defied centuries of religious tradition, and ordered men to shave their beards. A symbolic act breaking Russia's ties with the past.
Men who wanted to keep their beards had to pay a beard tax. His next step was to gain warm water ports that would allow Russia greater access to the West. To accomplish this, Peter went to war. Since becoming Tsar, Peter had greatly strengthened Russia's army. He now used this army in a hard-fought war against Sweden, and his troops won what he needed, land along the Baltic Sea.
There, on the swampy delta of the Neva River, Peter set out to build a new capital city that would signify Russia's progress and increasing power. The city of St. Petersburg would also be Peter's window looking on Europe. The land was wet and soggy and difficult to build on. But Peter took charge of the project himself, using techniques he had learned in Western Europe to overcome the obstacles.
All the materials and specialists needed to build the city had to be brought in from outside. The entire building process was extremely difficult, but the Tsar persisted, and soon the city began to take shape, and beautiful buildings, designed by architects Peter had brought from Italy, soon began rising out of the swamp. Once construction was completed, The Tsar rerouted most trade into the new capital.
St. Petersburg became a center of Russian culture, commerce, and government. Today, St. Petersburg proudly stands as a monument to Peter's achievements. Between 1689 and 1725, Peter brought great change to Russia. He expanded Russia's borders. He built a new capital city.
He opened Russia to greater contact and trade with the West. And he made sure that Russia was ready to take its place among the great powers of Europe.