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The Revolution of Peter the Great
Many books chronicle the remarkable life of Russian tsar Peter the Great, but none analyze how his famous reforms actually took root and spread in Russia. In The Revolution of Peter the Great, James Cracraft offers a brilliant new interpretation of this pivotal era.
Linking together and transcending Peter's many reforms of state and society, Cracraft argues, was nothing less than a cultural revolution. New ways of dress, elite social behavior, navigation, architecture, and image-making emerged along with expansive vocabularies for labeling new objects and activities. Russians learned how to build and sail warships; train, supply, and command a modern army; operate a new-style bureaucracy; conduct diplomacy on a par with the other European states; apply modern science; and conceptualize the new governing system. Throughout, Peter remains the central figure, and Cracraft discusses the shaping events of the tsar's youth, his inner circle, the resistance his reforms engendered, and the founding of the city that would embody his vision--St. Petersburg, which celebrated its tercentenary in 2003.
By century's end, Russia was poised to play a critical role in the Napoleonic wars and boasted an elite culture about to burst into its golden age. In this eloquent book, Cracraft illuminates an astonishing transformation that had enormous consequences for both Russia and Europe, indeed the world.
Linking together and transcending Peter's many reforms of state and society, Cracraft argues, was nothing less than a cultural revolution. New ways of dress, elite social behavior, navigation, architecture, and image-making emerged along with expansive vocabularies for labeling new objects and activities. Russians learned how to build and sail warships; train, supply, and command a modern army; operate a new-style bureaucracy; conduct diplomacy on a par with the other European states; apply modern science; and conceptualize the new governing system. Throughout, Peter remains the central figure, and Cracraft discusses the shaping events of the tsar's youth, his inner circle, the resistance his reforms engendered, and the founding of the city that would embody his vision--St. Petersburg, which celebrated its tercentenary in 2003.
By century's end, Russia was poised to play a critical role in the Napoleonic wars and boasted an elite culture about to burst into its golden age. In this eloquent book, Cracraft illuminates an astonishing transformation that had enormous consequences for both Russia and Europe, indeed the world.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 29, 2019
What is a revolution?
The quintessential revolution most people have in their heads must be the French revolution 1789 followed by the Russian revolution of 1917, they were popular revolts concerning food turned into political upheaval by a relatively small group of educated revolutionaries. So calling Peter the Great, a more or less born into power absolute monarch’s rule a revolution seems out of place. This is James Cracraft’s attempt at rewriting the classic enlightened ruler historiography by shifting the old focus on the monarch and his personality towards the rule and impact it has had. I have to say that I think it works and believe it should be emulated. Lovers of the classic big person historiography will still find plenty of big person history to please them so no worries!
In most cases I find it easy not to go into great man history, but there are some exceptions and Peter the Great is one of them. As a child my father loved to talk about him, how he personally went to the Netherlands and England to seek out the tradesmen, scientists, artists, sailors and military experts to aid him in reforming his state, developing an interest and expertise in medicine and naval science that would make him long for a different life as an admiral in the British navy. I am sure the fact that my father and his model ruler share their first names had something to do with it, but it was not hard to understand why my father was so mesmerized by the man. His reforms and policies went from the military, administration, scientific research, education, coinage, the orthodox church navy, medicine, architecture, cityplanning, mapping, printing, linguistics, theater, portrait painting, proto-industry, diplomacy, international law up to role of women in his new court. The man was all over the place to such an extent that for many of the listed subjects; he was and remains the first and only in Russian history. But he did not it on a whim. His original plan had been to found a navy to defend Russia, but this required so many other things that in the end he was deep into reforming cyrillic writing to more easily translate from Dutch and German the manuals and books on managing said navy and so on.
He touched so many things that it could be easier to discuss what he did not reform and Cracraft does so. For all his reforming frenzy, Peter the great did not touch the life of serfs. He did not abolish the power the boyar rural elites had over 90% of the Russian population nor did he revision what the future of non Russians would be in his new state. Peter the great’s revolution did off course have an impact on most Russians, among others military service and universal centralized taxation became a thing in Russia, but with the exception of his new capital and some ideas on model villages and towns, was Peter’s Russia one where he dealt with the elites of his society even if the door was left ajar based on merit for the few lucky individuals. In this sense was Peter the Great’s revolution limited.
Reading this book I could not help but be reminded of other such enlightened rulers, both those successful and those who were not. Founding a new capitals (often) with their names attached to them has been rather popular with these kinds of rulers who aim at doing things quite differently then before. Rulers like pharaoh Achnaton, roman emperor Constantine, tokugawa ieyasu all like Peter the great had sweeping visions of reform often starting from a duo problem. The first a fear that the way of doing things will no longer suffice in the days to come and second little to no patience with those attached to the old way of doing things regardless of how much power they have and traditions they claim to embody. Like with Peter the great, these rulers came into power as the result of an inter elite power struggle and were expected to rule and reward their faction as well placate all those other elites who may have been outmaneuvered but remain powerful. In stead, all of these rulers set out to reshape their states to make them stronger internationally which required a more advanced army, which required lots of funds, to be acquired with more centralized power, which led to reforms in bureaucracy, which created a new political elite who needed to define themselves, which led to new culture consumption that created antagonism with the old elite and this led to the choice for a new capital city that had to reaffirm the stronger international position of the newly reformed state.
James Cracraft the revolution of Peter the great is a more then decent book on a subject and person of which has been written so much by so many and of whom and his policies so much has been preserved. The most obvious the city of Petrograd, while the most charming has to be his sailing boat from his youth. Cared and tended trough the centuries as the grandfather of Russian navy, even Stalin did not dare to destroy it. I think there is little more telling of the long shadow Peter the Great’s impact on Russian statecraft and its various branches then his Botik, that not even those who overthrew the monarchy to which Peter belonged, dared to touch it. A good book that finds a balance between history of the ruler and his actual ruling placing it well into the 18century political context of Europe. A fresh take on the historiography off the enlightened ruler.
The quintessential revolution most people have in their heads must be the French revolution 1789 followed by the Russian revolution of 1917, they were popular revolts concerning food turned into political upheaval by a relatively small group of educated revolutionaries. So calling Peter the Great, a more or less born into power absolute monarch’s rule a revolution seems out of place. This is James Cracraft’s attempt at rewriting the classic enlightened ruler historiography by shifting the old focus on the monarch and his personality towards the rule and impact it has had. I have to say that I think it works and believe it should be emulated. Lovers of the classic big person historiography will still find plenty of big person history to please them so no worries!
In most cases I find it easy not to go into great man history, but there are some exceptions and Peter the Great is one of them. As a child my father loved to talk about him, how he personally went to the Netherlands and England to seek out the tradesmen, scientists, artists, sailors and military experts to aid him in reforming his state, developing an interest and expertise in medicine and naval science that would make him long for a different life as an admiral in the British navy. I am sure the fact that my father and his model ruler share their first names had something to do with it, but it was not hard to understand why my father was so mesmerized by the man. His reforms and policies went from the military, administration, scientific research, education, coinage, the orthodox church navy, medicine, architecture, cityplanning, mapping, printing, linguistics, theater, portrait painting, proto-industry, diplomacy, international law up to role of women in his new court. The man was all over the place to such an extent that for many of the listed subjects; he was and remains the first and only in Russian history. But he did not it on a whim. His original plan had been to found a navy to defend Russia, but this required so many other things that in the end he was deep into reforming cyrillic writing to more easily translate from Dutch and German the manuals and books on managing said navy and so on.
He touched so many things that it could be easier to discuss what he did not reform and Cracraft does so. For all his reforming frenzy, Peter the great did not touch the life of serfs. He did not abolish the power the boyar rural elites had over 90% of the Russian population nor did he revision what the future of non Russians would be in his new state. Peter the great’s revolution did off course have an impact on most Russians, among others military service and universal centralized taxation became a thing in Russia, but with the exception of his new capital and some ideas on model villages and towns, was Peter’s Russia one where he dealt with the elites of his society even if the door was left ajar based on merit for the few lucky individuals. In this sense was Peter the Great’s revolution limited.
Reading this book I could not help but be reminded of other such enlightened rulers, both those successful and those who were not. Founding a new capitals (often) with their names attached to them has been rather popular with these kinds of rulers who aim at doing things quite differently then before. Rulers like pharaoh Achnaton, roman emperor Constantine, tokugawa ieyasu all like Peter the great had sweeping visions of reform often starting from a duo problem. The first a fear that the way of doing things will no longer suffice in the days to come and second little to no patience with those attached to the old way of doing things regardless of how much power they have and traditions they claim to embody. Like with Peter the great, these rulers came into power as the result of an inter elite power struggle and were expected to rule and reward their faction as well placate all those other elites who may have been outmaneuvered but remain powerful. In stead, all of these rulers set out to reshape their states to make them stronger internationally which required a more advanced army, which required lots of funds, to be acquired with more centralized power, which led to reforms in bureaucracy, which created a new political elite who needed to define themselves, which led to new culture consumption that created antagonism with the old elite and this led to the choice for a new capital city that had to reaffirm the stronger international position of the newly reformed state.
James Cracraft the revolution of Peter the great is a more then decent book on a subject and person of which has been written so much by so many and of whom and his policies so much has been preserved. The most obvious the city of Petrograd, while the most charming has to be his sailing boat from his youth. Cared and tended trough the centuries as the grandfather of Russian navy, even Stalin did not dare to destroy it. I think there is little more telling of the long shadow Peter the Great’s impact on Russian statecraft and its various branches then his Botik, that not even those who overthrew the monarchy to which Peter belonged, dared to touch it. A good book that finds a balance between history of the ruler and his actual ruling placing it well into the 18century political context of Europe. A fresh take on the historiography off the enlightened ruler.
February 21, 2022
this was fine for what it was and i think the writer did a good job of not making it painful to read
honestly loved the first chapter the most tho (which was a quick biography) - so maybe i shall endeavor to read one of his biographies some day
now to write a summary of it 🤧
honestly loved the first chapter the most tho (which was a quick biography) - so maybe i shall endeavor to read one of his biographies some day
now to write a summary of it 🤧
September 12, 2018
This is not meant to be a complete biography of Peter the Great but a short narrative on how he was able to revolutionize Russia. Cracraft's main hypothesis that it was in the arts and the military that Peter revolutionized Russia.
The main disagreement with Cracraft is how much did Peter really change Russia? It seems to me it was a mile wide and an inch deep. The military advisers were largely imported. The building of the navy was entirely imported. The strengthening of the army was largely imported. And then afterwards there was training of a few score primarily aristocrats who were capable of continuing development.
The same was true in the visual arts and particularly architecture.
Cracraft mentions the aristocracy was required to do state service and there was bureaucratic reform. And the vast majority of the people were serfs. But this shows just how limited Peter's "revolution" was. Revolution from the top has always been Russia's problem continuing to the present day. A stultified 98% of the population dependent on 2% of the population for there to be any change and progress does not lead to success.
The main disagreement with Cracraft is how much did Peter really change Russia? It seems to me it was a mile wide and an inch deep. The military advisers were largely imported. The building of the navy was entirely imported. The strengthening of the army was largely imported. And then afterwards there was training of a few score primarily aristocrats who were capable of continuing development.
The same was true in the visual arts and particularly architecture.
Cracraft mentions the aristocracy was required to do state service and there was bureaucratic reform. And the vast majority of the people were serfs. But this shows just how limited Peter's "revolution" was. Revolution from the top has always been Russia's problem continuing to the present day. A stultified 98% of the population dependent on 2% of the population for there to be any change and progress does not lead to success.
January 22, 2025
read for history 427.
it’s difficult to try and sum up peter the great in roughly 165 pages, however, cracraft does a pretty good job. although it’s not an explicit biography (as cracraft explains, history is more than one person. it’s the context) it does a really good job at capturing the essence and revolutions of peter the great.
it’s an easy and quick book to read. i think a lot of historians either say something and assume you know what it is, or get bogged down in trying to over explain something, but i think cracraft found a good middle ground.
it’s difficult to try and sum up peter the great in roughly 165 pages, however, cracraft does a pretty good job. although it’s not an explicit biography (as cracraft explains, history is more than one person. it’s the context) it does a really good job at capturing the essence and revolutions of peter the great.
it’s an easy and quick book to read. i think a lot of historians either say something and assume you know what it is, or get bogged down in trying to over explain something, but i think cracraft found a good middle ground.
February 20, 2022
Informative on his effects on Russian society and foreign policy.
August 16, 2015
I was enraptured by the initial chapter of this book. Peter the Great is an extremely engaging historical character. The rest of the book, well... it was very "safe." The synopsis could easily be boiled down to - Early Modern Europe had already made X advances since the Medieval Ages and Peter did X,Y,and Z to bring Russia up to speed. Once you've grasped that initial premise, the book becomes pretty fill in the blank, lacking any real interesting or challenging ideas. There are a few exceptions, but in general it made the book a bit dull.
March 24, 2008
I took four or five classes taught by Professor Cracraft in college and he was simply inspiring. This book argues that Peter I's real intention was to bring a cultural revolution to Russia and most every major decision he made was tied to his efforts to "Europeanize" Russia. The chapters are clearly broken down into different aspects of this cultural revolution and this is a history that is extremely readable, as he had his students in mind while writing it.
December 6, 2019
Not a biography of Peter, but a study of the changes he brought to (or forced on) Russia. Cracraft argues that Peter brought about a cultural revolution that forever altered Russia by making it a European country, at least to some degree.
October 14, 2016
Read for Russian History class.
February 24, 2013
Straight-forward, concise, and compelling.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews