How was Russia different from Western Europe during the rule of Peter the Great?
Prior to Peter the Great, it was badly outdated. It existed in a 15th century world while everyone else was in the 18th century. Peter saw his duty as tsar to turn Russia around. He emphasized Western culture, Western dress, and he visioned a Russian port in St. Petersburg, near Finland and Sweden in the Baltic (he had to fight Karl XII of Sweden for control of the Baltic). First, he made the boyars cut their beards, get rid of their 15th century clothing, and start wearing three piece suits, breeches, buckled shoes, the works. He then traveled all over Europe to absorb their culture and brought it back to Russia. Peter oversaw the creation of a Russian navy to add to his up-and-coming seaport in the Baltic. He also learned the art of shipbuilding, as well. The list goes on and on of Peter’s accomplishments. Unfortunately, he had his own son executed (hard to explain) and was known to Western Europe as a party animal (he was given places to stay in Europe while traveling and he and his
