Peter brought a strong philosophy that it was a burden to rule, so he ruled with a burden to be the first servant of Russia, building her up. As Peter ascended to power, his first order of business was to go on a Grand Embassy of Europe. Throughout his experience, Peter never seemed particularly impressed with Europe’s governmental structures, but was quite impressed with western culture and technology. Upon returning to Russia, Peter, believing that what’s good for Russia is what Russia will do, began a series of reforms that are known as the Petrine Reforms. These Petrine Reforms are the beginning of this western movement throughout all of Russia.
The people adored him at first, His April Theses kept his Marxist beliefs in check, and he used it in order to rule Russia in a communist manner. The people liked his speeches, he was well spoken and an inspirational speaker especially in his speech of “Peace, Land and Bread” in which he spoke of making Russia for the people. Lenin was precise, and careful with his methods and rules. He never left any chance of fault. By creating the Cheka, his secret police, he kept political parties at bay and kept order through fear.
There is debate on whether the development of the Russian government was influenced mainly by war, or other factors in the ideology and personal beliefs of the ruler, or Opposition to the ruler. The development of Russian government can be defined as a change in type or style of the leadership and the extent of consultation or representation that the Russian people have within their government. War is ultimately the driving force behind nearly every reform and change in government in Russia, nearly every governmental change can be traced back to a need to improve the military capability of Russia. During the period from 1855 to 1924 there was a variety of Opposition groups to the Tsarist and Communist governments, however due to the fact that the majority of which were unsuccessful in inducing change, their influence on the development of the Russian government was not as much as that of war. Opposition did influence governmental change under every ruler apart from Alexander III who kept the opposition “underground”.
However, after 1924, the USSR was a clear dictatorship, which meant that the culture was controlled by the élite and is used to portray the elite positively. There is no denying that culture performed a political role in the USSR in this time period, as culture is heavily effected by politics and vice versa, and so in this essay, I will be evaluating the extent to which Soviet culture performed a political role in the USSR in the years 1924-1953. Art performed a highly political role in the USSR in the years 1924-1953. In the early years of the Bolshevik state, experimental and abstract art was allowed under Lenin. This all changed however with the change in leadership after 1929 and the emergence of Stalin as the ‘vozhd’.
However, throughout his period as leader, Russia saw the dominance of corruption and nepotism. At the beginning of his reign, Brezhnev combined the role of head of state with general secretary, meaning he could assert supreme power and authority. This suggests that his imperial power was of greater concern than maintaining the soviet system. Brezhnev aimed for ‘developed socialism’ as opposed to Khrushchev’s communism in 20 years; again his own personal power appeared to be of great importance as in order to impose these changes and gain utmost support from the politburo, Brezhnev employed his own supporters into leading positions in the government. These appointees greatly opposed significant or radical changes and reforms, giving Brezhnev the support in the side-lining or blocking of many of Kosygin’s attempts at economic reform.
This essay will focus on a number of different examples where repression occurred, whilst also considering phases where restraint over the Russian people was relaxed. There were a number of similarities between the Russian leaders in terms of repression which suggests that it was a consistent theme from the end of the Crimean War all the way through to Nikita Khrushchev’s reign. One of these strands of continuity was the constant use of an authoritarian approach displayed by each leader. The late Tsars of Russia claimed that their power was ordained by God, with their authority determined through the ‘divine right of Kings’. Their argument to autocracy was based on the view that it was a practical necessity due to the Empire being so vast and diverse.
Lenin was a triumphant ruler who was the mastermind behind many good things that came out of Russia. After much turmoil, Lenin restored order to Russia as a whole. He launched the New Economic Policy, which
Political Systems and Citizenship Political systems are instrumental in shaping the development of individual nations. These systems determine the policies that are to be followed by the government and the governed and aim to establish political stability. Their success at this, as well as their other policies, not only affect the strength of a nation, but societal contentment. The values each system embodies both reflect and influence the values of the nation where they exist. In Russia, communism has had a tremendous impact on the history of the country, while constitutional monarchy has been key to shaping the development of Great Britain.
Of the Tsars I believe that Alexander II, called the ‘Tsar Liberator’, caused the biggest change over the period. I believe he was the only Tsar that wanted to reform. I believe Alexander II’s reforms affected the most people living in Russia. In response to the defeat in the Crimean War the Tsar where the majority of Russians saw themselves in higher regard than was translated in the outcome training was modernised and facilities were improved. The effect of this caused military life to have become a lot safer and potentially more profitable when fighting.
Adam Kahele 15 February 2013 Professor Lau Kong Hist 231 Machiavellian Paper Peter the Great Peter the Great's reign over Russia paved the way for Russia's future as a world power. His many reforms and westernization of the country influenced millions and left a lasting legacy. The complexity of Peter is astonishing, his intellectual curiosity, combined with his hasty temper and cruelty caused a tumultuous but successful reign as Tsar. His military intelligence allowed him to conquer and gain dominions for his country. His cruel decisions left an indelible mark on his legacy, but his brilliance as a ruler profoundly effected Russian society.