Peter the Great
by Robert K. Massie
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert K. MassieEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1986-01-12
ISBN: 0345336194
Number of pages: 960
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of Peter the Great
Book Review: A fascinating story of an autocrat, well researched and well put together
Summary: 5 Stars
This book focuses on the force of a single man, an autocrat of a semi-barbarous nation, who had a single-minded determination to modernize and expand his country. It is a fascinating story that not only delves into the actions and motives of a single autocrat, Peter the Great, but also provides excellent background on the geopolitics of Europe around the turn of the eighteenth century. We get a view of Louis XIV and his extravagant rule as exemplified by the Palace of Versailles; the brilliant military maneuvers of the Duke of Marlborough to hold Louis in check; the courageous stand of William of Orange in cutting the dikes to stop Louis's advance; the single-minded, steely military campaign of King Charles XII of Sweden who was every bit a worthy opponent to Peter. Also shown is the powerful but decaying state of the Ottoman Empire.
The consolidation of the feudal fiefdoms of old Russia had long been accomplished by the time of Peter. The autocracy of the Romanov bloodline had been established in 1613 and was centered in Moscow. Peter's father, the Czar Alexis, had turned away to some extent from the old insular influences of the Russian Orthodox Church, full of superstitions firmly embedded in the Russian psyche as a result of centuries of repetitive rituals, to embrace Western ways. Peter grew up fascinated by ships and shipbuilding. He had opportunities to pursue these interests with help from Europeans that he came to know. Out of these youthful pursuits grew an interest to open Russia, which was virtually landlocked at the time, to access to the sea either by way of the Baltic to the north or the Black Sea to the south.
One of most astounding episodes in Peter's life - and probably the most revealing about the positive aspects of his character - was the Great Embassy trip to Western Europe soon after he assumed sole leadership as Tsar. He showed himself then as a man of great energy and for one born into a privileged and exclusive position to have an extraordinary turn of mind: being quite willing to learn from the ground up, even as a common laborer. This man of unusual height - the author reports six foot seven inches others six foot eight - strove to learn Dutch and then English shipbuilding as a hired hand. He actually tried and insisted upon not being recognized, of not standing on ceremony and privlege, and tried to travel incognito.
Despite his great curiosity, among the subjects he did not pursue on his first European trip were governance and law. Apparently, he felt he had nothing to learn in this regard. He was the Czar and the autocrat, the sovereign who had the last word on governance and all justiciable matters. He wasn't alone in this respect, for practically all of Europe at this time was governed by autocrats. Only in very special cases was there anything like a participatory democracy or the rule of law. Even those who opposed him and tried to rebel against his authority had no alternative to sovereign rule.
The author does a particularly good job in placing Peter within the circumstances of his time, When he was ten, the streltsy, the militia based in Moscow, led a revolt of the old order in which members of his family were slaughtered. This militia came to represent for him the principle resistance to his campaign to modernize his country and open it to European influences. Once Peter got involved in his great projects of the Great Northern War against Sweden and building the city of St Petersburg, there was no letup in his determination to crush any kind of opposition. The streltsy were the first to feel this iron hand. Anyone who was seen to have the slightest suspicious intent was subject to the knout (whip), the wheel, and execution. Accustomed to being actively involved in all his country's affairs, Peter must have known exactly what was going on in very many torture sessions. Even his own son was not immune from this ruthless drive to crush all opposition. This extreme form of organized repression appears to have taken root during his day and certainly bears a resemblance to the Stalinist purges of the twentieth century.
Interestingly, Peter was able to carry on his war campaigns without going into debt abroad or inflating the currency. He triumphed in his longstanding campaign against Sweden (the Great Northern War) by squeezing the resources of his people. He also went to war against the Ottoman Empire in a failed effort to extend his reach to the Black Sea, and he also carried on a campaign in the Caspian Sea area against the Persian Empire. In Peter's day over 95% of the Russian people were serfs, and Peter made sure that they became tethered to the land so that he could account for them. An internal passport system required the landowner's written permission to leave the land. The Church was also brought under state control.The Ecclesiastical Regulation of 1721 brought the Church under the rule of the Tsar in all matters except religious doctrine.
Summary of Peter the Great
"Enthralling...As fascinating as any novel and more so than most!"THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great. He brought Russia from the darkness of its own Middle Ages into the Enlightenment and transformed it into the power that has its legacy in the Russia of our own century.
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