Peter The Great Thesis

Critical Analysis Paper

Through the novel Peter The Great, his Life And World, by Robert K Massie, Peter the Great is heralded for his contribution to Russia by modernizing the country in many respects, creating a reflection of how technological and cultural adeptness within a nation is central to being connected with the modern world. Although it is nonfiction, Peter the Great, His Life and World reads like a fiction book, describing the events in Peter's life with great detail and describing him as a human being with a distinct personality as opposed to just being a historical figure void of humanity. Massie’s description of Peter throughout the book describes a self made man, who from birth was naturally strong, curious, intelligent, and

Much of what he did was due to his own self determination to make Russia great regardless of the odds he faced. He challenged the military superpowers of Sweden and the Ottoman empire with a ragtag Russian army in order to create his idea of a new russian state. In this way, Peter the Great is shown as a great man whos pure willpower is enough to shape borders. While it is also stated that Peter was a harsh man in his imprisonment of his own son as well and that he instated large taxes he made in order to complete his state projects, Massie primarily reflects on Peter the Great as a positive figure for Russian history who revolutionized Russia into a european superpower. Throughout the book Massie claims great things about the energy and power of Peter, in the epilogue claiming “one quality which no one disputes is his phenomenal energy…He was a force of nature and perhaps for this reason no final judgement will ever be delivered. How does one judge the endless roll of the ocean or the mighty power of the whirlwind?” (Massie 880.) With his incredible will to shape the world to his plans allowing his great reforms that modernized his country, Peter the Great, had a massive influence on the roll of Russia in the both the 18th century and the years to