Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

In 1696, Peter the Great became the sole ruler of Russia, heralding a period of reform that transformed the country into a powerful European state. The search for power at home and abroad drove the agenda of Russia's rulers throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The major reforms enacted by Peter, Catherine the Great (1762-96), and Alexander II (1855-81) saw them search to maintain Russia's status as a great power. Russia's rulers also struggled to maintain their own dominance as autocrats within a rapidly changing society. Consequently, equal attention will be paid to social change across this period, Russia's system of social `estates', and the major changes caused by the emancipation of the serfs in 1861. Finally, Russia's rulers also wanted to transform Russia into a civilized, `western' power through changes in social and cultural behaviour, something that will also be traced in this module. These issues will be explored as far as possible through the use of a wide range of primary materials.

This module allows students to study Russian history during a period when Russia transformed from an isolated, `barbaric' country into one of Europe's most powerful states. It examines the modernizing reforms of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great in the 18th century that transformed the country internally, whilst enabling Russia to extend further into Europe and Asia. Finally, it analyses the pressures that forced further reform under Alexander I and Alexander II in the 19th century, and how failure contributed to the growth of the revolutionary movement that laid the foundation for Russia's modern history.