Changes

==Peter the Grat and Modernization==

==Peter the Grat and Modernization==

During the reign of [[Peter the Great]] (1689-1725), modernization and European influences spread in Russia. Peter created Western-style military forces, subordinated the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] hierarchy to the tsar, reformed the entire governmental structure, and established the beginnings of a Western-style education system. He moved the capital westward from Moscow to [[St. Petersburg]], his newly-established city on the [[Baltic]]. His introduction of European customs generated nationalistic resentments in society and spawned the philosophical rivalry between "Westernizers" and nationalistic "Slavophiles" that remains a key dynamic of current Russian social and political thought.  

During the reign of [[Peter the Great]] (1689-1725), modernization and European influences spread in Russia. Peter created Western-style military forces, subordinated the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] hierarchy to the tsar, reformed the entire governmental structure, and established the beginnings of a Western-style education system. He moved the capital westward from Moscow to [[St. Petersburg]], his newly established city on the [[Baltic]]. His introduction of European customs generated nationalistic resentments in society and spawned the philosophical rivalry between "Westernizers" and nationalistic "Slavophiles" that remains a key dynamic of current Russian social and political thought.  

[[Catherine the Great]] continued Peter's expansionist policies and established Russia as a European power. During her reign (1762–96), power was centralized in the monarchy, and administrative reforms concentrated great wealth and privilege in the hands of the Russian nobility. Catherine was also known as an enthusiastic patron of art, literature and education and for her correspondence with [[Voltaire]] and other [[Enlightenment]] figures. Catherine also engaged in a territorial resettlement of Jews into what became known as "The Pale of Settlement," where great numbers of Jews were concentrated and later subject to vicious attacks known as pogroms.

[[Catherine the Great]] continued Peter's expansionist policies and established Russia as a European power. During her reign (1762–96), power was centralized in the monarchy, and administrative reforms concentrated great wealth and privilege in the hands of the Russian nobility. Catherine was also known as an enthusiastic patron of art, literature and education and for her correspondence with [[Voltaire]] and other [[Enlightenment]] figures. Catherine also engaged in a territorial resettlement of Jews into what became known as "The Pale of Settlement," where great numbers of Jews were concentrated and later subject to vicious attacks known as pogroms.