PEOPLE WE SHOULD KNOW
Peter the Great
Peter was great for a reason. He expanded Russia’s doorstep to the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas and introduced Western technology to his homeland. Peter took control of the monarchy and modernized the government and military. He cared about the sciences and sought to modernize Russia as a world power. While he is often looked upon as bringing Russia into the modern age, he was also described as a tyrant. But some praise him for making hard decisions and putting Russia on the European map, while others blame him for erasing Russia’s culture to fit in with the rest of Europe. Even with his shortcomings, Peter the Great is praised for expanding Russia’s borders and bringing the country into the modern world.
Catherine the Great
Catherine continued the expansion and reforms that her predecessor, Peter the Great, began. Though of German descent, Catherine eventually became the longest ruling empress of Russia after her husband was dethroned. She pushed the nation’s boundaries to include Crimea, Belarus, and Lithuania as well as parts of Poland. With a
country as massive as Russia, Catherine gave the nobility greater control over their land and their serfs (laborers bound and forced to work on a specific piece of land), which led to unrest and rebellion. She was a patron of the arts and valued education and literature because she wanted the world to recognize Russia as a symbol of power. Under her rule, a new era of female writing and art blossomed. She was a role model and an empowering figure to behold.
Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy is known as one of the greatest writers in history. He wrote not to entertain but to educate and to question, and many of his works encompass parts of his own experiences. He specialized in realist fiction, stories depicting life and its boring pieces and what it means when we break those down. Although he experienced success later in life, Tolstoy had a troubled youth. His parents died when he was a young boy, and he was sent to live with relatives in Kazan, Russia. He was tutored extensively and eventually enrolled at the University of Kazan but dropped out as he was prone to partying instead of studying. He unsuccessfully tried farming and the military, eventually discovering his passion and skill for writing. Tolstoy penned War and Peace about history and philosophy, and he found it hard to call the book an actual novel, labeling Anna Karenina as his first. Both works remain great stories that continue to impact and inspire today.
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia, to a poor family. He did well in school but eventually dropped out of university for having radical ideas. As an adult, he was arrested multiple times and was in exile in Siberia when the Russian monarchy was dethroned. With a love for power and politics, Stalin became involved with several political groups. Over time, Stalin forcefully took control of the government, naming himself the leader of Russia and the Soviet Union. Known as a cruel dictator, Stalin took land from peasants, which led to famine and millions of deaths. Stalin also sent anyone who threatened or appeared to threaten him to labor camps called gulags. It is estimated that Stalin is responsible for 6–9 million deaths under his reign. His one saving grace was that he refused to join Hitler during World War II and pushed the Soviet Union onto the international stage as a world superpower.