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Oppressive Europeanization |
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The
greatest paradox of Peter’s reform was that by shaking up
Russian society, by introducing efficient and up-to-date
methods, by equipping Russia with the military and economic
might - and achieving all this mainly by force and
administrative coercion - Peter not only preserved the most
salient features of traditional Muscovite society, but actually
strengthened and reinvigorated them. |
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The Petrine
paradox was forcefully expressed by the Russian philosopher George
Plekhanov: ‘In his Europeanization of Russia Peter developed to its
final, logical conclusion the condition of complete helplessness of
the population vis-à-vis the State that is characteristic of
Oriental despotism’. Some analysts even deny Peter the Europeanizing
substance of his innovations. Alexander Kizevetter, for instance,
argued that: ‘Far from reducing, Peter increased ever more the
burdens, imposed by the State on society... Having considerably
modified the external forms of state institutions, Peter left
completely untouched the basic principles of the old system of
social organization...’
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The Reform
considerably expanded the authority and influence of the Russian
government over its own population. The power of the despotic,
centralized state was made even more absolute and its arbitrary
rule was elevated into the basic principle of government. Society
was subjected to yet more rigid regimentation, with the heavy burden
of state service made compulsory for all classes of the population.
The church was subordinated to the state, and the bondage of
peasants was strengthened and made even harsher. In effect,
Westernized Russia was in many respects more ‘Russian’ than before.
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Tsarist Russia |
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