Russia was a state that existed from 1721 until 1917. It was one the largest empires in world history, as it stretched over three continents. Long striving to be a part of Europe, Russia adapted many traits from their friends in the West. Russian culture, government, architecture and the fine arts were greatly influenced by the lifestyle of the European people. (History of Russia, 1998)
One of the ways that Russia changed was that it adapted European way of government. Russia had become a monarchical state. The House of Romanov ruled the Russian Empire from 1721 until 1762, and later the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, ruled from 1762. The 17th and 18th century was a period of Modernization and Secularization, due to the many different Tzars and Tzarina that ruled. Tsardom, which loosely means King, was used after 1547, was established so Europe would recognize Russia as a European country. Russia expansion was in the 17th century, it covered the colonization of the Pacific, the Russo-Polish war, and the conquest of Siberia. One of the most important figures in Russian Expansion was Tsar Peter the Great. (History of Russia, 1998)(Peter the Great and the Rise of Russia, 1997)
Tsar Peter the Great (1682–1725) played an important part in Russian History because he fought many wars and expanded Russia into one of the biggest European powers. His most important feat was that he led a revolution of Russian culture to replace traditionalist and medical social views with a modernized and secular society. His ideal world was scientific, modern and Europe-oriented. He started autocracy in Russia and introduced Russia to the European state system. Peter organized his government on the latest European structure. He made Russia an absolutist state. He made a nine-member Senate, and divide the land into provinces and districts. He also establish taxes across the land. After his rule ended in 1725, Peter the Third came into the throne, but much to his dismay, his rule was short ruled and his wife took over. (Peter the Great, and the Rise of Russia, 1997)
Catherine the Great, (1762-1796), was a German princess and the wife of Peter III, the German heir to the Russian crown. She came to power, when her coup d’état (rebellion) against her husband proved succeeded. She restructured society by bringing back the Russian nobility. She also turned state functions over to the nobles. She ruled over a golden age. She expanded Russia by conquest, colonization and diplomacy, continuing Peter the Great’s policy of modernisation along West European lines. (History of Russia, 1998)
This was the age of reformation and a cultural renaissance, as the Russian people’s way of life changed. Their diet, fashions and even architecture adapted to European standards.
Before the 17th century, Russian cuisine was bland and distasteful. It consisted of turnip and cabbage, as Russia was an agriculturally based society. Russians also ate types of fish, berries, mushrooms, and Kasha. However, many of these foods have remained unchanged as Bliny, kasha, pierogi, and black bread are still eaten today. In the 17th century, the Russian conquests of Kazan and Astrakhan, Bashkiria and Siberia brought foreign cuisine to the tables of the Monarchs. Well known dishes such Pelmeni and noodles were first introduced. The country also devolved a habit for drinking lots of tea. Russians began to drink it so often, it replaced Vodka as the national drink. Vodka, was first introduced by China later in the 17th century. A variety of spices were imported, which made for new recipes. In the 18th century, Russian nobles employed foreign cooks, usually from France. These cooks, mixed their native cuisine with Russian foods, and the integration begun. Instead of one giant feast, three course dinners were now common. Soups are the first course, salad as the second, main course, and of course, desserts. (Russian Cuisine, 2014)
In the modern world, Russian literature is considered one of the most famous. Russian authors such as Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy won international acclaim in the 18th century. The center of the political and artistic world in European Russia was based in Moscow.
The official language in Russia was a mix of Slavonic Church Russian until the end of the 18th century. Most of the language was borrowed from Polish, German and other Western European languages. This change had an impact on Russian literature because the election of the Romonov dynasty in 1613, is said to mark to start to the Modern Russian arts. Peter the Great, and his reform of Russia were followed by a reform to the Russian alphabet. It became more secular and modern. Parts of the vocabulary were adopted from languages of the western world. For example, the modern slang is said to have Dutch, Latin, french and German origin. At the same time, the modern literary language separated from the church, in order to fit with styles of Western Europe. (Russian Literature, 2014)
Russian architecture also began to fit with the styles of Western Europe. Originally, architecture reform began with the wood building of the Slavs. Since the time of Kievan Rus, architecture was influenced by the Byzantine Empire. The colorful, glide domes we see now in Russia were based off Italian Renaissance trends. During the time of Peter the Great, reforms brought Russia much more similar to western culture, and styles were mimicked. (Russian Architecture, 2014)
In 1757, the Russian Academy of Arts was founded, giving Russian artists international recognition. Russian folk dance was even inflicted by Europe. A group dance, a type of dance that employs improvisation and round passages, was originally a French dance brought to Russia in the 18th century. One of the most famous dances that Russia brought the world was Ballet. The original intent of ballet in Russia was entertaining the imperial court. The first ever Ballet company was the Imperial School in St. Petersburg in 1740. The introduction to ballet, gave Russia international acclaim. (History of Russia, 1998)
Reform wasn’t just ties to big cities such as Moscow and Leningrad, it also extended to the rural villages. Traditional Russian clothing experienced a reform, because new materials were being imported from Europe. Clothing included kaftan, kosovorotka and ushanka for men, sarafan and kokoshnik for women, with lapti and valenki as shoes, underwent a reconstruction in stability and style. Different regions of Russia had different styles, such as the Cossacks of Southern Russia whose clothes included a burka and papaha, which they shared with the Northern Caucasus. (History of Russia, 1998)
Bibliography
Halsall, Paul. “Catherine the Great.” Fordham University. Last modified 1997. Accessed November 14, 2016. http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/18catherine.asp.
———. “Peter the Great and the Rise of Russia.” Fordham University. Last modified 1998. Accessed November 12, 2016. http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/petergreat.asp.
“History of Russia.” History of the World. http://historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistoriesResponsive.asp?ParagraphID=iei.
“Russian Cuisine.” Ask Russians.
http://russia-ic.com/culture_art/cuisine/1124#.WC3WAXo8I4Z
“Russian Literature.” Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/art/Russian-literature
“Russian Architecture in the 17th Century.” Ask Russians.
http://russia-ic.com/culture_art/history/2302#.WC3WlXo8I4Y