HIS 241
Unit 6: Peter the Great

What you must do in this unit

• Read the textbook chapter 18. (If you did not read chapters 15, 16 and 17 in the last unit, then you should read them now.)
• Check the remarks by Professor Blois and Professor Evans on Peter the Great and watch the short video.
• Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the Unit.
• Submit the Inheritance paragraph.

What you can do in this unit

• Have a look at a genealogy of the House of Romanov (simplified version) used to be at www.bucknell.edu/arts-and-sciences-college-of/academic-departments-and-programs/russian-studies/resources/russian-history/the-house-of-romanov.html)
• In 1985 Professor Blois interviewed Robert Massie, author of the definitive (and massive) biography of Peter the Great (Peter the Great, 1981). This was just before the prime-time, mini-series based on that book was about to appear on television. Read some excerpts from that interview (used with the permission of Robert Massie) in *.doc or *.PDF format.
• Read chapter 13, chapter 14, chapter 15 and chapter 16 from Mary Platt Parmele (1843-1911) A Short History of Russia (1907, 4th edition). These are short chapters, and this is optional reading.

Some videos that you can watch for this unit

• Peter the Great by John Merriman (Yale University)
• Peter the Great - Part 1 1/10 (This is the long movie made-for-tv; not the best movie ever made.)
• Peter the Great's City
• Peter the Great on biography.com
• World History - Peter the Great
• Discovery Education: Conquerors: Peter the Great
• For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the URL and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.

Extra Credit Options

• For up to 25 points of extra credit, read Alexei Tolstoi, Peter the First (1945) and write a one-page paper that explains how Tolstoi's "novel" adds to our understanding of Peter the Great.
• For up to 25 points of extra credit, read Robert Massie, Peter the Great, His Life and World (1980) and write a one-page paper summarizing the contents of this massive biography.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read Aleksandr Pushkin, "The Bronze Horseman (in Russian)" (or the Bonver translation). You can also look at the Bronze Horseman statue (or a more dramatic photo of the statue). Write a paragraph that conveys your understanding of Pushkin's appreciation of the statue.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, one of Russia's most famous paintings is Boyarina Morozova (1887) by Vasilii Surikov that captures the conflict between Old Russia and New Russia started by Peter's father. Write a paragraph that answers the question of how much "western" influence was present in Russia before Peter the Great.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the remarks on Peter the Great by Robinson and Beard (1921) and write a paragraph comparing those remarks to the coverage of Peter the Great in the Riasanovsky textbook.

Unit Learning Objectives

• Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the importance of Peter the Great in Russian history, (2) summarize the key events of his reign and (3) analyze a historical primary source.