Modernization and Westernization of Russia was Gradual and Far from Widespread - Essay Example

Modernization is a continuous and open-ended process and is mostly related to industrialization. It is a set of changes that lead to the emergenceof an industrial society (Britannica). Modernization is irregular and uneven and is never complete. There always remains a backward region in any society. Modernization invariably brings in discontentment and resistance in the society. It brings with it social and material strains that threatens the very growth and expansion. It is often confused with westernization, which literally means adopting the culture of the western countries. Maintaining tradition and practices for the sake of tradition was detrimental to growth and progress and hence western cultures and beliefs were adopted (Wikipedia). Thus, westernization can be defined as an influence under which the traditional societies undergo changes in matters of lifestyle, diet, religion, politics, culture, and technology. North America, west and central Europe, Australia and New Zealand have been classified as western countries and the countries that follow them are supposed to be westernized. Russia was one such country, which tried to modernize and westernize in order to rise from its period of chaos and civil war or the Time of Troubles, during the early seventeenth century. This essay will review how far the modernization and westernization of Russia was effective from the mid-seventeenth to the early eighteenth century, which is also known as the Period of Expansion. Instability, insecurity, and famine prevailed in Russia while Poland and Sweden took advantage of this situation and declared war on her. Russia managed to drive the Poles out and peace treaties were signed. According to the new legislation code, landlords gained absolute power, peasants had no right, serfdom was sanctioned, and everyone was under obligation to serve. It was during this period of chaos that Peter I (1672-1725) started to reign in Russia. In the 17th century, Russia was still medieval in its outlook, culture and economic development. The people were ignorant and isolated. Instead of social reforms, the nobles were repressed and deprived of political influence. In return they were compensated with land grants and rights over the peasants. Serfdom became oppressive. Peter I brought about a change in the Russian politics, culture and administration. Peter I (Peter the Great) or as he came to be called the emperor (1721), tried to ‘westernize’ Russia. In the name of social reforms, it was oppression. Peter was deeply influenced by the spacecraft, war craft and the technology used in the west. While he was known for ‘westernization’ of Russia, his energy was concentrated on improvements in the military and warfare. His idea of westernization was the modernization of Russia. While he introduced modern ideas, he also indicated that his rule would be absolute. He did not like any resistance to the changes he introduced. Having studied the western tactics he built up a strong army of 300,000 made up of his own subjects. Peter’s first military efforts were directed against the Ottoman Turks. The only way to reach Western Europe was through Poland and Sweden. After the first failure, Peter equipped the army with modern weapons and western tactics and acquired access to the Baltic Sea that gave Russia direct access to the Western Europe. The capital was then shifted from conservative Moscow to St. Petersburg (1703). He managed to create a window to Europe and trade through the city. Peter I transformed the country from a medieval backward region to a great European power. Russia was rapidly becoming European power. Russia stared taking part in European affairs. Peter was responsible for repression and oppression. To strengthen the weakened army he needed guns, equipments, and people. To finance the army industry was developed. When the workers refused to move to the industrial areas serfdom was introduced. To take care of the expenses of the war poll tax was levied which meant that Russians had to pay tax just because they existed. He insisted that every twenty household should provide one soldier. In the army he introduced modern drill, new uniforms. Training was provided and promotion was on merit and not on social standing. He established a military college in 1718. His personal involvement, organizational and administrative skills, produced a military that brought Russia to the status of world power. While he did attempt to modernize the fleet, it was all under the western influence. To imitate the western culture, Peter the Great, introduced smoking and drinking coffee. He forbade, beard, cursing and spitting among his officials. He wanted them to follow the European life style and developed the rank system. He modernized the navy, education, trade and industry incorporated western ideas. He set moderns institutions and incorporated technologies. He encouraged the nobles to get education in Europe and hired engineers and officers from all over Europe to serve in Russia. Politically too, he brought about a reform in the government structure and the system of courts. He reorganized the government on the western model. Taxes were brutally imposed and the amount almost tripled under his regime. He intensified his predecessors that state service for the nobles was mandatory. He brought about reform in the local administration. He founded the most modern industries and introduced western education. Any changes in the political culture can affect the social, political and economic behaviour. These have an effect on the values, norms, and ideas on human behaviour. The Time of Trouble was religious in nature but the influence of the west had seeped in. In the late seventeenth century the proper form of worship became a point of bitter controversy. This divided the Russian society and weakened the church. Russia became a powerful and secular state. When the icons in the government offices replaced the clocks and calendars, to the devout this was a sign of the onset of apocalypse. (Face of Russia). Peter did not spare the church either from western influence. He put the Orthodox Church under state control, which meant that the church was merely an extension of the state. He abolished patriarchy, created the Holy Synod (1721), and personally took control over the church. Thus, the church was deprived of any independence. Peter became the emperor and even after his death, Russia continued to be ruled by an emperor. The power of the emperor was absolute and the peasants were under serfdom. This stifled the economic development of the country. Several educated nobles suggested reforms like the French Revolution but their suggestions were not paid heed to (Perushev, 2004). He was determined to civilize the nobility. He even composed a book of manners. Any one who opposed westernization was executed and hung in public. He did not even spare his son who raised voice against the wave of change. Then nobility was forced to conform to western models. The western culture was absorbed so rapidly that the first language soon changed from Russian to French. Under the rule of Catherine, Russia became the chief power of continental Europe. Her administrative reforms led to further centralization of power. Catherine II came to power in 1762 and she too wanted to strengthen the army. She tried to reconcile the differences between the nobles and the peasants. She tried to bring in economic reforms to raise the economy. In an effort to make a civilian society she liberated the nobles from the obligation to serve the society. The nobles were liberated from the state; the society was a combination of serfdom and western influence. Economically no alternative was found to serfdom. The Russian empire was expanded and trade with the west increased. Catherine was succeeded by her son Paul. He too had a passion for military order which clashed with the development of a civilian society. He felt nobility should again become the service class and assist the government in its reforms even at its personal expense. He imposed the state service more rigid and harsh. He tried to promote the welfare of the serfs but that too was clumsy. He disregarded the traditions and patterns that had developed during his mother’s regime. He prohibited foreign travel foreign books, music etc. he earned the enmity of the upper society. His reign was a complete disaster. All the three rulers worked in their own interest. There remained no stability in ideologies and discipline. While Peter made all attempts to modernize Russia, it left the country oppressed and deprived of spiritual autonomy. He did lay the foundation of a modern state but the modernization was gradual and concentrated. Under Peter’s regime Russia came to be known as superpower but he concentrated on strengthening Russia from within. Peter managed to bring Russia out of the Time of Troubles but his reforms were far from widespread. He did not explore or colonize the far off lands. He was stern and barbaric but he paved the way to a powerful position in the world economy. Russia was one of the many countries that underwent rapid modernization under the western influence. The rulers felt it necessary to change the country’s culture and lifestyle while adopting the western technology and science. Modernization does not mean to change one’s culture and habits. It does not require any country to divorce from the tradition and culture. This gave rise to the Slavophiles, who were against the use of Western Europe as a model for westernization. The Slavophile movement started in the early 19th century and it attracted the wealthy, the well-educated and the well travelled aristocracy. Slavophiles capitalized on the belief of Pogodin and Shevyrev in the qualitative distinction between the excellence of Russian culture on one hand, and the soul-less social structure of Western European the other (Diakonia, 1998). The Slavophiles shared a sense of nationalism. They denounced the reforms of Peter the Great. They advocated freedom of conscience, speech, and press; they were against slavery and capital punishment. The westernizers on the other hand, desired west European influence on the Russian ways. Nobody spoke of Russia influencing the west as they felt Russia had nothing to offer the west. Russia was supposed to be culturally weak. The west was rich and influential. Russia could not resist the temptation to imitate the west. The Slavophiles advocated that Western Europe was diseased, decadent, rotten, soulless, and dead, spiritually (Rancour-Laferriere, 2000). The Slavophiles preferred to adhere to the Russian orthodox faith. They considered themselves as united in their faith and enjoyed harmonious, natural human relationships. They wanted an autocratic form of government bound spiritually together. They felt they could vitalize the west by introducing spiritualism and replacing rationalism, materialism, and individualism. They wanted to retain the Russian culture and have a strong military. They wanted protection from the western influence. The westernizers supported the integration of Russia into the world economy and global trade. The feeling was quite pronounced as the newly westernized intelligentsia felt a cultural emptiness. Nikolai Danilevskii in 1871 felt Russians permitted themselves to be westernized and aped the European ways. They lost their individual identity and were reduced to ‘nothing’. The corruption and violence reinforced the fatalist view in people. While respect for the west shows in their attitudes, they still want to retain the basic character of Russia. The 20th century embraced the determinist view. The people surrendered to poverty and mob rule. People felt that everything is governed by natural laws. The Marxist view of determinism states that every event is the result of some previous cause. It is a kind of fatalism in which everything is determined in which everything is determined by what has happened before. The 20th century embraced the determinist view. 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