Why go
Moscow and Saint Petersburg represent different centres of authority within this history. Peter’s new capital expressed the importance of Baltic access, while the abolition of serfdom and the Duma reveal how changing society put pressure on the imperial political system.
The full story
Peter the Great sought maritime access as well as military and administrative reform. After turning from the Black Sea towards the Baltic, he fought Sweden in the Great Northern War. He founded Saint Petersburg in 1703, before the war ended in 1721 and he adopted the title of emperor. The new capital shifted government away from Moscow. Peter reorganised central institutions and provincial administration to strengthen the state’s ability to govern and collect revenue. Expansion continued under Catherine II and Alexander I, extending imperial authority over more European territory as well as the vast lands already held to the east. The nineteenth century brought continuing tension between reform and autocracy. Serfdom ended in 1861, but difficult conditions for peasants persisted. Radical political movements challenged the existing order. Following the upheavals of 1905, Nicholas II conceded a national Duma, or legislature. The concession created a new political institution while leaving the central struggle over monarchical power unresolved.