European Ideological Meanings in the Context of Peter the Great’s Royal Will

Abstract

The article analyzes the peculiarities of Russia’s ideology during the reign of Peter I. The author raises the question of Peter's revolutionary nature and examines the relationship between the “old” and “new” in the field of ideological prerequisites for the turn of Peter's Russia towards Europe. There is also considered the role of Tsar Peter I in the selection, interpretation and propaganda of borrowings from the Western European socio-political thought. Particular attention is paid to the image of Peter I as a symbol of the “new Russia” in the perception of compatriots and Western Europeans. As vivid examples of the era, there are analyzed the history of Peter's relationship with prominent scientist G.W. Leibniz, mental overtones in the decrees on barbering and wearing European clothes. The author agrees with the opinion of S.F. Platonov that Peter's reforms were “a modification of the old order,” rather than a revolutionary change. However, it is noted that by allowing the development of scientific knowledge in Russia, Peter laid the foundation for the beginning of an intellectual revolution in the future in the minds of the educated Russian society.