Education, History
History of Russia: Petrovsky era. Value, the culture of the Petrine era. Art and literature of the Petrine era
The first quarter of the 17th century in Russia was marked by changes directly related to the "Europeanization" of the country. The beginning of the Petrine era was accompanied by serious changes in manners and life. They touched upon the transformation of enlightenment and other spheres of public life. All reforms took place at the first stage extremely hard, often violently. Let us consider the main events of the Petrine era.
Prerequisites for reforms
It must be said that the active penetration of Western European values was noted in the country throughout the XVII century. However, the direction of this influence was changed precisely by the Petrine era. Century XVIII became the period of introduction of new values and ideas. The key object of transformation was the life of the Russian nobility. The intensity of reforms was primarily determined by state goals. Peter the Great aspired to transformation in administrative, military, industrial and financial spheres. For this he needed the experience and achievements of Europe. The success of state reforms he associated with the formation of a qualitatively new worldview of elites, a restructuring of the life of the nobility.
First experience
The Petrine era was influenced by the Western way of life. The sympathy of the ruler of Russia appeared to European values in his youth. In his early years Peter often came to the German settlement, where he found his first friends. After the first visit abroad, he had an idea to transfer from Europe to Russia customs, institutions, forms of entertainment and communication. However, he did not take into account that all this will be perceived with certain difficulties, since there was no soil and an organic background for this in the country. The Petrine era, briefly, is associated with the forcible introduction of European values into Russian life. As records show, the emperor in fact demanded that the subjects cross over themselves and abandon the age-old traditions of their ancestors.
First transformations
If we talk about what the Petrine epoch was, briefly, the rapprochement with the West was expressed in the government's concern that people in Russia even outwardly resemble the Europeans. After his arrival from abroad, Peter ordered to bring scissors and cut off his beards in shocked boyars. This operation the sovereign did more than once. The beard for him became a symbol of antiquity. He negatively perceived her presence on the face of the boyars. Although long beard acted as an inviolable ornament, a sign of honor and gentility, a matter of pride. The decree of 1705 obliged all men, except priests and monks, to shave their mustaches and beards. Thus, the society was divided into 2 unequal parts. One - the nobility and the elite of the urban population, which was under the pressure of Europeanization, while the other retained the usual way of life.
Painting
The artists of the Petrine era reflected in their own way the patterns of this historical period. I must say that the painting as a whole came to a new level with a certain delay in comparison with other advanced countries. The art of the Petrine era becomes secular. Initially, the new painting is approved in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Prior to this, masters painted only icons. The culture of the Petrine era required the depiction of solemn battles, glorifying victories, portraits of the tsar and subjects. Russian engravers could only illustrate church books. At a new historical stage, Petersburg's views were needed, engravings for textbooks on artillery, architectural and maritime affairs. The culture of the Petrine era was liberated from the power of the church, trying to catch up with European countries that had gone far ahead.
Specificity of reforms
The peculiarities of the culture of the Petrine era were manifested in the sharp transformation of the habitual way of life of people. First of all, Russia began to join the western directions in painting. Transformations were carried out not only to attract foreign artists and masters to the country. One of the key objectives was the education of the domestic public, the introduction of the best European traditions. The training time for Russian artists did not last long. In the second half of the 18th century. Returned from Holland and Italy, the artists showed the world their talent, their skills, starting to create great masterpieces. The new painting was notable for its increased interest in man. Great attention was paid to his inner world, and the structure of his body. Russian artists began to own the technical achievements of European masters. In their work they now use new materials: marble, oil, canvas. In painting, a direct perspective appears, capable of showing the bulk and depth of space. The first artists of the new era were Matveyev and Nikitin.
Engraving
She occupied a separate place in art in the first half of the 18th century. The engraving was considered the most accessible type of painting. She quickly responded to events that occurred in life. The spectrum of subjects was reduced to portraits of great people, to kinds of cities, battles, solemn actions. Petrovsky era gave Russia and the world such masters as Rostovtsev, Alexei and Ivan Zubov.
Miniature Portraits
They also began to appear at the beginning of the century. The first authors were Ovsov and Mussikiy. At first, miniature portraits of statesmen and their relatives were created. However, after a while the demand for these works grew so much that a special class was created in the Academy of Arts in the last quarter of the 18th century.
Books
Most vividly reflected the trends of modern times literature of the Petrine era. In 1717, the "Discourse ..." was published, which described the causes of the war with Sweden. The publication was prepared by Vice-Chancellor Shafirov on behalf of the Tsar. This "Discourse" was the first domestic diplomatic treatise on Russia's foreign policy priorities. Economic transformations were reflected in the writings of Pososhkov. The most famous of his publications was "The Book of Wealth and Poverty." A brilliant writer, orator, churchman and public figure in the Petrine era was a supporter of church reform Theophanes Prokopovich. He developed the "Spiritual Regulations", "The Truth of the Monarch's Will." Another prominent figure was Stefan Yavorsky. He created such religious treatises as "The Stone of Faith", "The Sign of the Coming of Antichrist". These works were directed against Protestantism and reformism.
Entertainment
During the reforms, attempts were made to create public theaters in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Comedies and historical plays were staged on stage (Amfitrion and Molière the Forced Doctor, for example). Began to appear and the first domestic dramatic works. Thus, the Petrine era was marked by the creation of the tragicomedy Prokopovich "Vladimir", Zhukovsky's play "Glory Russian". Changes in manners were manifested in the appearance of new types of entertainment. By the end of 1718, the elite of St. Petersburg society had been informed of the introduction of assemblies. This idea was born to Peter after visiting the French living rooms. They gathered and talked with major political, scientific figures, painters and other representatives of high society. In establishing assemblies in Russia, Peter strove to accustom noblemen to secular behavior, and to involve women of the state in public life. In the process of organization, the reformer used both practical and theoretical achievements of Europe. In the decree regulating the order of meetings in the houses, a list of rules was given, a schedule of entertainment was described, which the attendees were supposed to follow.
Chronology
"Utility" was the main idea, which permeated the entire Petrine era. The years of the reign of the great reformer were marked by the introduction of a new chronology. Now counting was not from the creation of the world, but from the birth of Christ. The New Year began on January 1, and not on September 1. Holidays were also established. Thus, Peter introduced the New Year. His celebration was to take place from 1 to 7 January. The gates of the yards should be decorated with spruce, pine and juniper trees or branches. On large streets in the evenings it was prescribed to burn bonfires, and the people meeting were to congratulate each other. In the New Year in the capital fireworks were arranged. Peter became, thus, the founder of many public holidays. Victory triumphs began to take shape following the example of Rome's triumphs. In 1769, in the festivities about the victory at Azov, key elements of future events were revealed. Roman signs were clearly visible in them. By order of the sovereign, a triumphal gate was built.
Bringing women to social life
Carrying out his reforms, Peter did not take into account that the population is not quite ready for them. So, for example, it was extremely problematic for women to move away from the Domostroevka order at a time. However, the reformer took care of them. He told women how to behave, dress, talk. At first, at assemblies, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, Russian ladies, tightly tightened into corsets, could not only gracefully and easily dance, but did not know how they should sit or become. For the most part, they were clumsy, unwieldy.
Meaning of the Petrine era
The reformation of the sovereign allowed the country to reach a qualitatively new level. First of all, the backlog of the cultural and economic spheres from the advanced countries of Europe fell substantially. In addition, Russia began to turn into a great and powerful power. Due to the introduction of European values, the country began to be perceived in the international arena. Thanks to Peter's reforms, now no important event has been decided without Russia's participation. The changes that took place in the life of the state in the first quarter of the 18th century were very progressive. However, they further widened the gap between the nobility and the lower classes. Boyars turned into a noble elite class. The use of cultural achievements and benefits has become only their privilege. All this was accompanied by the spread of contempt for the Russian language and ancient culture among the nobility. Many historians note that Europeanization has intensified the negative cultural manifestations of pre-Petrine Russia. Introduced innovations were hardly perceived by the nobility. Often, transformations provoked actions that were completely opposite to what was expected. Politeness and courtesy by order could not become an internal need, they engendered rudeness and obscenity. Changes have affected only the upper hand of society. The Russian peasant did not go to the theater for a very long time after the end of the Petrine era, did not read the newspapers, did not know about the existence of assemblies. Thus, the reforms changed the social position of the privileged class toward the West, and the life of the lower classes in the opposite direction to the East. On the one hand, the transformations in the sphere of life and culture formed the conditions for the development of education, science, and literature. However, many European values and stereotypes were transferred by violent and mechanical means. This created significant obstacles to the full development of the primordially Russian culture, based on ancient national traditions. Representatives of the nobility, taking European values, quite sharply departed from the people. The keeper of Russian culture - a Russian peasant - was tied to national traditions. And this connection only intensified during the modernization of the state. As a result, a deep socio-cultural split in society began. All these phenomena largely predetermined the sharp contradictions and strength of social upheavals that arose in the early 20th century.
Conclusion
Peter's transformations in the cultural, public sphere of the state's life were marked by a pronounced political character. Often reforms were carried out by violent methods. People were forced to accept alien values, sciences. All this was done in the interests of the state, formed on the strict orders of the monarch. The principal difference of the Russian Empire, created in a quarter of a century, was to be emphasized by the external attributes of the Petrine era. The reformer was trying to give grandeur to the state, to introduce it into international relations on the rights of a European country. That is why Western values were so actively introduced into life. Reforms touched absolutely all spheres of life of noblemen. At the first stages of innovation caused strong resistance. However, disobedience to the monarch was not allowed. Elite classes had to obey and learn to live by the new rules. Introducing reforms, Peter sought to ensure that the nobility received a practical European experience. Therefore, he often traveled abroad himself, sent his subjects abroad, invited foreigners to Russia. He sought to lead the country out of political isolation. In the era of Peter appeared a huge number of works of art. Russian masters, having acquired the experience and skills of Europeans, created masterpieces that later became famous throughout the world. Significant changes were noted in architecture. Despite the rather rigid introduction of innovations, Russia was able to approach Europe. However, as was said above, only the higher classes concerned reforms. The peasantry continued to remain uneducated. The lower classes were the keepers of ancient traditions and piously honored them. The personality of Peter is considered by many historians to be contradictory. Ambiguously perceived by researchers and its reforms. His transformation touched not only mores and life, art and architecture. Significant changes have undergone the military sphere, the administrative apparatus. Many innovations are firmly entrenched in the country. Subsequent generations improved the system created by Peter. The monarch became a symbol of decisive transformations, fruitfulness and effectiveness of the use of Western European achievements.
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