Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Why didn't the nobility rebel?

While Peter's rule did disrupt the traditional Russian identity and thus interacted with the lifestyles of the entire population, his actions were received with much more animosity by the nobility then with the majority of the population. Particularly with the initiation of the Table of Ranks, Peter completely altered the exclusive lifestyle that the nobility had grown accustomed to. It was not necessarily the Westernization that bothered the nobility for Western traditions had already infiltrated their society, but it was the complete loss of the exclusive social power that they had maintained that caused the nobility to be truly angry with Peter the Great's actions. Why then did they not rebel? I think that a major reason that the nobility did not form some sort of violent rebel force against Peter the Great is the sanctity of the title of tsar and the fact that ultimately, the nobility were subject to his rule. However, this reason alone would not stop the nobility from rebelling, and thus Peter compromised with the nobility and allowed some members to reclaim their governmental and social positions. While Peter did not allow all of the nobility to reclaim their positions, he appeased enough of the nobility that a strong alliance between the previously dominant class could not be formed. The power of the nobility is undeniable--they have the power, status, money and means to bribe others into allying with them and could have been a very dangerous enemy to Peter. However, in compromising with some nobility, Peter protected his ability to have jurisdiction without the overwhelming threat of the nobility.

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