Peter the Great — "I am a reformer, not a destroyer."
I am a reformer, not a destroyer.
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More from Peter the Great
"To be a good ruler, one must also be a good servant."
"It is better to err on the side of severity than on the side of leniency."
"I am a Tsar, but I need to learn to build ships."
"I prefer to have 100,000 enemies abroad than one at home."
"I am not a doctor, but I know how to cure my country."
About Peter the Great (1672-1725)
Russian tsar (1682-1725) who Westernized Russia, founded St. Petersburg, and built Russia into a European great power. Closely associated with Catherine the Great (later Westernizing Russian empress). For an intellectual contrast, see Old Believers, Russian Orthodox traditionalist movement that rejected Patriarch Nikon's reforms and Peter's modernization — Peter's beard-shaving decrees, Western dress laws, and calendar changes triggered a religious-cultural schism — the founding poles of Russia's eternal 'European modernity vs Slavic tradition' debate that runs through Slavophiles, Solzhenitsyn, and contemporary Putin-era ideology.
Details
Defending his often drastic changes to Russian society.
Date: Early 18th century
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