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==The great failures of Ivan==
The Tsar’s ambitious plans and policies had exhausted Russia. The population had suffered greatly and the army could not recruit sufficient soldiers and the treasury was almost empty. Russia was a mighty power but it was also almost bankrupt and weak. After the death of Ivan, he was succeeded by his ineffectual son Feodor. Ivan had killed his heir in a fit of rage and this was to prove disastrous. Tsar Feodor was incompetent and was to die childless and this ended the Rurik Dynasty. The instability produced by an uncertain royal succession and a crippled economy resulted in internal instability which was soon exploited by Russia’s neighbors. This became known as the ‘Time of Troubles’ when the Russian Empire almost collapsed <ref> Troyatt, p. 314</ref>. The state was only saved by the emergence of the Romanov Dynasty. Many historians have argued that the root causes of the Time of Troubles were was a result of Ivan’s policies.
==The impact of Ivan on Russia==
The achievements of Ivan are truly great. He developed a modern Russian state and laid the foundations for a great Empire. However, this had all come at a terrible cost. He had ended the threat to Russia from the Muslim Khanates and had developed a modern state apparatus. Ivan had reformed the Orthodox Church and was also a patron of the arts. He began the colonisation of Siberia, a region that helped to turn Russia in later centuries into a global power. However, countless suffered because of his savagery and his wars and schemes bankrupted the state and weakened Russia. He also established and elaborated the concept of an autocracy that was used by successive Tsars and even Communists to justify their power and which lead to many centuries of repressive government in Russia. Ivan transformed Russia and his achievements both negative and positive continue to shape Russia to this day, even in the era of Putin.
==Reference==
