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====Military and Naval Reforms====
The Russian army that Peter inherited was a semi-professional militia that was recruited from villages and estates. The soldiers were poorly trained and armed. Peter knew that they were not able to match the Swedes and Ottomans in the battlefield. The Tsar turned the military into a professional force.<ref> Anisimov, Evgenii V. "The Reforms of Peter the Great: Progress through coercion in Russia, trans." John T. Alexander (Armonk, NY: ME Sharpe, 1993), p. 186 </ref>. He appointed western officers to his army and to train the soldiers. Peter also established arsenals and workshops that produced modern weapons for the new army. Tsar Peter established a standing army in 1699 and he passed a law that conscripted some serfs and nobles for life. Despite his many reforms the nobles officered many units in the new army. Peter was particularly eager to establish a new navy. Prior to his reign Russia did not have a real maritime presence and was essentially landlocked. Peter imported skilled craftsmen and established shipyards. The monarch in doing so created the first Russian Navy and this not only allowed Peter to project his military power it also helped to boost maritime trade.
====Westernization====
Many historians argue that Peter initiated a cultural revolution that transformed Russia and changed it from a traditionalist and even medieval society into one that was deeply influenced by the west. Certainly, Tsar Peter was deeply influenced by the west and he introduced many new ideas and technologies into his country. Many westerners came to settle in the country. Many point to the City that he founded, St Petersburg which became a truly European city. Peter build many churches and stately buildings in his foundation and this was continued by his successors. Indeed, the city was to become Russia’s cultural center. It became the home of many great Russian writers and composers. However, Peter did not really modernize his country. He was an autocrat and he became an absolute ruler. Some critics of the Tsar state that he created a police state in Russia and created a rigid and stratified society, where most of the populace were serfs.<ref> Meehan-Waters, B. "The Russian Aristocracy and the Reforms of Peter the Great." Canadian-American Slavic Studies 8, no. 2 (1974): 288-302 </ref> The reforms of the Tsar did not change Russia and it remained a feudal and traditional society until the reign of Tsar Nicholas II in the 19th century.
