NTC: Questioning Peter's Greatness: Measuring the Human Cost of Moderization and Imperial Expansion in Early Modern Eurasia

This seminar explores the darker side of the legacy of Peter I of Russia (ruled 1694-1725). Rather than imagine his reign as a period of greatness, the seminar will examine the social cost of Peter’s repeated failures as a ruler. In view of the long afterlife in global history of forced labor, bureaucratic de-humanization of ordinary people, and indifference to casualties, the long-term cost of Peter’s reign as a historical precedent for modernization far exceeds the short-term expenditures of his imperial initiatives.

Seminar led by Brian Boeck, DePaul University

Newberry Teachers’ Consortium is a subscription program open to Chicago-area teachers.