History has it that the United States capital city of Washington D.C. wasdesigned with the intention of intimidating visiting foreign heads of state. Thecreation of this city had purpose and reason; neither of which are very natural orhuman. St. Petersburg was viewed by the Russian people in this context.Typically a city grows from a small town to a massive metropolis with years andyears of expansion outward. The Russian people already plagued withxenophobia, could not accept Peter the Greats new city designed with Westernideals and made by Western minds. Peter the Great sought to bring his country into the modern and morewestern world. By means of taxing old dress, and creating a table of ranks bywhich upward mobility is possible and higher education institutions. Through histravels throughout Europe Peter, yearned to update and facilitate Russia as arespected power and as a modernized country. In order to westernize Russia a physical connection had to be establishedbetween the Old World Russia and the rest of Europe. The only way toaccomplish this feat, was to create trade and travel routes between the Westand Russia. After securing his borders, the next task of expanding Russiascontacts and territory, especially in ways that would liberate Russia from its longisolation as a landlocked country.(Thompson 98) Contact with the west waslimited because of Russias lack of access to warm water seaports where tradeand travel between Russia and the West could take place. The need for warmwater seaports therefore shaped Peters foreign policy. Peter attempted to gain access to the Baltic Sea by defeating Sweden,the most powerful force in north central Europe. War with Sweden raged on fortwenty-one years during which Peter gained enough access in the Baltic toestablish a city he named St. Petersburg, his window to the West.(Thompson98) . Indeed Peters efforts helped create a window to the Western Europe butlike all windows the rest of Europe co...
