AP Success - AP European History: Peter the Great's Cultural Reforms
Jean Rousset de Missy, Life of Peter the Great, c. 1730"The tsar labored at the reform of fashions, or, more properly speaking, of dress. Until that time the Russians had always worn long beards, which they cherished and preserved with much care, allowing them to hang down on their bosoms, without even cutting the moustache. With these long beards they wore the hair very short, except the ecclesiastics, who, to distinguish themselves, wore it very long. The tsar, in order to reform that custom, ordered that gentlemen, merchants, and other subjects, except priests and peasants, should each pay a tax of one hundred rubles a year if they wished to keep their beards; the commoners had to pay one kopek each. Officials were stationed at the gates of the towns to collect that tax, which the Russians regarded as an enormous sin on the part of the tsar and as a thing which tended to the abolition of their religion."
Question 1
According to Jean Rousset de Missy, what was one of the cultural reforms implemented by Peter the Great in the early 18th century?
The requirement for all Russian men to grow long beards to promote traditional values.
The imposition of a tax on beards for certain classes of Russian society.
The prohibition of traditional Russian clothing and the introduction of a national uniform.
The mandatory adoption of Western European clothing styles for all Russian citizens.
Question 2
What was the primary goal of Peter the Great's reform mentioned in the source by Jean Rousset de Missy?
To distinguish the Russian nobility from the peasantry more clearly.
To undermine the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church.
To modernize Russian society and customs by encouraging Western styles of dress and grooming.
To raise revenue for the state through a new form of taxation.
Question 3
How did Peter the Great's beard tax policy affect different social classes in Russia?
The tax was uniformly applied to all classes without any exemptions.
Gentlemen, merchants, and other subjects had to pay a higher tax than commoners if they wished to keep their beards.
Peasants were the only class required to pay the beard tax, while nobility were exempt.
All social classes were exempt from the beard tax except for the clergy and the military.
Question 4
Which group was exempt from Peter the Great's beard tax according to the source?
Merchants and officials.
Women and children.
Priests and peasants.
The military and the nobility.
Question 5
What was the reaction of the Russians to the beard tax imposed by Peter the Great as described in the source?
They saw the tax as a minor inconvenience and largely complied without protest.
They welcomed the tax as a necessary step towards modernization.
They regarded the tax as a sin and a threat to their religion.
They viewed the tax as a fair means of redistributing wealth among the classes.
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