Peter the Great turned Russia into one of the most powerful countries in Europe. He did this by building a great military force, with a larger army and a navy. He made a draft for both nobility and peasants. The peasants had little military experience. To make up for this shortfall in professional soldiers, he formed Russia’s very first standing army in 1699. To make up for the lack of professional soldiers, Peter the great spent a great deal of money training his army and introducing modern weapons. He melted down any metal that could be found to make cannons, including church bells. His greatest victory was the defeat of the Swedes.
