Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Peter the Great:
1. Describe Peter the Great as he is presented in Robert K. Massie's biogaphy. What kind of a man, and what kind of a ruler, was he? What qualities in him do you find admirable, even likable? What qualities do you find repugnant? Overall, was he a ruler with a vision, a cruel and violent dictator, or a combination of both? Did his means justify the ends?
2. Peter tortured his enemies to achieve political ends. Massie indicates that torture was also used routinely throughout a more "enlightened" Europe. Given today's ethos, and our revulsion against torture, is it possible to view it in a historical context? Can torture be condoned if used in a different era under a different ethical system?
3. What do you consider Peter's greatest accomplishments?
4. How does Massie present the differences between Russia and post-Renaissance Western Europe? In what areas did Russia lag behind...and why?
5. Talk about Peter's experiences in Amsterdam and England...and how they inspired him to bring changes to his country.
6. When Peter returned to Russia from Europe, he prohibited the wearing of beards, heavy boots, and long robes. Massie observes these habits were based on common sense. What does he mean?
7. Massie gives mixed reviews to the Westernization of Russia. Why, to this day, do Peter's actions to modernize Russia remain controversial? What are the competing viewpoints?
8. Why was Peter so intent on gaining access to the sea for his country?
9. Talk about the differences, and similarities, between Peter and Charles II of Sweden? What strategies did Peter employ that resulted in the defeat of Charles, who was considered a military genius. Is all fair in love and war?
10. Massie has said elsewhere that he believes in the "great man" theory of history: that turning points in history occur as a result of individuals, their vision, strength, and talent. Other historians believe that powerful forces outside of individuals—mass movements of populations, the spread of ideas, geography, and a land's natural wealth—are responsible for history's forward movement. What do you think?
11. What struck you most in this book? What have you learned about the history of Russia that you didn't know beforehand?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)