Westernization (Sumblog 11)

Westernization is a process where societies adopt Western culture in different areas such as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion, philosophy, and values.
Westernization has been a prevalent influence across the world in the last few centuries. It is usually a two-sided process where western influences and interests themselves are joined by a wish to change towards a more westernized society. They do this in the hope of attaining western life or at least some aspects of it.

Towards the end of the 17th century, Russia began undergoing many dramatic internal changes. Peter the Great led the first westernization of Russia in history. These actions permanently changed how Russia acted. Westernization was used by Peter and his successors to promote Russia's expansionist empire without planning to transform Russia into a truly Western society. 

Peter made Russia more culturally respectable in Western eyes. He slightly promoted the status of women in society and encouraged women to wear Western-style clothing to social functions. These small reforms were mainly aimed at upper-class women and he made no move to change gender relations. He tried to change it, or westernize it, just enough for others to view them differently as a country.

There have been other instances when westernization has been present in Russia. While Peter the Great lead the first wave of Westernization in Russia, Catherine the Great introduced the second. Like Peter, Catherine was a selective westernizer. She reformed only the areas that she deemed acceptable and harmless to her power.

Westernization not only changes how a country acts but it vastly changes how a country is viewed by others.