SEMINAR STUDIES IN HISTORYEdited by Roger Lockyer(Emeritus Reader in History, in the University of London)This famous series examines key themes in British, European and World history in short, succinct volumes. The text is supported by primary material in a Documents section, a full bibliography and an index; where appropriate there are maps, chronologies and glossaries. All the books in the series are written by experts in the field who are not only familiar with the latest research but have often contributed to it. Works of scholarship in their own right, the books also provide a survey of current historical interpretations. Longman has now inaugurated a major programme of renewal and expansion for Seminar Studies, with many new titles and new editions in the pipeline. Existing books are being re-presented in a larger, more reader-friendly format as they reprint; and new books and new editions are being reset into an entirely new page design. Peter the Great was an unusual man and a most unusual tsar. His reign (1682-1725) had a momentous impact on the development of modern Russia and a study of it is crucial for an understanding of Russia's development from backwater to twentie