Question

What good and bad did Ivan the terrible do?

Answer 1

Hint:
- Ivan the Terrible, was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533-47 and also the first Tsar of all Russia from the year 1547-84.
- He gave contributions to the cultural and political shifts, which helped in reshaping Russia.

Complete answer:
Ivan the Terrible, the common name of Ivan IV Vasilyevich, was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533-47 and also the first Tsar of all Russia from the year 1547-84. Ivan had many achievements in his life. In rural regions, he introduced self-government, brought reforms in tax collection, and even introduced statutory law and church reform.

Ivan IV’s biggest legacy remains his conquests, which helped to reconfigure Russia and pushed back Tatar powers who had been controlling and invading the region for centuries. He also gave contributions to the cultural and political shifts, which helped in reshaping Russia. He also:
i) Amended the law code, the Sudebnik 1550, which established a standing army, known as the streltsy. This army would help in the future military conquests.
ii) Developed a Russian Parliament, known as the Zemsky Sobor, along with the council of the nobles, referred to as the Chosen Council.
iii) In 1553, established the Moscow Print Yard and introduced the first printing press to Russia
He left his realm far more centralised both culturally and administratively in comparison to what it was before.

The bad deeds done by him were that his methods disturbed the economy and culture. The private lands were seized by him and redistributed amongst his supporters. He also created a police force dressed all in black and riding black horses, that existed more to crush dissent than to keep the peace. He also killed his eldest son, Ivan Ivanovich, and even his unborn child.

Note:
i) In 1564, Ivan threatened to abdicate and left Moscow. But finally agreed to return on the condition that he would be granted absolute power and the established the oprichnina.
ii) This agreement changed the way the Russian state used to work and started an era of oppression, executions and state surveillance.