In Russian history, the 18th century was characterized by significant changes in the political, economic, social and cultural fabric of Russian life that modified the isolated position of Muscovite Russia and the mentality of Middle Ages in modernization and westernization. The driving force of the reform is attributed to Peter the Great, whose reign (1694-1725) inaugurated European ideas, models, customs and philosophies. Accepted or not, government intervention was evident in almost every aspect of life. The Petrine reforms, despite being broad and complex, can generally be classified into the following areas: military; administrative; ecclesiastical; economic and fiscal; cultural; and social. A summary of the reforms, their effect and their significance for Russia is examined here. The Muscovite past was irreversibly changed, but the Petrine reforms did not represent a particular break with Russian tradition, as demonstrated by institutions such as serfdom and the faith of the Old Believers. Instead, Peter initiated a shift towards a new perspective of consciousness that must be balanced between what worked and what did not work for Russia and its people. However, the character of the reforms was not uniform and proved difficult to sustain in the following years. During Peter's reign, only one year was spent in peace when Russia was not at war (Ria p. 251). Starting with the war with Turkey in 1695, Peter waged wars against Sweden, Poland, or the Ottoman Empire throughout the era. Peter's foreign policy was ambitious: he sought to reconquer territories thought to be historically Russian such as the Baltic states, Poland, and Ukraine; sought access to international waterways; and aimed at the... center of the paper... so as to support its weight. There was so much evidence that Peter assumed power illegitimately, through tricks such as exchanging the real tsar during our trip abroad. Indeed, the success of the reforms in some areas and the failure in others makes the entire reform a complex and difficult picture to judge critically. The government was inefficient, succession was not assured, and it was superficial because, in reality, it only influenced and empowered the nobility. Interestingly, this nobility, created by the Petrine reforms, will lead the schism between the upper classes and the tsar's government. The way traditions were kept intact, while reform was expressed outwardly, threw Russia into a confused state. Beneath the new clothes and clean-shaven faces, the Russian mentality struggled to reconcile the old and the new.