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If you hung out with Peter when he was a boy, you would have a really good time, but you might loose a few limbs. Have you ever built forts and had battles with your friends? It was one of young Pete's favorite games. Except when Peter played war with his friends, they REALLY were soldiers. And instead of iron canon balls, they used leather canon balls. (Ever get hit by a leather canon ball? No? I am guessing it would hurt.)
From games of war to real battles, this incorrigible young boy would grow up to be one of Russia 's most forceful leaders. But to many critics, Peter was a brutal tyrant who forced his policies on Russia at the price of precious lives. Thousands of Russians fled to other countries to escape Peter's forced labor and the army draft. When a male of a Russian family was drafted into Peter's army, the family would have a funeral because they knew they would never see their son again. And while Peter was out behaving like a naughty frat boy, his people struggled to put food on the table.
His supporters would point out that everything Peter did was for the good of Russia . Peter saw change as necessary for his country's survival. With the energy of ten men, he built up the first Russian navy, reorganized the army, opened schools, and expanded Russia 's territories. And he accomplished all of this while consuming large amounts of vodka and partying like a rock star. When Peter died, he left behind a Russia with a powerful army and a new modern capital where art and new ideas could flourish.
To decide whether Peter was a big jerk or a dynamic leader read the debate between two historians >>
 
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Peter the Great 
