3 ms·

I highly recommend Robert Massie's book Peter the Great, a truly fantastic read that goes in depth on the origin of the beard tax (modernization program) and as

• xutopia 8y ago
  I'm not finding any good rationale for the beard tax. Does the book say why he thought this would be a good idea?
  • orbital-decay 8y ago
    I haven't read the book, but one explanation is a power grab from the Church. Prior to Peter's reforms, the beard was essential to orthodox christian tradition and culture, walking around "barefaced" ("босое рыло") was considered a sin. Forcing people to cut the beard was a strong indication of his authoritarian ambitions, and a step to make Russia a more secular state according to his vision of a modern country. The tax was extremely unpopular and led to occasional riots and even suicides (as a form of protest particularly popular among Old Believers half a century before Peter I during Raskol), but in the end he succeeded in changing the culture - the ban was partially lifted a century after that, but it was considered inappropriate to wear a beard since then, unless you was a priest or an elderly person. He did plenty of similar things, for example ordering the Boyars to cut their long sleeves (a traditional status symbol of a feudal who doesn't need to work) which was a thinly veiled message for them that the old power structure was obsolete and new institutions were coming.