What are some short-term and long-term effects Peter the Great had on history?

Peter the
Great's lasting legacy came out of his policies of westernization. When he was still young, he
actually traveled throughout Western Europe, and when he returned back to Russia, he implemented
reforms based on what he observed. These would have lasting effects in shaping the the Russian
Empire for generations to follow.

Peter the Great created the first modern
standing army in Russian history (inspired by what he observed from the military reforms in the
West). He implemented military drafts to create an infantry, hired Western military experts to
train his soldiers, and invested in Western-style armaments to equip them. At the same time, he
also invested in a navy. Under Peter the Great, Russia's military power expanded
dramatically.

In addition to military reforms, there were also administrative
reforms under Peter the Great: he created new forms of taxation as well as state monopolies to
increase state finances. He also instituted the Table of Ranks, which tied the Nobility to the
interests through the states because it

required all male
nobles to enter state service and serve in the army, navy, or bureaucracy, and allowed commoners
who rose through the bureaucracy or military to assume noble titles."(Merriman,
274)

In short, Peter the Great had a profound influence
on Russian political and social culture, overseeing a policy of extensive westernization. In
doing so, he dramatically increased his country's military power and did much the same for the
political power of the Russian state.

Citation Note: In answering this
question, I drew heavily on the following source for information on the various reforms carried
out under Peter the Great: John Merriman, Aof Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to
the Present (Third Edition). New York: W. W. Norton, 2010.
(271-277).