Founded in 1703 by Peter I (Peter the Great), it was Russia's capital for around 200 years until the end of the Russia revolution. Peter the Great was the Tsar of Russia from 1682-1725. He was credited with dragging Russia out of Medieval times. He centralized the government, created a navy and modernized the army. By the time of his death in 1725, Russia was the leading European power. He wanted to build St. Petersburg to be his European paradise. After conquering the Northern War with Sweden, Russia had access to the Baltic coast which therefore made St. Petersburg one of Europe's major sea ports. Being a man who appreciated physical labour, he wanted to showcase the quality of craftsmanship the Russian workers had to offer. Palaces of the grandest scale were built for all to see, especially to show sailors traveling from over countries just how wealthy and powerful the Russian empire truly was.
Until April 1914, St. Petersburg was one of the most stable cities in all of Russia. But in 1914 after World War I, the Russian people found its name too "German" as Russia and Germany were now enemies. St. Petersburg would now be known as Petrograd. All efforts changed from building up the city to industries to aid war efforts, particularly military ammunition factories and hospitals. The war didn't go so well for Russia though. Their government was collapsing, political tensions were rising and there was a massive food shortage in the capital.
In 1918, Lenin proposed that the capital be moved to Moscow because the German army was advancing quickly and they were coming close to Petrograd. The population also dropped from 2.3 million people to 722 thousand by the end of the Civil War. In 1924 once Lenin was fully in power, the name changed again to Leningrad to symbolize the transition to a socialist society. When Leningrad collapsed in 1941 (start of World War II), it was a devastating time for those who lived there. Germany had the city surrounded and for 900 days, people were unable to have access to food or any other necessities that lied outside of the cities borders.
After the war, Leningrad was restored to its former beauty. The 70's and 80's were a period of stability for the Soviet Union but at the collapse of the Soviet Union, hardship became prevalent again. But with all this change, the city was given back its former name, St. Petersburg. Economically, St. Petersburg is still far behind Moscow but they were making a slow and steady recovery. The younger generations are starting to restore St. Petersburg to its glory in hopes to attract more tourism which will help a faster economic recovery.
