Peter left to his heirs a country which was militarily strong but economically ruined by a series of wars, and psychologically depressed and confused. The death of the Emperor triggered a fierce struggle between groups of the nobility. As a result of this struggle Catherine I (1725) ascended to the Russian throne. But in fact power in the vast empire belonged to the all-powerful Menshikov.
After the death of Catherine I (1727) a grandson of Peter the Great, young Peter II ascended to the throne. He turned out to be an instrument in the struggle for power between Menshikov and the Dolgoruki family. After his death the Russian nobility decided to invite to the Russian throne a niece of Peter I, the Courland Duchess Anna Ioannovna, limiting her autocratic powers. After being crowned she nonetheless rejected these conditions and ruled for 10 years (1730-1740) as an autocratic Empress.
After her death a one-year old baby, Ioann Antonovich (Ioann VI), the grand nephew of Anna Ioannovna, was proclaimed the Russian Emperor.
After a year Ioann VI was dethroned as a result of another palace revolution, and a daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth (Yelizaveta) ascended to the Russian throne. The reign of Elizabeth (1741-1761) was marked by growth in the Russian economy.
In reality internal Russian policy was ruled by Piotr Shuvalov. His name is associated with significant economic reforms: abolition of internal customs and the organization of external commerce. Russia kept a favourable balance of trade: exports in 1749 reached 6.9 million roubles and imports 5.7 million.
During the reign of Elizabeth the Russian Army participated in the Seven Years' War and won several major victories. Peter's tradition of dedication to culture was also revived: in 1755 Moscow University was founded and the Academy of Sciences resumed its activity.