ABSTRACT
Ivan the Terrible sought, however irrationally at times, to expand considerably the borders of Muscovy and to unify and control the lands he ruled. Everyone agrees that Ivan the Terrible was violent and cruel and acted at times in a paranoiac fashion. His general levels of ability and intelligence remain in dispute as well. Ivan attempted both to build up the strength of Russia and to rationalize and improve its governance. Ivan placed high priority on improving the army's fighting capacity. Boris Godunov had two strikes against Ivan the Terrible. Although he promoted trade and ties with the West, he could do little to overcome Moscow's fundamental economic problems: declining agriculture and huge losses caused by Ivan's wars. During the Time of Troubles, one common thread was the search for the "true" tsar, and again and again, the people, from both the upper and the lower classes, rallied around a pretender, no matter how flimsy his claims.
