Final answer:
The capital of Russia from 1732 to 1918 was St. Petersburg, built by Peter the Great and serving as a key city during the expansion of the Russian Empire. The city's name changed to Petrograd and then to Leningrad after the fall of the Russian monarchy and was renamed back to St. Petersburg after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Step-by-step explanation:
The capital of Russia from 1732 to 1918 was St. Petersburg. This period encapsulates the city's prominence under the rule of Czar Peter the Great in the 18th century and continues until the end of the Russian Empire with the last Tsar Nicholas II's reign.
Initially, the city was built by Peter the Great with the assistance of European architects to create a metropolis that could match other European capitals in splendor and significance. St. Petersburg was pivotal in Russia's expansion as the empire grew to become the largest kingdom in the world, reaching from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
Following the fall of the Russian monarchy and the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), St. Petersburg underwent name changes, first to Petrograd and then to Leningrad, celebrating Vladimir Lenin. However, with the ascension of Moscow after two centuries of Mongol rule, the significance of St. Petersburg adjusted as Moscow came to be seen as the "Third Rome", especially after it became the capital once again post-1918.