Westinerazation Of Russia Essay Research Paper 1Louis

Westinerazation Of Russia Essay, Research Paper 1.Louis XIV lived up to the title ?Le Grand Monarch? by building the great place of Versailles and by bring the arts back to France. He surrounded himself with luxury and had only the finest things money could buy. Yet he probably still hurt his country more than he helped it and I don?t think he was worthy of the title ?Le Grand Monarch?. 2.Versailles what the palace that was ordered to be built by Louis XIV. Versailles was the most luxurious palace of its time. The palace itself stretched an astonishing 500 yards. Versailles was built on swampy land about 11 miles southwest of Paris. Life at the palace was also handled in a royal matter, Louis spent tons of money to surround himself with luxury. Every meal was feast, he had

nearly 500 cooks and waiters to satisfy his tastes. Every morning the chief valet had the job of waking Louis at 7:30, and as soon as he woke there where one hundred of the courts finest nobles waiting and hoping to in some way help the king dress. Versailles also had problems, for example since it was huge the food was often cold by the time it got from one end of the palace to the other, there was also a water shortage. Versailles became a center of the arts during Louis?s reign as king, he made opera and ballet more popular. Some researchers have estimated that Louis spent up to 60% of France?s income of that year, on the building and up keeping of Versailles. 3.Louis XIV died unhappy because he had come to the realization that he had done more bad to France that good. His

wars had ruined the glory of France. Although he had the great palace of Versailles built he still regretted the fact that his people had suffered more than rejoiced during his reign as king. News of his death brought joy throughout the countryside. 4.One of the ways which Russia differed from the rest of Europe is that was still on a system of boyars and serfs. Serfdom lasted much longer in Russia that in western Europe, it continued in Russia into the mid-1800?s, many years after the rest of Europe had ended it. Also Russia had been under Mongol rule and was cut off the from the ages of Renaissance and Exploration. Geographical barriers also isolated Russia. Russia only had one seaport, Archangel, and it was stopped by ice much of the year. Religion was also another dividing

factor between Russia and the rest of Europe, Russians where the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity, while Western Europeans were mostly Catholics or Protestants, Russians viewed them as heretics and stayed away from them. 5.Peter knew how to go about the westernization of Russia because he had visited Western Europe first hand. He worked as a shipsmen in his stay in Western Europe. He was accompanied by 200 servants and 55 boyars, making his visit no real secret. His goal was to learn about European customs and industrial techniques which would be vital in bettering his own Russia. Although it was obvious of what Peter was doing he still insisted on keeping his identity secret he wore plain clothes and tried to act as a commoner. He worked on ships for four months. People

where soon perfectly aware of his identity, yet if a worker addressed him as ?your majesty? or ?sire? Peter would not respond. Peter also made visits to Austria and England before returning home. 6.Peter built St. Petersburg for many reasons. He wanted to promote growth and education, but mostly Peter wanted a easier way to travel west and vice versa. The city was built on a swamp which had to be won in war with Sweden. Building a city on a swamp was no easy task, every summer the army would force thousands of serfs to leave there families and jobs to go work at St. Petersburg. It is estimated that 25,000 to 100,000 serfs died from the terrible working conditions and diseases of St. Petersburg. The building of St. Petersburg showed just how much power the rulers of absolute