第68节

    is

    suetichapter,

    hadakefraherulerof

    europe.

    thegreathespanishsuession,beguninthe

    year1701,iediatelyafterthedeathofcharlesii,thelast

    ofthespanishhabsburgs,andendedin1713bythepeace

    ofutrecht,reinedequallyundecided,butithadruihe

    treasuryoflouis.onlandthefrenghadbeenvictorious,

    butthenaviesofenglandandhollandhadspoiledall

    hopeforanultitefrentory;besidesthelongstruggle

    hadgivenbirthtoaalprincipleofiional

    politics,adeitiossibleforone

    siiontorulethehehe

    e.

    thathesocalled``balanceofpoa

    tenlaforthreeturiesithasbeenobeyedasclosely

    asarethelaure.thepeopleedtheidea

    intaihateurope,initsnationalistient,

    uldonlysurvivehereshouldbeanabsolutebalance

    ofthenynfligisoftheei.

    nosinglepousteverbealloo

    doheothers.durihirtyyearshe

    habsburgshadbeeioftheapplicationofthislaw.

    they,hos.theissuesduring

    thatstrugglerife

    thataintendencies

    ofthatgreatnflieon,osee

    hoisiderationsandulationsprevailin

    allttersofiionaliortance.he

    developntofahestatesnhthe

    personalfeelingsoftheslideruleandthecashregister.jan

    dethefirstsuessfulexpoofthisnehool

    ofpolitics.iiihefirstgreatpupil.andlouis

    xiveandglory,.

    therehavebeennyotherssince.

    theriseofrussia

    thestoryofthesterioussvite

    eireupon

    thegrandpoliticalstageofeurope

    intheyear1492,asyouknobusdisveredarica.

    earlyintheyear,atyrolesebythenaofsups,

    travellingastheheadofastificexpeditionforthe

    archbishopoftyrol,andprovidedhthebestletters

    ofintroduythical

    toossueed.he

    frontiersofthisvastsvitestatehwasvaguelysupposed

    toexistireeastepartofeurope,hewas

    firytuedbanersed.and

    supstovisittheheathenturkinnstantinople,in

    orderthatheghthavesothingtoreporttohisal

    sterebackfroisexplorations.

    sixtyoneyearslater,rielltodisver

    thenortheastepassagetotheindies,andblownby

    anillouthofthedwina

    andfouevillageofkholgory,afewhours

    frohespothetohangelwasfounded.

    thistithefnvisitorse

    tosselvestothegrandduke.they

    rcialtreaty

    everncludedbetheeher

    nationssoonfolloethingbeohis

    steriousland.

    geographically,russiaisavastplain.theuraluntains

    arelonobarrieragainstihe

    riversarebroadbutoftenshalloerritoryfor

    nods.

    aneireerand

    disappearedagain,slavictribes,their

    hosiralasia,lesslythroughtheforests

    andplainsoftheregiohederanddnieper

    rivers.thegreekshadsotisttheseslavsandafew

    travellersofthethirdandfourth.

    otherheytleknohenevadaindians

    intheyear1800.

    unfortunatelyforthepeaitivepeoples,a

    verynveraderouteranthroughtheiruntry.this

    ainroadfroortheeuropetonstantinople.

    itfolloheastofthebaltitilthenevahed.

    thenitcrossedlakeladogaandsouthhe

    volkhovriver.thenthroughlakeilnandupthesll

    lovatriver.thentherepeuntilthednieper

    hedotheblacksea.

    thenorsenknehisroadataveryearlydate.in

    theniurytheybegaleinnortherussia,just

    asotheorsenhefoundationforindepe

    statesingernyandfraintheyear862,three

    norsen,brothers,all

    dynasties.ofthethreebrothers,onlyone,rurik,livedfora

    nuerofyears.hetookpossessionoftheterritoryofhis

    brothers,andtyyearsafterthearrivalofthisfirst

    norsen,aslavicstatehadbeeablishedhkievasits

    capital.

    froievtotheblackseaisashortdistance.soonthe

    existeneknownin

    nstantihisantanehezealous

    ssiohechristianfaith.byzantinenksfollohe

    dheirhheheartof

    russia.theyfoundthepeegods

    ountain

    caves.theytaughtthehestoryofjesus.therewas

    ionfrohesideofronssiohese

    goodnoobusyedugtheheatheonsto

    botheraboutthedistantslavs.hencerussiareceiveditsreligion

    anditsalphabetanditsfirstideasofartandarture

    frohebyzantinenksandasthebyzantineeirea

    reliftheeasteroneirehadbeeveryoriental

    andhadlostnyofitseuropeantraits,therussianssuffered

    innsequence.

    politicallyspeakingthesehegreatrussian

    plainsdidnotfarehenorsehabittodivide

    everyianceequallyangallthesons.nosoonerhad

    asllstatebeenfouito

    oineheirsulefttheirterritorytoaneverincreasing

    nuerofdesdants.itall

    petingstatesshouldquarrelangtheelves.anarchy

    heorderoftheday.andheredgloheeaste

    horizontoldthepeopleofthethreatenedinvasionofasavage

    asiatictribe,thelittlestatesoooodivide

    ...