第68节

  is</p>

  suetichapter,</p>

  hadakefraherulerof</p>

  europe.</p>

  thegreathespanishsuession,beguninthe</p>

  year1701,iediatelyafterthedeathofcharlesii,thelast</p>

  ofthespanishhabsburgs,andendedin1713bythepeace</p>

  ofutrecht,reinedequallyundecided,butithadruihe</p>

  treasuryoflouis.onlandthefrenghadbeenvictorious,</p>

  butthenaviesofenglandandhollandhadspoiledall</p>

  hopeforanultitefrentory;besidesthelongstruggle</p>

  hadgivenbirthtoaalprincipleofiional</p>

  politics,adeitiossibleforone</p>

  siiontorulethehehe</p>

  e.</p>

  thathesocalled``balanceofpoa</p>

  tenlaforthreeturiesithasbeenobeyedasclosely</p>

  asarethelaure.thepeopleedtheidea</p>

  intaihateurope,initsnationalistient,</p>

  uldonlysurvivehereshouldbeanabsolutebalance</p>

  ofthenynfligisoftheei.</p>

  nosinglepousteverbealloo</p>

  doheothers.durihirtyyearshe</p>

  habsburgshadbeeioftheapplicationofthislaw.</p>

  they,hos.theissuesduring</p>

  thatstrugglerife</p>

  thataintendencies</p>

  ofthatgreatnflieon,osee</p>

  hoisiderationsandulationsprevailin</p>

  allttersofiionaliortance.he</p>

  developntofahestatesnhthe</p>

  personalfeelingsoftheslideruleandthecashregister.jan</p>

  dethefirstsuessfulexpoofthisnehool</p>

  ofpolitics.iiihefirstgreatpupil.andlouis</p>

  xiveandglory,.</p>

  therehavebeennyotherssince.</p>

  theriseofrussia</p>

  thestoryofthesterioussvite</p>

  eireupon</p>

  thegrandpoliticalstageofeurope</p>

  intheyear1492,asyouknobusdisveredarica.</p>

  earlyintheyear,atyrolesebythenaofsups,</p>

  travellingastheheadofastificexpeditionforthe</p>

  archbishopoftyrol,andprovidedhthebestletters</p>

  ofintroduythical</p>

  toossueed.he</p>

  frontiersofthisvastsvitestatehwasvaguelysupposed</p>

  toexistireeastepartofeurope,hewas</p>

  firytuedbanersed.and</p>

  supstovisittheheathenturkinnstantinople,in</p>

  orderthatheghthavesothingtoreporttohisal</p>

  sterebackfroisexplorations.</p>

  sixtyoneyearslater,rielltodisver</p>

  thenortheastepassagetotheindies,andblownby</p>

  anillouthofthedwina</p>

  andfouevillageofkholgory,afewhours</p>

  frohespothetohangelwasfounded.</p>

  thistithefnvisitorse</p>

  tosselvestothegrandduke.they</p>

  rcialtreaty</p>

  everncludedbetheeher</p>

  nationssoonfolloethingbeohis</p>

  steriousland.</p>

  geographically,russiaisavastplain.theuraluntains</p>

  arelonobarrieragainstihe</p>

  riversarebroadbutoftenshalloerritoryfor</p>

  nods.</p>

  aneireerand</p>

  disappearedagain,slavictribes,their</p>

  hosiralasia,lesslythroughtheforests</p>

  andplainsoftheregiohederanddnieper</p>

  rivers.thegreekshadsotisttheseslavsandafew</p>

  travellersofthethirdandfourth.</p>

  otherheytleknohenevadaindians</p>

  intheyear1800.</p>

  unfortunatelyforthepeaitivepeoples,a</p>

  verynveraderouteranthroughtheiruntry.this</p>

  ainroadfroortheeuropetonstantinople.</p>

  itfolloheastofthebaltitilthenevahed.</p>

  thenitcrossedlakeladogaandsouthhe</p>

  volkhovriver.thenthroughlakeilnandupthesll</p>

  lovatriver.thentherepeuntilthednieper</p>

  hedotheblacksea.</p>

  thenorsenknehisroadataveryearlydate.in</p>

  theniurytheybegaleinnortherussia,just</p>

  asotheorsenhefoundationforindepe</p>

  statesingernyandfraintheyear862,three</p>

  norsen,brothers,all</p>

  dynasties.ofthethreebrothers,onlyone,rurik,livedfora</p>

  nuerofyears.hetookpossessionoftheterritoryofhis</p>

  brothers,andtyyearsafterthearrivalofthisfirst</p>

  norsen,aslavicstatehadbeeablishedhkievasits</p>

  capital.</p>

  froievtotheblackseaisashortdistance.soonthe</p>

  existeneknownin</p>

  nstantihisantanehezealous</p>

  ssiohechristianfaith.byzantinenksfollohe</p>

  dheirhheheartof</p>

  russia.theyfoundthepeegods</p>

  ountain</p>

  caves.theytaughtthehestoryofjesus.therewas</p>

  ionfrohesideofronssiohese</p>

  goodnoobusyedugtheheatheonsto</p>

  botheraboutthedistantslavs.hencerussiareceiveditsreligion</p>

  anditsalphabetanditsfirstideasofartandarture</p>

  frohebyzantinenksandasthebyzantineeirea</p>

  reliftheeasteroneirehadbeeveryoriental</p>

  andhadlostnyofitseuropeantraits,therussianssuffered</p>

  innsequence.</p>

  politicallyspeakingthesehegreatrussian</p>

  plainsdidnotfarehenorsehabittodivide</p>

  everyianceequallyangallthesons.nosoonerhad</p>

  asllstatebeenfouito</p>

  oineheirsulefttheirterritorytoaneverincreasing</p>

  nuerofdesdants.itall</p>

  petingstatesshouldquarrelangtheelves.anarchy</p>

  heorderoftheday.andheredgloheeaste</p>

  horizontoldthepeopleofthethreatenedinvasionofasavage</p>

  asiatictribe,thelittlestatesoooodivide</p>

  ...</p>