Robert K Massie, Peter The Great : His Life And World

This book covers the life and times surrounding one of the truly astounding

characters of late 17th century Europe, his progress from a frail sickly boy 2nd in line to the throne of a massive backward country, to his eventual success as a forward thinking leader of insight and courage. No one was able to stand in the way of the tidal wave of progress he initiated. He made use of military and economic advise of the major western powers of the day and used them firstly against his protagonists within Russia to consolidate his control and then against his European rivals eventually overcoming all but the most latent. He left a Russia both proud and self reliant in both industry and religion only to be modified when the rule of the Tsar was overthrown by the masses in the 20 century but his legacy lives on.