“small areas of the Russian homeland.”
- These areas were not “small” from the viewpoint of national economy.
Furthermore, the troops of Charles XII did severe damage to much of Poland prior to invading Russia, which wasn’t exactly beneficial to Russian trade with the European continent.
Denying that Swedish monarchs like Charles XII and Gustavus III put an end to Russian plans of expansion westwards is futile.
Charles XII and Ronald Reagan are two of the foremost heroes of Western civilization. They knew the spirit of Russia like few others.
No, I don’t hate Russia, but I believe the bear has to be tamed.
Uhh. Look at a map of Russia in 1709 versus 1795. Westward expansion seems to have proceeded quite nicely.
In fact, most of the land area controlled by Sweden in 1709 was Russian in 1795, including Finland and the Baltics.
If Charles XII had concentrated on building up the "Sweden" of 1709 rather than attempting to conquer Russia, it would probably have worked out a lot better for his country. During his reign he managed to take Sweden from a first rank status among nations to at best third-rate status.
Uhh. Look at a map of Russia in 1709 versus 1795. Westward expansion seems to have proceeded quite nicely.
In fact, most of the land area controlled by Sweden in 1709 was Russian in 1795, including Finland and the Baltics.
If Charles XII had concentrated on building up the "Sweden" of 1709 rather than attempting to conquer Russia, it would probably have worked out a lot better for his country. During his reign he managed to take Sweden from a first rank status among nations to at best third-rate status.