Santa Monica College European Economy and Politics Discussion

1.What do the decree on foreigners and the statute of the College of Manufacturers suggest about Peter I’s understanding of the role of commerce in building the power of the Russian state? In what ways was this understanding in line with broader changes in the European economy at this time?

2.Based on what you’ve learned about continental political and social history—through reading, the lecture slides, and the board discussion, why were the Portuguese and the Spanish the first to establish a permanent presence in the East, Africa, the Caribbean and the South America?

3. What were the two main characteristics of any absolutist monarch?

4.How did the rise of slavery and the plantation system change European politics and society? For part of your answer, describe some of the rules listed in the broadsheet A Sober and Wholesome Drink regarding coffee shop behavior and consider how this might have affected western society in areas with booming coffee shop cultures (such as in France).