1. What did the Russian and Qing Empires have in common, and how did these common features affect the relationship between the two?
2. How and why did the role of the Jesuits as transmitters of European ideas differ in Russia, China, and Japan?
3. How did the Russian Empire emerge to be one of the major powers of Europe by 1750?
4. Why did Peter the Great wish to modernize Russia on the Western Model?