Austria, Prussia, and Russia: The Rise of Central and Eastern Europe

While Poland will weaken and will eventually collapse, Austria, Prussia, and Russia will rise as they begin to consolidate power. To help us dive deeper into the topic, we'll address the following questions:

1. Why were Poland and the surrounding territories particularly conducive for Jewish life to flourish?
2. Even as European society modernized, why were Prussian aristocrats still drawn to military service?
3. Why had Russia historically been culturally distinct from western Europe, and why did Peter the Great attempt to westernize Russia?