Peter The Great

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When Peter the Great was ten, he became the crowned tsar of Russia. And he believed that whatever he wanted, he should have, and the sooner the better. Peter wanted two things most of all: for Russia to be like Europe, and for his country to have a naval port full of beautiful ships. So when he was grown, he travelled West—the first tsar to leave Russia—to see and to learn. Wherever he went, he asked, 'What does it do?' and 'How does it work?' When Peter returned to Russia a year and a half later, he brought with him ten shiploads of modern equipment and over eight hundred specialists to work for his country. The Russians weren't prepared for so much change, but Peter got his way. Russia was modern at last! And as for Peter's second dream, he began to build a naval port and glittering capital city to be called St. Petersburg!