We will discuss the grandest royal court that ever existed, one that was the envy of Europe at the time. The political, military, economic and artistic aspects of King Louis’s government will be covered, as well as his foreign policy, that were initially successful but their later decline made the once celebrated sovereign increasingly unpopular. Louis’ extraordinarily long reign also had significant effects on his society until the French Revolution.

Following the First World War,Finland abandoned decades of neutrality in 2023 to join the United States in the NATO Alliance.  Following the First World War, it was a newly independent nation adrift in a perilous European international system.  From 1939 to 1944, Finland fought two wars with the Soviet Union.  What does Finland’s history of that period tell us about the dilemmas of a small, democratic state seeking to maintain its independence under pressure from much larger and aggressive neighbors governed by totalitarian dictatorships?  What role did Finland play in the European diplomacy of that moment?  Did Finland win or lose those wars with the Soviets?  Why did it join NATO, and what does it bring to that alliance. newly independent Finland was a