He tries not only to copy European absolutism, but to open up Russia to commerce, realizing that trade meant wealth and that wealth meant improvements in the lives of the Russian people.

他不仅试图仿效欧洲的绝对主义,也开放了俄国的商业贸易,他意识到贸易意味着财富,而财富则等同于俄国民众生活水平的提高

耶鲁公开课 - 欧洲文明课程节选