by the 18th century, destabilization of its political system brought poland to the brink of civil war. the commonwealth was facing many internal problems and was vulnerable to foreign influences. an outright war between the king and the nobility broke out in 1715, and tsar peter the great's mediation put him in a position to further weaken the state. the russian army was present at the silent sejm of 1717, which limited the size of the armed forces to 24,000 and specified its funding, reaffirmed the destabilizing practice of "liberum veto", and banished the king's saxon army; the tsar was to serve as guarantor of the agreement. western europe's increasing exploitation of resources in the americas rendered the commonwealth's supplies less crucial.