Catherine II- overthrew her husband; succession of lovers; selective westernizer; took Alaska in Russia’s name; partition of…
who followed him thought that power was a divine right and should be the absolute…
Between the 16th and 18th century, absolute monarchs were the dominant ruling powers in Europe. Catherine II was married to the Grand Duke Peter, who would inherit the Russian throne upon Empress Elizabeth’s death, Catherine II later overthrew her husband and gained access to the throne in 1762, where she ruled Russia during its Golden Age until her death in 1796. Her political views were influenced by her interest in philosophy, during her reign, she brought multiple political reforms to the Russian government. As Russia’s monarch, Catherine II expanded Russia’s borders to include lands surrounding the Black Sea and parts of Poland in three partitions that divided Poland amongst Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Catherine II favored nobles above…
Both Russian rulers largely reformed their country by introducing ideas and customs from Western Europe. Peter the Great was especially known for his trip to Western Europe and bringing back knowledge of finance, politics, military, etc. Through his reform of the military system and the nobility and construction of many factories, Peter brought Russia up to the surface from its longtime submersion under the ice. Catherine the Great was known for her adoption of Enlightenment ideas, even if she wasn’t able to get far in applying those ideas in Russia.…
2. . Catherine the Great: German born Russian tsarina in the 18th century; ruled after the assassination of her husband; gave appearance of enlightened rule…
A. “The People's Princess had unlocked hearts, reordered values, presided at the triumph of emotional intelligence over cold intellect, of compassion over tradition” (Catherine, 2007).…
While Peter the Great lead the first wave of Westernization in Russia, Catherine the Great introduced the second. Like Peter, Catherine was a selective westernizer; reforming only such areas as she deemed acceptable and harmless to her power. She flirted with with Western ideals of a more democratic government and invited several philosophers for visits and patronizing the arts and sciences. However, she did not allow serfs…
Catherine the Great was an absolutist leader who preached the benefits of the Enlightenment but made policy decisions in complete contradiction to Enlightenment ideals. After the death of her husband, Peter III (which Catherine may or may not have instigated) she assembled a legislative commission to draft a document that would reform Russia's code of laws. Not only were the serfs not represented at this meeting, but after the Pugachev uprising, Catherine dismissed the commission altogether, choosing to draft the code herself. Her reforms of the Russian government only reinforced to the power of the oppressive Russian nobility and increased serfdom within Russia and her newly conquered frontiers and colonies. Catherine's reign was rife with cronyism at its most severe, friends and lovers were granted complete control over huge swathes of land and the people who lived within them, tens of thousands of people were forced into virtual slavery due to the mere fact that their new landlord was an ex-lover of the Empress. The dissatisfaction of…
After that, she began improving the conditions of Russia. She began with a plan to significantly improve the education in Russia. While the whole plan didn’t follow through, she did add lots of schools to Russia. Another major impact she had was on Russia’s economy at the time. Catherine was concerned about the current state of the countries economy, so she removed some rules that were blocking trade.…
Compare and contrast the extent to which the French Revolution (1789-1799) and the Russian Revolution (1917-1924) changed the status of women.…
Catherine was actually an italian born politician who had a passion for politics, architecture and she was also esteemed at the dazzling court of Francis the first . She was not born royalty but she married Henry the second. Catherine designed a few buildings like the Tuileries and the Chenonceaux was what she…
Catherine the Great was an absolutist leader who preached the benefits of the Enlightenment but made policy decisions in complete contradiction to Enlightenment ideals. After the death of her husband, Peter III (which Catherine may or may not have instigated) she assembled a legislative commission to draft a document that would reform Russia 's code of laws. Not only were the serfs not represented at this meeting, but after the Pugachev uprising, Catherine dismissed the commission altogether, choosing to draft the code herself. Her reforms of the Russian government only reinforced to the power of the oppressive Russian nobility and increased serfdom within Russia and her newly conquered frontiers and colonies. Catherine 's reign was rife with cronyism at its most severe, friends and lovers were granted complete control over huge swathes of land and the people who lived within them, tens of thousands of people were forced into virtual slavery due to the mere fact that their…
Catherine the Great was a prominent figure in Dashkova’s memoir. Not only did they share many similar values, but the Duchess Catherine also “did any serious reading, … knew how to exert whenever she wanted to win over anyone” (pg. 36). She also acquired the mutual ambition of overthrowing her husband, Peter III, and claiming…
Following in the footsteps of the Enlightenment, Catherine began her reign with beginning a reform, or trying to improve social conditions. She proposed an advanced set of laws for Russia called “The Instruction”. She focused on topics such as preventing crime instead of harsh punishments and equal rights. Catherine also spent time furthering the country’s educational system. The people of Russia admired her for doing something to improve their lives. Trying to make peace with foreign affairs such as revolts in Poland, Turkey and Austria consumed her reign until 1774.…
Catherine encouraged horse, sheep, and cattle breeding. She offered grants for farmers to purchase new machinery and learn western methods. Catherine “acknowledged that not a small number of such regions still lie fallow, that could be advantageously and easily most usefully utilized to be populated and lived in” (Germans From Russia). She offered pleasing terms in…