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Catherine II, Empress Of Russia (Catherine The Great) - School Essays

Catherine II, Empress Of Russia (Catherine The Great)


Catherine II, Empress of Russia (Catherine the Great)
Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, empress of Russia (1762-96), did
much to transform Russia into a modern country. Originally named Sophie
Fredericke Augusta, she was born in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland), on May
2, 1729, the daughter of the German prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. At the age of
15 she went to Russia to become the wife of Peter, nephew and heir of
Empress ELIZABETH.

Elizabeth died on Dec. 25, 1761, and Catherine's husband succeeded as
PETER III. The new ruler soon made himself unpopular, especially with
certain army officers. Led by Aleksei ORLOV (whose brother Grigori was
Catherine's lover), the officers staged a coup ...

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Nikita PANIN in foreign affairs, Aleksandr SUVOROV in the military,
and Grigory POTEMKIN in administration. Imbued with the ideas of the
Enlightenment, Catherine aimed at completing the job started by Peter I--
westernizing Russia--but she had different methods. Unlike Peter, she did
not forcibly conscript society into the service of the state, but rather
encouraged individual initiative in pursuit of self-interest. She succeeded
to a degree with the upper classes, but did nothing for the overwhelming
majority of the population--the enserfed peasantry.

To learn the needs of the country and to gain popularity, Catherine in
1767 convoked an assembly of deputies to draft a new code of laws (for
which she wrote the guidelines--the Nakaz, or Instruction). Not much came
of the venture. In 1773, Yemelian PUGACHEV led Cossacks, peasants, and
others in a revolt that engulfed large parts of eastern Russia. The revolt,
ruthlessly crushed by the army in 1775, alerted Catherine to the ...

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"Catherine II, Empress Of Russia (Catherine The Great)." Essayworld.com. October 27, 2008. Accessed March 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Catherine-II-Empress-Russia-Catherine-Great/92118.
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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 10/27/2008 10:46:03 AM
Category: Biographies
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 753
Pages: 3

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