WAS CATHERINE THE GREAT A GREAT RULER?
Melanie Taylor
History 352
12/10/17
Was Catherine the Great a Great Ruler?
Catherine the Great, also known as Catherine II, ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796. She ruled for 34 years which was the longest a female ever ruled Russia. Although Catherine the Great is known for putting personal affairs ahead of Russian affairs, she did accomplish a lot during her reign. She brought Western thought processes to Russia which would affect Russia for centuries. She also brought great works of print, art, and literature from the west into Russia. Born in Germany in 1729, she was an eager student of the Enlightenment. She studied and memorized Enlightenment thoughts, concepts, and ideas. Along with Enlightenment thought, Catherine focused on foreign affairs, arts, education, and the expansion of Russian territory. She ruled through reforms, scandal, and corruption. She seemed to want the best for her Russian people. However, while she talked about change, she did not always act on her words. She accomplished a lot but could have accomplished more. Catherine could have made the biggest impact, in Russia, if she abolished serfdom and provided a better quality of life for peasants and the serfs. They were the majority of her population. She was torn between Enlightenment thinking and a love for power. I believe an Enlighted ruler would have wanted the best for all classes of people. If Catherine was truly a great leader, she would have
Cleopatra was years ahead of her time in terms of political agenda and intellectual warfare. Cleopatra should be known as an important individual in history because of her influence in the direction of Egyptian history. She was extremely intelligent, calculating, and a master of manipulation. She used her power of sexual appeal to benefit herself and her status with society. Cleopatra had strong relations with powerful men of the era, but she still managed to surpass them with her superior intellect, and abuse their lustful obedience. Her beauty was a subject and also an inspiration for art in popular Western culture. Cleopatra’s importance in Europe should be known because she greatly impacted social development.
Catherine the Great, also known as Catherine II, born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, seized the throne in 1762. When Russia was an absolute monarchy that was placed at the despotic end of the spectrum which extended through the Prussia to the France and only abstained in 1796 upon her death. Catherine was known as a 'Cultural Minerva', according to one of Catherines early biographers, Alexander Briickner, “She liked to be called Minerva. ... She greatly needed to be praised all the time. ... The thought of failure was most difficult for her." It was from this that she erected the Hermitage in 1764, also in this year she became the the founder and patron of the Russian Academy of Arts. Each of these both show her to be a woman of great pride, and authority, if it was not for her 'personal vanity' she would not have aimed for these titles. Though this may seem overtly pessimistic Catherine lost interest quickly in the Academy of Arts after she became its patron. Falconet, a contemporary writer, criticized the Russian Minerva for neglecting the institution founded under her auspices. Though she did neglect the Academy of Arts due to her vanity, she was a true collector of antiquities, as the Hermitage was her personal gallery to demonstrate her wealth. It was the Hermitage which imbued power throughout Russia, the museum was what Foucault would call the perfect "other" place, or "heterotopia," "a kind of effectively enacted utopia in which the real sites, all the other real sites that can be found within the culture, are simultaneously represented, contested, and inverted.' Other academics such as Karen Dovey, refers to different forms of power; 'power over' and the 'power under.' Catherine uses the 'power over' as it is the power over one agent (or group) over another, the power to ensure compliance over the other one's will. This is how Catherine ran her authoritarian state. Dovey, also speaks about ways in which the 'power over' can be implemented; such as seduction, authority, or domination, which Catherine was guilty of employing all of those tactics, many of them were just using the Hermitage to intimidate the society by showing her grandeur.
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most influential women in the history of Europe, having been a queen to rulers of both France and England, along with having significant political and economic power in her own right. She served as an example to all women, during a period where there was increasing development in the female s role in society. Eleanor was a patron of the arts, and she was also a powerful personality, influencing the politics of the day with the help of her sons, and maintaining a certain degree of control over the monarchy even after her marriage to Henry had ended.
Catherine the Great was an amazing ruler and because of the changes that she made and the opportunities that she made available, she also made Russia great. Although she was a strict ruler, she did it for the good of her
The woman who was to become Catherine the Great was born Sophie Augusta Fredericka. During her teen years Sophie blossomed into a beautiful young woman and had excellent health. She later went on to marry Peter III the future emperor and grandson of Peter the Great. During her reign as empress Catherine encountered many conflicts, which she surpassed so successfully that even now so many years after her death she is still remembered. Even though she was known to have many lovers during her lifetime and had three illegitimate children two of who survived, her strong spirit, willingness to make Russia a better place, and her political victories made her one of the greatest empress ever.
Catherine the Great is a absolute monarchy the reason why Catherine the Great is a absolute monarchy is because she intended on modernizing her country. She had ruled as the Empress of Russia more than thirty years after Peter III (husband) had been murdered but however Peter the Great had been using force. But Catherine decided to establish reforms that would improve the Russians society that wouldn't require her to use force on her people. She had improved education for the middle class and nobles but she had also modern agriculture. But while under her leadership the Russians had gained military success and territory. Russian was brought to the modern age but not only that it was also retaining an absolute monarchy by the time she had died in 1796.
Over the years one ruler that was known for his huge actions was Joseph Stalin. The Soviet Union was a communist country and Stalin wanted to do anything he can to have this country under his complete rule. One action he took was to instill fear on his citizens. “Creating fear was easy…the NKVD had blanketed the country with informers” (Marrin Doc 8). Another thing he did was use his power to influence the people to do what he pleased. Such as using the Pravda Newspaper to only promote what the communist party wanted people to know. “Although its name means “truth” Pravda reported only what Communist Party wanted
34. Catherine the Great of Russia did what? built a strong alliance with the nobility
Every nation has a particular figure who rules the country. Throughout the world, there have been a tremendous number of presidents, kings, and queens. They leave their own achievements either in the political or diplomatic area, which future generations, such as historians and the public, evaluate to determine whether the accomplishments are effective. Among all the British kings and queens, Queen Elizabeth I is regarded as the most influential queen, since she brought about a great change in her nation. Elizabeth paved the way for Britain becoming the British Empire through her resolutions of the conflicts of religion and military forces, spreading the trend of slavery and the use of English, which allowed the British Empire enjoy its governance in the world for decades.
She was the shining light in nearly four decades of disappointing rulers. Her Rise to power after overthrowing Peter III, she initially reversed all his decrees that he administered in his short reign. Catherine reestablished the autocratic rule in Russia. She believed that there should be one ruler, even denying the Senates offer of helping her in her rule. Catherine followed many of the practices that Peter the Great had done during his time as emperor. For instance, Catherine became the first leader since Peter to tour the Russian Empire, which became known as the Imperial Tour. Her reason for the tour was to issue a uniform rule in Russia. One thing Catherine attempted to administer was her Bolshoi Nakaz otherwise known as “The Great Instruction.” The Great Instruction was a compilation of various text that Catherine brought together to set up how law and Russia should be. “She went beyond Peter the Great by maintaining that government should be constrained by certain fundamental principles” (Moss, 270). Unfortunately, this was never administered. Catherine created the Charter of the Nobility which gave nobility a clear separate title along with complete control over serfs and other perks as
The Enlightenment was a period of time that intellectual ideas and philosophical views dominated the 18th century. From the Enlightenment arose many despots that brought new reforms to the country of which they ruled. The Enlightened despots were absolute monarchs that sought legal, religious, and educational reforms. Success or failure Catherine the Great, Frederick the Great, and Joseph II came to as the most noticeable Enlightened Despots.
When Catherine the Great was in her teen years, she had brown hair that was very long, brown dark eyes, her face was slightly pale and she had rosy cheeks. She always wore queen attire or big dresses and her crown or something on her head. As she got older her face became more wrinkled but she tried to stay looking young. Her dresses became bigger and prettier and more mature. She was pretty, smart, rich, and very straight forward with her work.
Alexander the Great was born in Pella, Macedonia. He was the conqueror and king of Macedonia. During his leadership he united the Greek city-states and led the Corinthian league. He also became the king of Persia, Babylon, and Asia. He extended his empire all the way to Egypt. Alexander the Great was successful at conquering massive empires because he attributed all of the qualities of an ideal leader.
"I shall be an autocrat: that 's my trade. And the good lord will forgive me: that 's his" ("Catherine II: quote on leadership"). In history there have been many good examples of good and powerful leaders. A person who exemplifies good leadership; protects one’s nation, is a strong speaker and communicator, is confident, and can organize a well developed government system. Catherine the second, was a Russian ruler. She was ultimately one of the most powerfulest rulers. Many believe that Catherine ruled during a period, in which was considered by many, a golden age for Russia. A golden age is when a civilization has reached a period of peace, unity, prosperity, and achievements. In the year 1762, Catherine was crowned Empress of Russia. Catherine’s motive of ruling Russia, was to make it a powerful union by spreading and expanding education, and making a national culture. Despite many failures such as not improving the lives of serfs, who were the majority of the Russian population and it has been said by many that she ruled through dishonesty and scandal, Catherine the Great was ultimately a successful leader of Russia. Due to the wonderful accomplishments she made and all of the admiration she received from the people, therefore earned the powerful title of Catherine the Great ("Prominent Russians: Catherine II the Great"). Although she never accepted the title of Catherine the Great, she
Throughout time, many women have tried to put a mark on this world, but many have failed. Catherine de Medici is one of the few that made an immense impact on society and who eventually became Queen of France.