catherinethegreat



Catherine II of Russia

Suresh and Arjun



====__Catherine the Great __ ====

Timeline

 May 2nd, 1729- Sophia Augusta Fredericka (Catherine II) is born in Germany June, 1744- Sophia converts to Greek Orthodoxy and renames herself Catherine in Russia June, 1744- Catherine and Grand Duke Peter (Peter III) are wed September 20th, 1754- Catherine has her first of many illegitimate children, his name is Paul 1756- War between Russia and Prussia broke out (Seven Years’ War) June 1762- Officers of Russia plan with Catherine II to depose Peter III June 28th, 1762- Peter III is officially captured by Catherine July 6th, 1762- Catherine published Peter III’s abdication and also her manifesto of accession September 22nd, 1762- Catherine is crowned as Catherine II of Russia in the Kremlin 1764- Catherine, using her influence is able to have her previous lover Stanislaus Poniatowski elected as the king of Poland 1765- Catherine founds the Free Economic Society, which was used to spread western ideas in to Russian agriculture July 30th, 1767- Catherine gathers delegates at the Kremlin in order to create her Legislative Commission Spring, 1769- Catherine begins a land war against Turkey, and also a naval battle against them 1771- Emilian Pugachev claims to be the rightful heir to the throne of Russia and rebels against Catherine 1774- Kuchuk-Kainardji treaty between Russia and Turkey, gives Russia more land 1774- Emilian Pugachev is captured and killed by Catherine 1789- The French Revolution breaks out and Catherine puts an end to any “Enlightened” methods 1791- Catherine signs the Peace of Jassy, her lover Gregori Poemkin dies 1793- Catherine broke all diplomatic ties with France November 6th, 1796- Catherine II dies

("Catherine the Great" Kochan)

media type="custom" key="3110122"



Her Various Accomplishments

 Catherine the Great was a Russian ruler that advanced Russia as a whole and made many reforms to take Russia out of the dark ages and competitive with the rest of modern Europe. However when she gained control of the country, it was in shambles. Catherine wrote of the terrible conditions of Russia in her personal journals, //“The fleet was abandoned, the army in disarray, the forts crumbling. The budget showed a deficit. No one in the imperial domains knew what the revenues of the treasury were. The state budget was not fixed precisely. Almost all branches of commerce were monopolized by private individuals. About 200,000 peasants employed in mining were in open rebellion. In several localities, peasants were refusing to obey, or pay rents to, the landowners. Justice was sold at auction. Cruel tortures and punishments were handed out for small offenses as well as for great crimes, and caused much bitterness. Everywhere the people complained of corruption, of extortion, and of all sorts of injustice.” //(McGuire 73)

 Yet Catherine was able to overcome these restrictions and made Russia into a great and modernized country. She was opposed to serfdom, though was never able to free the serfs due to the demands of the landowners. She was able to sign a decree which destroyed many royal monopolies. She was able to appoint Count Poniatowski as king of Poland. She initially canceled the takeover of church property ordered by her predecessor, but then decided to continue to appease the serfs. She was able to keep her control after this move against the clergy, and when they questioned her she responded, //“You are the successors to the Apostles who were commanded by God to teach mankind to despise riches, and who were themselves poor men. How can you presume, without offending your own consciences, to own such riches, such vast estates? If you wish to obey the laws of your own order, if you wish to be my most faithful subjects, you will not hesitate to return to the state that which you unjustly possess.” //(McGuire 77-8)

 She made other reforms in the country as well. She encouraged scientific advancements and got herself inoculated with the smallpox vaccine to show her people not to fear it. She freed the nobility from government service and taxes, giving them complete control over their serfs as well. She seized and partitioned large portions of Poland, and defeated Turkey in various wars. Through this she was able to gain a foothold on the Black Sea Coast and allow her ships to sail through the Dardanelles. She planned for large scale education, but was unable to implement it during her reign. The also encouraged the arts and sciences, inviting various famous artists to Russia. She then further encouraged trade by revoking various commercial restrictions. Also as part of her foreign policy, she led all three partitions of Poland and gained a handsome amount of land in doing so. Through engaging in the Russo-Turkish War she was able to gain a Black-Sea Coast territory and annex the Crimean Peninsula. ("Historic World Leaders") ("Encyclopedia of World Biography")

 Coupled with her foreign policy reforms were domestic reforms and general modernization. She abolished a ban preventing private printing presses, which allowed for newspapers, books, and magazines to be published. She founded hospitals and promoted vaccination, introducing reforms for the care of the sick and needy. She created a legislative commission to reform Russia’s cryptic legal system and introduced equal protection under law for everyone, and the object of preventing crime rather than simply punishing it. She wrote the “Instruction” for leading this governmental reform. She endorsed the Arts and Sciences in an attempt to make Russia a center of civilization. She also beautified St. Petersburg and encouraged painting, theatre, and music. In her memoirs, Catherine the Great recalled her many accomplishments, (McGuire 81) //“A hostel for foundlings was established, a school for the Academy of Beaux Arts, a school for the noble young girls, one for the bourgeoisie; pensions were granted to all those unfit to be employed, a bank was established in Astrakham; a fund for widows was started, and a pawn broker’s was opened. A great deal of work was put into the reform of the laws and there was an impressive amount of building.” //<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);">( Kochan 40)

<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);"> Catherine was a leader in Russian development and reform. She was able to take a country terribly in need of change and transform it into a flourishing aspect of civilization. She did great things for the country, and many appreciated these reforms. Her advances were so great that even today people look upon Catherine the Great as one of the single greatest rulers of Russia. She truly was “Great.”

<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">
 * Social, Political and Economic Background** <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
 * **Social** || **Political** || **Economic** ||
 * Daughter of minor German Prince ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Autocratic system of government ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Daughter of minor German Prince ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) ||
 * Brought westernization to Russia ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Pugachev Rebellion occurred ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Allied with Gentry ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) ||
 * Encouraged Voltaire and other poets ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Decentralized ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Created the Free Economic Society (Kochan 40, 54) ||
 * Reigned during Age of Enlightenment ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Distributed power and functions ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Created the Legislative Commission (Kochan 34, 36, 37, 39, 83) ||
 * Reigned during the Utilitarian movement ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Subdivided 15 administrative units into 50 units ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Ended restrictions on commerce ("Catherine the Great" Encyclopedia of World Biography) ||
 * Reigned during the Age of Reason ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Tried to separate judicial courts and procedures ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) ||  ||
 * Reigned during the French Revolution ("Catherine the Great" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia) || Legalized serfdom ("Catherine the Great" //Encyclopedia of World Biography//) ||  ||

media type="custom" key="3227282" <span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);">(McGuire 73) (McGuire 77-8) ("Historic World Leaders") ("Encyclopedia of World Biography")<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);"> (McGuire 81) <span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);"> ( Kochan 40)

**Quiz on Catherine the Great** 1. In 1793, Catherine the Great broke all diplomatic ties with? a. France b. Germany c. England d. Spain

2. To dispel the fear of smallpox vaccination, Catherine the Great? a. Forced people to receive it b. Prevented the use of the vaccination c. Used it herself d. None of the above

3. The main goal of the Kuchuk-Kainardji treaty between Russia and Turkey was to? a. To provide Turkey with more land b. To provide a large amount of land to Russia c. To supply Russia with more resources d. To enhance Russian military force

4. Catherine the Great deposed her husband Peter III with the help of? a. Russian government officials b. Turkish army officers c. Russian army officers d. French government officials

5. The Free Economic Society was created in order to? a. Provide all Russian peasants with equal wages b. Give the Russian government a larger budget c. Introduce western ideas into Russian agriculture d. Allow peasants the right to own a business

6. The Legislative Commission, created by Catherine, allowed? a. All Russian people the right to vote b. Russian nobility the right to control their serfs c. All Russian people to be equal in economic respects d. All Russian people to be protected under the law

7. To show the Russian people her dedication to Russia, Catherine? a. Converted to Greek Orthodoxy b. Changed her name c. Both a and b d. Neither a or b

8. During the reign of Catherine the Great, Emilian Pugachev was? a. Her lover b. The head of the Orthodox Church c. A relative of the Romanov family d. A man who claimed to be the rightful czar

9. Because Catherine the Great abolished a ban preventing private printing presses? a. Russia saw an increase in printed articles b. Nobles began to revolt in the Kremlin c. Peasants began to revolt in the countryside d. She was overthrown

10. Catherine the Great’s “Instruction” was? a. A will, describing the distribution of her wealth b. A series of documents used for governmental reform c. A declaration of war against France d. A document abolishing serfdom

Bonus Essay Question:

Evaluate Catherine the Great.

<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">  Answers:

1) A 2) C 3) B 4) C 5) C 6) D 7) C 8) D 9) A 10) B

Citation List:

"Catherine, II, the Great." Historic World Leaders. Gale Research, 1994. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC "Catherine II, the Great (1729-1796)." UXL Biographies. Online ed. Detroit: UXL, 2003. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. Upper Merion Area High School. 11 Feb. 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ2108100421&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=king46652&version=1.0>. "Catherine the Great." //Encyclopedia of World Biography//, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in //Biography Resource Center//. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC <span style="text-align: left; display: block; color: rgb(10, 0, 0);"> “Catherine the Great," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2008 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Kochan, Miriam. Catherine the Great. Hove: Wayland Publishers Ltd, 1976.

<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);">Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr., and Leslie McGuire. __<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);">Catherine __<span style="color: rgb(10, 0, 0);">. Ed. Pierre Hauser, et al. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.

<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">

Pictures courtesy of:

__**Wikimedia Commons**__

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Caravaque_catherine.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Argunov_Ekaterina_Alekseevna.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Cath2russia.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Levitzky_Portrait_Catherine_II_in_1794.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Catherine02.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Catherine_II_of_Russia.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Johann-Baptist_Lampi_d._%C3%84._001.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Katarina_den_stora.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Katharina-II-von-Russland.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Russian_Empire-1910-Bill-100-Reverse.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Katarzyna_prawodawczyni.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Katarzyna_II.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Catherine_II_Russia-v2-front.jpg

<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">