107 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
107 lines
6.5 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
|
|
ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
|
|
ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
|
|
Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
|
|
ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
|
|
ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
|
|
ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
|
|
ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
|
|
ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
|
|
ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
|
|
ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
|
|
|
|
Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
|
|
[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Report on Catherine II, ]
|
|
[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Empress of Russia. ]
|
|
[x]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
|
|
[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
|
|
|
|
Dizzed: 10/94 # of Words:772 School: ? State: ?
|
|
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
|
|
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 in June 1762. Peter was
|
|
deposed (and subsequentle murdered), and Catherine became absolute ruler of
|
|
the largest European empire, whose language she never learned to speak
|
|
correctly and without accent.
|
|
|
|
At the age of 33, Catherine was not only a handsome woman (whose
|
|
numerous love affairs dominate the popular accounts of her life), but also
|
|
unusually well read and deeply involved in the cultural trends of her age.
|
|
She was a tireless worker and knew how to select capable assistants--for
|
|
example, 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 necessity
|
|
for reform. In 1775, she reorganized the local administration, integrated
|
|
the Cossacks into the regular army, and put the serfs belonging to the
|
|
Russian Orthodox church under the administration of the state. In 1785, she
|
|
issued two charters--to the towns and to the nobility--to involve the
|
|
educated classes in local administration in return for protection of their
|
|
status and property rights.
|
|
|
|
In a similar spirit, Catherine established (1765) the Free Economic
|
|
Society to encourage the modernization of agriculture and industry. She
|
|
promoted trade and the development of underpopulated regions by inviting
|
|
foreign settlers such as the Volga Germans, and she founded new towns
|
|
(Odessa, for example) and enterprises on the Black Sea. Herself a prolific
|
|
writer, Catherine patronized arts and letters, permitted the establishment
|
|
of private printing presses, and relaxed censorship rules. Under her
|
|
guidance the University of Moscow and the Academy of Sciences became
|
|
internationally recognized centers of learning; she also increased the
|
|
number of state and private schools. As a result, the Russian nobility (and
|
|
some townspeople) also began to organize associations for the promotion of
|
|
schools and publications. Catherine, who did not want to surrender control
|
|
over social and cultural policy, viewed these activities with suspicion.
|
|
The outbreak of the French Revolution (1789) and the publication of
|
|
Aleksandr Radishchev's Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow (1790), in
|
|
which the author denounced the evils of serfdom, the immorality of society,
|
|
and the abuses of government, prompted Catherine to impose repressive
|
|
measures, which in turn alienated many of the educated.
|
|
|
|
Finally, Catherine vastly expanded the Russian empire. Following two
|
|
successful wars against Turkey (the RUSSO-TURKISH WARS of 1768-74 and
|
|
1787-92), Russia secured the Crimea and thus realized a centuries-old dream
|
|
of establishing itself on the north shore of the Black Sea. The fertile
|
|
lands of the Ukraine were also opened for settlement and soon became the
|
|
granary of Europe. Catherine also participated in the partitions of Poland
|
|
(1772, 1792, and 1795), bringing a large part of that country under Russian
|
|
rule.
|
|
|
|
By the time of Catherine's death (Nov. 17, 1796), modern Russian
|
|
society was organized and its culture had struck firm roots. Russia was
|
|
also playing a determining role in world affairs.
|
|
|
|
Bibliography: Alexander, John T., Catherine the Great: Life and
|
|
Legend (1989); Cronin, Vincent, Catherine, Empress of All the
|
|
Russians (1978); Grey, Ian, Catherine the Great (1961; repr.
|
|
1975); Maroger, Dominique, ed., Memoirs of Catherine the Great,
|
|
trans. by M. Budberg (1961); Oldenbourg, Zoe, Catherine the
|
|
Great, trans. by Anne Carter (1965); Raeff, Marc, ed.,
|
|
Catherine the Great: A Profile (1972).
|