Russia Into A Modern Country example essay topic

Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, empress of Russia (1762-96), did much to transform Russia into a modern country. Originally named SophieFredericke 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.

The new ruler soon made himself unpopular, especially with certain army officers. Led by Aleksey ORLOV (whose brother Grigori was Catherine's lover), the officers staged a coup in June 1762. Peter was deposed (and subsequently 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 PAN IN in foreign affairs, Aleksandr SUVOROV in the military, and Gregory POTEMKIN in administration. Imbued with the ideas of the Enlightenment, Catherine aimed at completing the job started by Peter -- 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 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 Naka z, or Instruction). Not much came of the venture. In 1773, Ye melian 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);
Ma roger, Dominique, ed., Memoirs of Catherine the Great, trans. by M. Bud berg (1961);
Oldenburg, Zoe, Catherine the Great, trans. by Anne Carter (1965);
Raff, Marc, ed., Catherine the Great: A Profile (1972).