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 Szczecin, Poland, on May 2, 1729. She was the daughter of the German prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. At the age of 15 she went to Russia to become the wife of Peter, who is a nephew and a 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 his army officers. Led by Aleksei Orlov, the officers plan a revolt in June 1762. Peter was deposed and also murdered, and Catherine became the absolute ruler of Russia. Catherine was not only an Empress with ambitions, she was a powerful and a smart Empress. She knew whom to use for a specific job and they respected her for those reasons.
Filled with brilliant ideas, Catherine aimed at completing the job started by Peter I, westernizing Russia. However, she was planning on using different methods from Peter the Great. Unlike Peter, she did not force her citizens to be westernized, but she gave more options to them and encouraged them to pursue their own interest. It was successful to most of the noble families, but it took no effect on the huge population of serfs. To learn more about the needs of the country, she held assemblies, but didn¯t really help her that much. In 1773, Yemelian Pugachev led Cossacks, peasants, and others to a revolt that engulfed large chunks of eastern Russia. The revolt, ruthlessly crushed by the army in 1775, warned Catherine about the necessity for reforms. In 1775, she reorganized the local administration, combined the Cossacks with the regular army, and put t
Some common words found in the essay are:
Yemelian Pugachev, Academy Science, Black Sea, Catherine Empress, Europe Catherine, Unlike Peter, Orthodox Church, Economic Society, Szczecin Poland, Aleksei Orlov, black sea, catherine empress,
Approximate Word count = 579
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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