More or less true.
Nope. We're still covering actual history here - sometimes the truth can be very strange and unlikely.
To all: I will endeavor to update this today.
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We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
More or less true.
To all: I will endeavor to update this today.
The Reign of Catherine The Great: Introduction
“You philosophers are lucky men. You write on paper and paper is patient. Unfortunate Empress that I am, I write on the susceptible skin of living beings.” - Catherine the Great
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The Reign of Catherine The Great: Foreign Policy in Northern Europe
Catherine was, in regards to foreign policy, a successor to Peter the Great. She wanted to make Russia into one of the great powers of Europe. By most measures of greatness, she succeeded - Russia was to become one of the greatest powers Europe knew in that age. Her reign set the stage for the great rise of Russia in Eurasia. Her role in expanding at the expense of Poland has already been covered, but she also expanded at the expense of another power - the Ottoman Empire.
Her original foreign minister, Nikita Panin, had her ear for a while. He wanted to set up an alliance between northern powers. This would have included Russia, Prussia, Poland, and Sweden. After it became clear that this alliance wasn’t going to happen, he lost her favor and was replaced by Ivan Osterman.
There are a lot of reasons why this “Northern Accord” was never going to work. Russia and Sweden had a lot of historical enmity - most of it stemming from the Great Northern War - and, for the alliance to work, this would need to be dealt with somehow. Destroying the enmity of many generations would’ve been a difficult task, even if an official Northern Accord had been achieved. Prussia and Poland also had a lot of enmity - historically, some of Poland, specifically Royal Prussia, was part of Prussia. Sweden and Prussia also had disputes over Pomerania.
Despite all of this, the idea was somewhat sound and could have been created in part. At different times, Russia did have good relations with both Prussia and Poland. Their good relations with Poland were, indeed, a catalyst for the Partitions of Poland themselves. If Russia had been willing to negotiate a compromise between Poland-Lithuania and Prussia, they could have created an alliance between northern countries. Sweden could have then been dealt with… although that might have created even more enemies of Russia. It definitely would have altered the European balance of power. Sweden could also have been left mostly alone. Poland-Lithuania would likely have been willing to negotiate with Prussia, as it was under severe threat.
However, Catherine wasn’t willing to act as an arbiter, so the idea of an alliance between northern countries went nowhere. However, Russia, Prussia, and Austria would end up in an alliance under the rule of one of her successors (although not her immediate successor), but that was mostly pragmatism. It was a result of the threat of Napoleon - and it did work… eventually.
Instead, Catherine focused on influencing the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She succeeded at that, getting her candidate for the Polish throne elected via influencing the Polish Sejm. With that done, Poland-Lithuania effectively became her puppet.
This alarmed Prussia and Austria, who feared that Catherine would eventually annex Poland-Lithuania outright. In order to solve that problem, they negotiated with Catherine to partition Poland-Lithuania. The details of this have already been covered, but the gist is this - there were three partitions, and, by their end, Poland-Lithuania had ceased to be an independent state.
It’s kind of confusing as to why Catherine accepted partitioning Poland with Prussia and Austria when she already had indirect influence over all of it. Why would she? There are two likely reasons - either she feared that her influence over Poland would prove ephemeral, or she feared that the disruption to the European balance of power would cause chaos throughout the continent. It is worth noting that Poland did get very close to seizing total independence from foreign influence, which caused the Third Partition.
Why would Catherine protest a change to the European balance of power that benefitted her? That reason was simple - it would make most of Europe her enemy. Prussia and Austria would almost certainly invade her new lands, and she would make Britain (which wanted the continent divided and held in check by a balance of power, so that no country on it could challenge her) her enemy. Even if this didn’t happen, she still risked forcing a series of wars to establish a new balance of power. Catherine likely knew that.
Russia’s annexation of Polish lands also recovered lands lost to Lithuania in previous years. Lithuania had annexed Russian (Kievan) lands back when Russia was still under Mongol control, and most of these lands were returned by the partitions. This was unlikely to be a reason to go through with the Partitions of Poland, though, since nationalism didn’t start being a very influential idea until after Catherine’s reign.
Her original foreign minister, Nikita Panin, had her ear for a while. He wanted to set up an alliance between northern powers. This would have included Russia, Prussia, Poland, and Sweden. After it became clear that this alliance wasn’t going to happen, he lost her favor and was replaced by Ivan Osterman.
There are a lot of reasons why this “Northern Accord” was never going to work. Russia and Sweden had a lot of historical enmity - most of it stemming from the Great Northern War - and, for the alliance to work, this would need to be dealt with somehow. Destroying the enmity of many generations would’ve been a difficult task, even if an official Northern Accord had been achieved. Prussia and Poland also had a lot of enmity - historically, some of Poland, specifically Royal Prussia, was part of Prussia. Sweden and Prussia also had disputes over Pomerania.
Despite all of this, the idea was somewhat sound and could have been created in part. At different times, Russia did have good relations with both Prussia and Poland. Their good relations with Poland were, indeed, a catalyst for the Partitions of Poland themselves. If Russia had been willing to negotiate a compromise between Poland-Lithuania and Prussia, they could have created an alliance between northern countries. Sweden could have then been dealt with… although that might have created even more enemies of Russia. It definitely would have altered the European balance of power. Sweden could also have been left mostly alone. Poland-Lithuania would likely have been willing to negotiate with Prussia, as it was under severe threat.
However, Catherine wasn’t willing to act as an arbiter, so the idea of an alliance between northern countries went nowhere. However, Russia, Prussia, and Austria would end up in an alliance under the rule of one of her successors (although not her immediate successor), but that was mostly pragmatism. It was a result of the threat of Napoleon - and it did work… eventually.
Instead, Catherine focused on influencing the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She succeeded at that, getting her candidate for the Polish throne elected via influencing the Polish Sejm. With that done, Poland-Lithuania effectively became her puppet.
This alarmed Prussia and Austria, who feared that Catherine would eventually annex Poland-Lithuania outright. In order to solve that problem, they negotiated with Catherine to partition Poland-Lithuania. The details of this have already been covered, but the gist is this - there were three partitions, and, by their end, Poland-Lithuania had ceased to be an independent state.
It’s kind of confusing as to why Catherine accepted partitioning Poland with Prussia and Austria when she already had indirect influence over all of it. Why would she? There are two likely reasons - either she feared that her influence over Poland would prove ephemeral, or she feared that the disruption to the European balance of power would cause chaos throughout the continent. It is worth noting that Poland did get very close to seizing total independence from foreign influence, which caused the Third Partition.
Why would Catherine protest a change to the European balance of power that benefitted her? That reason was simple - it would make most of Europe her enemy. Prussia and Austria would almost certainly invade her new lands, and she would make Britain (which wanted the continent divided and held in check by a balance of power, so that no country on it could challenge her) her enemy. Even if this didn’t happen, she still risked forcing a series of wars to establish a new balance of power. Catherine likely knew that.
Russia’s annexation of Polish lands also recovered lands lost to Lithuania in previous years. Lithuania had annexed Russian (Kievan) lands back when Russia was still under Mongol control, and most of these lands were returned by the partitions. This was unlikely to be a reason to go through with the Partitions of Poland, though, since nationalism didn’t start being a very influential idea until after Catherine’s reign.
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Right, so we're back.
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By the way, the YAYAs are running! Vote in them! You have until February 1 to vote for your favorite AARs this past year!
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This seems like a very reasonable conclusion to me, especially that Prussia and Austria might have tried to take what they had already made clear they wanted. It's much easier to take part of Poland and be happy.
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With no threat to the rear and her massive natural resources, Catherine can afford to play puppet master. Thank you for updating
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The Reign of Catherine the Great: Catherine's Relationship with Prussia and Austria
Maria Theresa of Austria’s reaction to Catherine’s ascension was delight - she hoped that the Austro-Russian Alliance that she’d made with Elizabeth might be restored. She believed that they had a common enemy - Prussia.
Frederick, for his part, seemed to respect Catherine, but he wasn’t worried by her ascension. He claimed to have expected Catherine’s dethronement of Peter. He believed that Russia’s positive relations with Prussia would continue.
Catherine, for her part, tried to stay out of the Austro-Prussian rivalry. She agreed to observe her peace with Prussia, but she also withdrew the Russian soldiers from Silesia, Prussia, and Pomerania. This meant that they wouldn’t be present to aid Prussia in enforcing her peace with Austria if Austria decided to attempt to reclaim Silesia. Catherine seemed to be attempting to stop Russia’s interference in the Holy Roman Empire (now the Germanic region)’s affairs. A reason for this, besides attempting to avoid choosing a side, might be the great internal corruption she was dealing with within Russia.
Catherine did host Frederick’s brother, Henry, in Russia, but that was almost certainly an attempt to keep her neutrality towards the Austro-Prussian issue. Refusing would have made her Prussia’s enemy - and they weren’t plotting anything against Austria, anyway. They were instead making plans for the Partitions of Poland. She did use this as an opportunity to show off - with a sleigh ride with many mirrors, a triumphal arch, pyramids, temples, fireworks, other fancy images, and a representation of Mount Vesuvius erupting. All of which indicates that she might’ve cared about how Prussia viewed Russia, especially considering that she organized a marriage between her son and a Prussian princess.
However, that did not mean that she sided against Austria. She was perfectly willing to make common cause with Austria against their common enemies. The Partitions of Poland were one example of this, but another was when she plotted with Austria against the Ottomans.
Catherine made war on the Turks many times (see Russia’s Relationship with Byzantium and its Legacy below for more on that). In May 1780, she interviewed Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (Maria Theresa’s son) over what to do about the Ottomans. After several meetings, they agreed to combine their armies with the purpose of driving the Ottomans out of Europe entirely. Austria and Russia would split the spoils of this conquest, but Greece would have its ancient republic restored. After they made this plan, Catherine invited Joseph II to Moscow and he agreed to come, but he disliked the formality that traveling with her would bring, so he went incognito.
Ultimately, the plans that Austria and Russia made would come to nothing - or at least not as much as they had hoped. Catherine did conclude an alliance with Austria, but this alliance didn’t manage to drive the Ottomans out of Europe, although Austria did help Russia against the Turks. Indeed, the problem might have been that Russia and Austria didn’t try to drive the Ottomans outside of all of Europe - Russia ended up with most of what she wanted anyway, and full success would definitely have disturbed the European balance of power.
Frederick, for his part, seemed to respect Catherine, but he wasn’t worried by her ascension. He claimed to have expected Catherine’s dethronement of Peter. He believed that Russia’s positive relations with Prussia would continue.
Catherine, for her part, tried to stay out of the Austro-Prussian rivalry. She agreed to observe her peace with Prussia, but she also withdrew the Russian soldiers from Silesia, Prussia, and Pomerania. This meant that they wouldn’t be present to aid Prussia in enforcing her peace with Austria if Austria decided to attempt to reclaim Silesia. Catherine seemed to be attempting to stop Russia’s interference in the Holy Roman Empire (now the Germanic region)’s affairs. A reason for this, besides attempting to avoid choosing a side, might be the great internal corruption she was dealing with within Russia.
Catherine did host Frederick’s brother, Henry, in Russia, but that was almost certainly an attempt to keep her neutrality towards the Austro-Prussian issue. Refusing would have made her Prussia’s enemy - and they weren’t plotting anything against Austria, anyway. They were instead making plans for the Partitions of Poland. She did use this as an opportunity to show off - with a sleigh ride with many mirrors, a triumphal arch, pyramids, temples, fireworks, other fancy images, and a representation of Mount Vesuvius erupting. All of which indicates that she might’ve cared about how Prussia viewed Russia, especially considering that she organized a marriage between her son and a Prussian princess.
However, that did not mean that she sided against Austria. She was perfectly willing to make common cause with Austria against their common enemies. The Partitions of Poland were one example of this, but another was when she plotted with Austria against the Ottomans.
Catherine made war on the Turks many times (see Russia’s Relationship with Byzantium and its Legacy below for more on that). In May 1780, she interviewed Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (Maria Theresa’s son) over what to do about the Ottomans. After several meetings, they agreed to combine their armies with the purpose of driving the Ottomans out of Europe entirely. Austria and Russia would split the spoils of this conquest, but Greece would have its ancient republic restored. After they made this plan, Catherine invited Joseph II to Moscow and he agreed to come, but he disliked the formality that traveling with her would bring, so he went incognito.
Ultimately, the plans that Austria and Russia made would come to nothing - or at least not as much as they had hoped. Catherine did conclude an alliance with Austria, but this alliance didn’t manage to drive the Ottomans out of Europe, although Austria did help Russia against the Turks. Indeed, the problem might have been that Russia and Austria didn’t try to drive the Ottomans outside of all of Europe - Russia ended up with most of what she wanted anyway, and full success would definitely have disturbed the European balance of power.
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Yes, it is. This isn't how at least future Russian emperor will view it, but it is true.
Yep.
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Maria Theresa and Catherine, has Europe ever had two more powerful female rulers simultaneously? Both are Civ5 rulers. Thanks for updating
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I'll be curious to see what lands Russia took off the Turks. This is too early for Armenia, so I appreciate your filling in gaps in my knowledge.
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The Reign of Catherine the Great: Her Internal Reforms
Catherine did most matters of state herself. She studied the lives of great men and attempted to emulate them.
However, she quickly discovered a great problem with Russia. Throughout Russia, corruption and bribery reigned supreme, which required Catherine to begin a great reform movement. She abolished the practice of torturing prisoners in an attempt to get a confession. She invited foreigners to settle in her empire, emulating Peter the Great. Indeed, foreigners were given land for free and the journey to Russia was paid for by the Russian state. They were also exempted from public service and from taxes. She also gave at least these foreign immigrants religious toleration. This policy worked - thousands of Germans moved to the banks of the Volga and the Samara to the extent that some German princes forbade their subjects from moving to Russia.
She also assembled a group of men to create a law code. They succeeded at this task, and, when it was dissolved, it declared that Catherine was “Great, Wise, Prudent, and Mother of the Country”. She responded by declaring that posterity could determine her greatness, and that prudence and wisdom were Heaven’s gifts and not for her to claim. She did accept the title of “Mother of the Country”, however. The law code itself took inspiration from the Enlightenment, with ideas of immutable rights and ideas against despotism present throughout. Catherine herself declared that laws existed to protect the liberty and security of people. She believed that preventing crimes was far better than punishing them.
She also made reforms to aid Russia’s peasantry. She wanted to give them complete enfranchisement, but she was aware that such a reform would annoy the nobles far too much. She did pass laws protecting the peasantry against the nobility, especially relating to taxes. The end goal was to allow peasants to acquire property.
She also made the health of Russians a priority (see Science and Philosophy under Catherine the Great).
She did attempt to aid the serfs somewhat, and most of the serfs did like her. She allowed serfs to complain if the nobles that they served that didn’t live up to their end of the deal through the proper channels of law, although that meant that they could no longer complain to her directly. This was in order to make sure that the serfs couldn’t bother her while also not annoying them enough to revolt. It was a pragmatic reform. She also allowed the owners of serfs to sentence them to Siberia, but they weren’t allowed to kill their serfs. She also took action to prevent people from becoming serfs as well - a freed serf couldn’t be made into a serf again, for example. Nobles that owned serfs were also allowed to send them away to be educated and could be employed for wages.
However, she quickly discovered a great problem with Russia. Throughout Russia, corruption and bribery reigned supreme, which required Catherine to begin a great reform movement. She abolished the practice of torturing prisoners in an attempt to get a confession. She invited foreigners to settle in her empire, emulating Peter the Great. Indeed, foreigners were given land for free and the journey to Russia was paid for by the Russian state. They were also exempted from public service and from taxes. She also gave at least these foreign immigrants religious toleration. This policy worked - thousands of Germans moved to the banks of the Volga and the Samara to the extent that some German princes forbade their subjects from moving to Russia.
She also assembled a group of men to create a law code. They succeeded at this task, and, when it was dissolved, it declared that Catherine was “Great, Wise, Prudent, and Mother of the Country”. She responded by declaring that posterity could determine her greatness, and that prudence and wisdom were Heaven’s gifts and not for her to claim. She did accept the title of “Mother of the Country”, however. The law code itself took inspiration from the Enlightenment, with ideas of immutable rights and ideas against despotism present throughout. Catherine herself declared that laws existed to protect the liberty and security of people. She believed that preventing crimes was far better than punishing them.
She also made reforms to aid Russia’s peasantry. She wanted to give them complete enfranchisement, but she was aware that such a reform would annoy the nobles far too much. She did pass laws protecting the peasantry against the nobility, especially relating to taxes. The end goal was to allow peasants to acquire property.
She also made the health of Russians a priority (see Science and Philosophy under Catherine the Great).
She did attempt to aid the serfs somewhat, and most of the serfs did like her. She allowed serfs to complain if the nobles that they served that didn’t live up to their end of the deal through the proper channels of law, although that meant that they could no longer complain to her directly. This was in order to make sure that the serfs couldn’t bother her while also not annoying them enough to revolt. It was a pragmatic reform. She also allowed the owners of serfs to sentence them to Siberia, but they weren’t allowed to kill their serfs. She also took action to prevent people from becoming serfs as well - a freed serf couldn’t be made into a serf again, for example. Nobles that owned serfs were also allowed to send them away to be educated and could be employed for wages.
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I don't think so, although, to be fair, they only ruled at the same time for around three years.
We'll cover this later - again, this is by topic, and our current topic is still Internal Russian Affairs and the Balance of Power in Europe.
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I see this in-universe book is taking a very positive view of Catherine and glossing over the less pleasant aspects, which I suppose is to be expected.
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Nobles cannot kill serfs and send them to warm Hell but can send them to frozen Siberia. Which is worse? Thank you for updating
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The Reign of Catherine the Great: Russia and the American Revolution
By Catherine’s reign, Russia already had some territory in the Americas - Alaska was discovered by Russians in 1741. However, initial attempts at settlement went badly - the discoverers of the area were killed by natives or had to endure harsh winters in the area. Despite all of this, Alaska’s furs would prove to be the saving grace of the colonization of Alaska. Russians went to Alaska to get furs, bribing and blackmailing the natives into giving them.
All of this meant that Russia had some interest in events in the British American colonies in the 1770s. When word of the Declaration of Independence reached the empire in August 1776, a Russian ambassador praised the leadership, bravery, and virtue of the colonial leaders, although no mention of the “natural rights of man” was made.
Catherine’s own response was similar to her ambassador’s. She believed that Britain had brought the Revolution upon itself by mismanaging the colonies, and the separation between Britain and America didn’t harm Russia and might even be beneficial to them. Despite this, the text of the Declaration of Independence was banned for a long while, and Russians couldn’t read it at all during Catherine’s reign. In spite of this, the ideas espoused by the Declaration managed to reach Russian society anyway.
Catherine believed that Britain was at fault for the Revolution, and she rejected a proposed alliance from Britain. She ignored British requests for first an army and then a navy. This isn’t surprising - Catherine disliked King George III and his diplomats.
A lot of Russia’s involvement with the Revolution had to do with the European balance of power, and Russia attempted to plot a course of neutrality. Catherine formed the League of Armed Neutrality in 1780, and this declared that neutral ships could visit the ports of belligerent countries and that these ships could even carry the goods of those belligerent powers (unless it was war contraband) without hindrance. A third stipulation was that a port was only blockaded only if it was being actively blocked from trade with naval forces. Catherine attempted to be a mediator and even submitted a ceasefire plan, but the Battle of Yorktown nixed that idea. While this was happening, Britain offered Russia Menorca in exchange for an alliance and was refused. To further twist the knife, Catherine revealed this offer to other European countries, making Britain a laughingstock.
The United States attempted to convince Russia to let them join the League of Armed Neutrality and create an agreement of friendship and trade. Russia hadn’t accepted America’s independence yet, though, so the American ambassador to Russia failed in this goal. Still, Russia used their continuing neutrality as leverage to convince Britain to let them annex Crimea. Catherine’s attempted negotiations did grant the United States legitimacy, though.
Russia and America also had many mutually beneficial relationships. Many scholars from the two nations had relationships with each other. Ben Franklin was even honorarily elected to the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg in 1789. Beneficial commercial relationships also existed, and there was a lot of trade after the Revolution ended in 1783. Despite all of these positive relationships, Russia only recognized the United States in 1807.
All of this meant that Russia had some interest in events in the British American colonies in the 1770s. When word of the Declaration of Independence reached the empire in August 1776, a Russian ambassador praised the leadership, bravery, and virtue of the colonial leaders, although no mention of the “natural rights of man” was made.
Catherine’s own response was similar to her ambassador’s. She believed that Britain had brought the Revolution upon itself by mismanaging the colonies, and the separation between Britain and America didn’t harm Russia and might even be beneficial to them. Despite this, the text of the Declaration of Independence was banned for a long while, and Russians couldn’t read it at all during Catherine’s reign. In spite of this, the ideas espoused by the Declaration managed to reach Russian society anyway.
Catherine believed that Britain was at fault for the Revolution, and she rejected a proposed alliance from Britain. She ignored British requests for first an army and then a navy. This isn’t surprising - Catherine disliked King George III and his diplomats.
A lot of Russia’s involvement with the Revolution had to do with the European balance of power, and Russia attempted to plot a course of neutrality. Catherine formed the League of Armed Neutrality in 1780, and this declared that neutral ships could visit the ports of belligerent countries and that these ships could even carry the goods of those belligerent powers (unless it was war contraband) without hindrance. A third stipulation was that a port was only blockaded only if it was being actively blocked from trade with naval forces. Catherine attempted to be a mediator and even submitted a ceasefire plan, but the Battle of Yorktown nixed that idea. While this was happening, Britain offered Russia Menorca in exchange for an alliance and was refused. To further twist the knife, Catherine revealed this offer to other European countries, making Britain a laughingstock.
The United States attempted to convince Russia to let them join the League of Armed Neutrality and create an agreement of friendship and trade. Russia hadn’t accepted America’s independence yet, though, so the American ambassador to Russia failed in this goal. Still, Russia used their continuing neutrality as leverage to convince Britain to let them annex Crimea. Catherine’s attempted negotiations did grant the United States legitimacy, though.
Russia and America also had many mutually beneficial relationships. Many scholars from the two nations had relationships with each other. Ben Franklin was even honorarily elected to the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg in 1789. Beneficial commercial relationships also existed, and there was a lot of trade after the Revolution ended in 1783. Despite all of these positive relationships, Russia only recognized the United States in 1807.
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Oo. Nice friendly realtions at the begining of the nation should stand you in good stead later on...though tbf, it didn't with France...
And annexing crimea without a fight, just like that? Already exceeded the wildest dreams of the Russian Empire.
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That is quite interesting to see Russian-US relations were so friendly at the time, especially considering the US revolution's ideals did not align with Russia's at all. I guess that's just a case of realpolitik in action.
I mean, US relations with France have never been terrible, although they did cool off quite a bit after the Revolutionary War. The worst time was probably during the Cold War, which I'd argue was rooted in de Gaulle feeling snubbed by the Americans in WWII.
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The first American ambassador St. Petersburg was John Q. Adams, son of 2nd president, former Mass. senator, future Sec. of State, future president. This was during Napoleon years. Thank you for updating
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Actually, no. We're still on pre-game historical Russia history. Shockingly, the Crimean War wasn't actually over the Crimea in OTL - it was over the Danubian Principalities (modern Romania).
I think the US might be open to friendly relations given our common British enemy, but who knows?
It is indeed very interesting. Realpolitik will often overrode everything else, though - the US (specifically the CIA) supported fascist regimes during the Cold War as an opponent to the USSR.
You're welcome!
Also, we're back! Thanks to everyone who voted for this AAR during the Q3 and Q4 ACAs of last year - we won Victoria's Q4 ACAs, which shocked me. We should be able to update every Wednesday and Saturday.
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The Reign of Catherine the Great: Science, the Arts, and Philosophy under Catherine
Catherine the Great was also a great patron of the arts. In 1770, she ordered the creation of a museum, the Hermitage, to house her collection of paintings, sculptures, and books. By 1790, it had 38,000 books and 10,000 drawings. Two wings were devoted to what the Empress termed “curiosities”. She ordered the planting of an “English garden” (which was apparently not symmetrical) in May 1770.
She also shared in a general craze for all things Chinese that was present throughout all of Europe. She built a Chinese Palace at Oranienbaum to reflect the style of Chinese architecture and gardening. In 1779, she hired a British architect who specialized in Chinese styles to build a Chinese Village after failing to hire an actual Chinese architect to do that.
She also attempted to kick off a Russian Enlightenment by inviting leading intellectuals and scientists to Russia and succeeded in this task. She worked with Voltaire, Diderot, and d’Alembert and recruited famous scientists from both Prussia and Sweden. She corresponded with Voltaire for 15 years, forming a long-distance friendship, although they never met in person. He praised her accomplishments, comparing her to the legendary Babylonian Queen Semiramis and calling her “The Star of the North”. She, in turn, mourned his death and purchased his books from his heirs, storing them in Russia’s national library. She also read Melchior, von Grimm, Galiani, Baudeau, and Blackstone, other philosophers of the age. She liked the philosophy of “enlightened despotism” and attempted to rule by it. She also sponsored the writing of Diderot’s Encyclopedie.
She founded the Free Economic Society and included foreign economists, such as Arthur Young and Jacques Necker, in it. Despite this, she was also frustrated with some of the economists that she read, seeing their theories as impractical. She noted in the margins of an economic book that, if she could solve all of Russia’s economic theories immediately, she would have.
She also read some books for information. She read books about both China and the Ottomans. She also read Frederick the Great's books - both to learn about Prussia and also to learn about Frederick himself. She also read Benjamin Franklin’s pamphlets in order to learn about the ideas behind the American Revolution.
In 1766, she called a Grand Commission to Moscow to consider the needs of the Russian Empire. This commission was composed of 652 members of all classes and was to advise her. He also prepared a book of guidance for it, which shamelessly ripped off the ideas of Western European philosophers like Montesquieu. However, the Commission would only deal in theory due to frightening her moderate advisors.
In addition, she issued codes to modernize Russia. She divided Russia into provinces and districts in 1775, with 50 provinces and nearly 500 districts having been created by her death. Spending on local government increased by six times, and the appointed government officials more than doubled. In 1785, Catherine created a Marshal of the Nobility to speak to her on the nobility’s behalf, but she also distributed all people into 6 groups as a way to create a middle class and limit the nobility’s power.
Russians imported and studied classical and western European texts, which led to the Russian Enlightenment. The groundwork for the works of people like Pushkin were laid, and Catherine was a patron of the Russian opera.
She also shared in a general craze for all things Chinese that was present throughout all of Europe. She built a Chinese Palace at Oranienbaum to reflect the style of Chinese architecture and gardening. In 1779, she hired a British architect who specialized in Chinese styles to build a Chinese Village after failing to hire an actual Chinese architect to do that.
She also attempted to kick off a Russian Enlightenment by inviting leading intellectuals and scientists to Russia and succeeded in this task. She worked with Voltaire, Diderot, and d’Alembert and recruited famous scientists from both Prussia and Sweden. She corresponded with Voltaire for 15 years, forming a long-distance friendship, although they never met in person. He praised her accomplishments, comparing her to the legendary Babylonian Queen Semiramis and calling her “The Star of the North”. She, in turn, mourned his death and purchased his books from his heirs, storing them in Russia’s national library. She also read Melchior, von Grimm, Galiani, Baudeau, and Blackstone, other philosophers of the age. She liked the philosophy of “enlightened despotism” and attempted to rule by it. She also sponsored the writing of Diderot’s Encyclopedie.
She founded the Free Economic Society and included foreign economists, such as Arthur Young and Jacques Necker, in it. Despite this, she was also frustrated with some of the economists that she read, seeing their theories as impractical. She noted in the margins of an economic book that, if she could solve all of Russia’s economic theories immediately, she would have.
She also read some books for information. She read books about both China and the Ottomans. She also read Frederick the Great's books - both to learn about Prussia and also to learn about Frederick himself. She also read Benjamin Franklin’s pamphlets in order to learn about the ideas behind the American Revolution.
In 1766, she called a Grand Commission to Moscow to consider the needs of the Russian Empire. This commission was composed of 652 members of all classes and was to advise her. He also prepared a book of guidance for it, which shamelessly ripped off the ideas of Western European philosophers like Montesquieu. However, the Commission would only deal in theory due to frightening her moderate advisors.
In addition, she issued codes to modernize Russia. She divided Russia into provinces and districts in 1775, with 50 provinces and nearly 500 districts having been created by her death. Spending on local government increased by six times, and the appointed government officials more than doubled. In 1785, Catherine created a Marshal of the Nobility to speak to her on the nobility’s behalf, but she also distributed all people into 6 groups as a way to create a middle class and limit the nobility’s power.
Russians imported and studied classical and western European texts, which led to the Russian Enlightenment. The groundwork for the works of people like Pushkin were laid, and Catherine was a patron of the Russian opera.
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