|
The below is a sample preview of the full essay that is available in our database. To see
the full paper, just register for a free account. You get
access to thousands of example term papers in our super free essay database without paying
a cent.
|
Beginning of Paper
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 ....
|
|
Middle of Paper
.... 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 ....
|
|
|