In 1725 after raise in the level of population literacy, after enlightenment of the Russian society after victories in several great wars - the Seven Years War, Polish, Russian-Turkish, and Russian-Swedish - and after the grand reforms of Peter, Russia partly returned to the Time of Troubles, by the time when the country had no legitimate ruler. Peter I died before he could appoint a successor. As a result, many palace coups have begun. Many people changed power: Catherine I, Peter II, Anna Ioannovna, Ivan VI Antonovich, Elizaveta Petrovna, and Peter III. When Catherine II came to power, she stayed there for long 34 years. Palace coups ended. Catherine the Great was one of the most prominent figures in the history of Russia and the country wouldn’t have become such big and powerful as it is today without her. To support this argument, it is necessary to see how the empress manifested it within the years of her reign.
The Beginning of Reign
Virtually nothing is known about Catherine the Great's childhood. She was born on April 24, 1729. She became wife of Peter III, born Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, by nature she was gifted with great intelligence, strength of character, and on the contrary, her husband was a weak, ill-mannered man. Not sharing his pleasures, Catherine gave herself to reading and soon moved from novels to books of historical and philosophical themes. Around her an elected circle was composed, in which the most trusted at first was Saltykov, and then Stanislaw Poniatowski, later King of Poland (Meehan-Waters 295). Her relationship to the Empress Elizabeth was not particularly cordial: when Catherine's son, Paul, was born, the Empress took the child from his mother and rarely granted Catherine a permission to see him.
On December 25, 1761, Elizabeth died, and when Peter III took the power, Catherine's position became even worse. Public attacks of the king against his wife, threatening to send her to a convent, and to remove his son from the succession to the throne could not be ignored. In the Guard there was plot formed in favor of Catherine. On June 28, 1762, Peter III was deposed and arrested, a week later killed in a drunken brawl by Orlov. It was the fifth palace coup after the death of Peter the Great. The coup on June 28 raised Catherine to the throne. The harsh school of life and enormous natural intelligence helped the new Empress to get out of a very difficult situation, and to bring Russia out of it as well. The treasury was empty; monopoly crushed trade and industry; farmers and serfs were worried by rumors of freedom, that were resuming now and then; peasants fled from the western border of Poland. In such circumstances, Catherine came to the throne, the rights to which belonged to her son. She knew that her son would have become parties’ toy at the throne, the same as Peter II.
Catherine’s attention was equally paid to the phenomena of life both at home and abroad (Kagan 102). After learning two months after ascending the throne that the Parisian Parliament condemned famous French encyclopedia for infidelity and forbid its continuation, Catherine invited Voltaire and Diderot to publish their encyclopedia in Riga. One this proposal attracted to the side of the Russian empress the best minds that were defining the direction of public opinion in Europe.
In autumn of 1762, Catherine was crowned and stayed the winter in Moscow. In the summer of 1764, lieutenant Mirovich planned to enthrone Ivan Antonovich, son of Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich of Brunswick contained in Shlisselburg fortress. The plan failed - Ivan Antonovich during an attempt to free him was shot dead by a guard of soldiers; Mirovich was executed by a court.
In 1764 Prince Vyazemsky, who was sent to pacify the peasants attributed to plants, was ordered to investigate the benefits of free labor over the wage. The same question was proposed to newly established Economic Society (Dixon 48). First, it was necessary to solve the question of monastic peasants, which became especially acute back in the time of Elizabeth’s rule. Elizabeth at the beginning of her reign returned estates to monasteries and churches, but in 1757 she, together with the surrounding dignitaries came to the conviction of the need to transfer control of the church property to the secular arms.
Peter III ordered to fulfill the plan of Elizabeth and to transfer control over the church property to economy. Inventory of monastery property were conducted under Peter III in extremely rude manner. At the introduction of Catherine II to the throne, bishops filed her complaint and asked to return to them the control of the church property. She, by the advice of Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin, granted their wish, cancelled the economy panel, but did not leave her intention, only postponed its implementation. At the same time, she ordered the 1757 Commission to renew its session.
It was ordered to conduct new inventories of the monastery and church property, but the clergy was still dissatisfied with new inventories, Rostov Metropolitan Arseny Matseyevich especially rebelled against them. In a report to the Synod he used sharp expressions, arbitrarily interpreting the church-historical facts, even distorting them, and making insulting comparisons for Catherine. Synod presented the case to the empress in the hope that Catherine this time would again act softly, but the hope was not justified: report of Arseny caused such irritation of Catherine, which had not been noticed either before or after (Grey 125). She could not forgive Arseny comparing her with Julian and Jude, and the desire to expose her as a person offending her word. Arseny was sentenced to exile in the Arkhangelsk diocese in Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery, and then, as a result of new charges - to deprivation of monastic dignity and life imprisonment in Revel.
For Catherine the following case from the beginning of her reign was characteristic. There was reported the case of the Jews permission to travel to Russia. The new empress said to begin the reign with the decree on the free entry of Jews would be a bad way to calm minds, and to recognize entry as harmful was impossible. Then Senator Prince Odoevsky offered to see what the Empress Elizabeth wrote in the margin of the same report. Catherine demanded that report and read: "From Christ's enemies do not want selfish gains." Turning to the general prosecutor, she said: "I wish that this case was postponed."
The Main Years of the Reign
Increase of the number of serfs through the huge outgivings of estates to favorites and dignitaries, approval of serfdom in Little Russia lie dark stain on the memory of the Empress. It should not, however, be lost from mind that underdevelopment of the Russian society manifested itself at every turn. When Catherine conceived to cancel torture and proposed this measure to the Senate, the senators expressed concern that in the event of cancellation of torture no one, going to bed, would be sure whether they would be alive in the morning. Catherine, without cancelling the torture publicly, sent a secret order that, in cases where torture was applied, judges should base their actions on the tenth chapter of the Instructions, which condemned torture as a matter that is extremely cruel and stupid.
At the beginning of the reign of Empress Catherine the attempt was renewed to create an entity resembling the Supreme Privy Council, or Cabinet replacing it in a new form, under the name of the Permanent Council of the Empress. Writer of the project was the Count Panin. Villebois wrote to the Empress that he did not know who was the author of the project, but it seemed like he was under the guise of protecting the monarchy, in a subtle way was more inclined to aristocratic rule. Villebois was right, but Catherine knew the oligarchic nature of the project. She signed it, but kept under wraps, and it was never made public (Dixon 25). Thus, the idea of Panin about the Board of six permanent members remained just a dream; private board of the Empress has always consisted of successive members. Knowing that the fact that Peter III went to the side of Prussia provoked public opinion, Catherine ordered the Russian generals to remain neutral and that helped to end the war.
The internal affairs of the state required special attention: the most striking was the absence of justice. Catherine was expressing vigorously about it, saying that extortion increased to such an extent that there is hardly the least place of the government, in which the court would work without this infection. If someone is looking for a place, he has to pay; if he wants to get protected from slander - defends with money; if someone slanders on any person - all his cunning machinations are reinforced with gifts. It particularly struck the Empress when she learnt that within the current Novgorod province court took money from the peasants for bringing them to swear allegiance to her. This situation in justice forced Catherine to convene a commission in 1766 for the publication of the Legal Code. Empress handed Mandate to the commission, which it had to be guided by in the preparation of the Legal Code. Mandate was drawn up based on the ideas of Montesquieu and Beccaria. Polish affairs, the first Turkish war that arose from them and internal unrest halted legislative activity of Catherine up till 1775.
Polish affairs caused division and the fall of Poland: by the first division in 1773, Russia received the current province of Mogilev, Vitebsk, part of Minsk, which is a large part of Belarus. The first Turkish war started in 1768 and ended in peace in Kucuk Kaynardzha, which was ratified in 1775. By this peace Porte recognized independence of the Crimean and Bugeac Tatars; ceded to Russia Azov, Kerch, Yenikale and Kinburn; opened for the Russian ships free path from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean; granted forgiveness to Christians who took part in the war; made a petition of Russia by Moldovan affairs.
During the first Turkish War in Moscow plague was raging, which caused plague rebellion; in the east of Russia revolt that is even more dangerous broke out, known as the Pugachev's Rebellion. In 1770 plague from the army penetrated into Little Russia, in the spring of 1771, it appeared in Moscow; Count Saltykov, Commander-In-Chief, left the city to fend for itself (Kagan 124). Retired General Yeropkin voluntarily took a heavy responsibility to maintain order and to weaken the plague with preventive measures. The residents did not execute his orders and not only did not they burn the clothes and linen of the dead from the plague, but hid most of their deaths and buried them in the backyard.
The plague was strengthening: in early summer of 1771 every day 400 people were dying. People huddled in terror in the Barbarous gate in front of the miraculous icon. Contagion from the crowding of the people, of course, increased. The Archbishop of Moscow Ambrose, an enlightened man, ordered to remove the icon. Immediately there spread the rumor that the bishop was together with the doctors conspiring to starve the people. Distraught with fear ignorant and fanatical crowd slew worthy Archbishop (Grey 55). There were rumors that the rebels were preparing to set Moscow on fire, destroying doctors and the nobility. Yeropkin with several squadrons succeeded, however, to restore calm. In late September, arrived in Moscow there came Count Grigory Orlov, then the closest person to Catherine, but at this time plague already weakened and ceased in October. Of this plague in Moscow alone 130,000 people died.
Yaik Cossacks, unhappy with the changes in their Cossack life, raised Pugachev rebellion. In 1773, Don Cossack Yemelyan Pugachev took the name of Peter III and raised the banner of revolt. Catherine entrusted the suppression of the rebellion to Bibikov, who immediately understood the essence of the matter: it is not Pugachev who is important, he said, but rather the overall dissatisfaction. Yaik Cossacks and peasants in the rebel were joined by Bashkirs, Kalmyks, Kyrgyz. Bibikov disposing from Kazan, on all sides moved troops into the most dangerous places, Prince Golitsyn freed Orenburg, Michelson - Ufa, Mansurov - Yaitsky town. In early 1774 the revolt began to subside, but Bibikov died of exhaustion and the rebellion broke out again: Pugachev captured Kazan and moved over to the right bank of Volga. The place of Bibikov was given to Earl P. Panin, but he did not replace him. Michelson defeated Pugachev at Arzamas and barred his way to Moscow. Pugachev rushed to the South, took Penza, Petrovsk, Saratov and everywhere hung nobles. From Saratov, he moved to Tsaritsyn, but was recaptured and under the Black Yar again defeated by Michelson. When Suvorov arrived to the army, the impostor just held on and was soon disclosed by his accomplices. In January 1775 Pugachev was executed in Moscow.
Since 1775 legislative activity of Catherine II resumed, which, however, did not cease before. In 1768 commercial and noble banks were abolished, and the so-called Assignation bank was established. In 1775 the existence of Zaporizhian Sich was terminated, which was already sloping to a fall. Also in 1775 began the transformation of the provincial government. There was established the institution to manage the provinces, which was introduced for twenty years: in 1775 it began with the Tver province, and ended in 1796, with the establishment of the Vilen province. Therefore, the reform of the provincial administration, begun by Peter the Great, was derived from a chaotic state by Catherine, and finished by her. In 1776 she ordered in the petitions to replace the word serf with the word loyal servant.
In Crimea, with the recognition of its independence, two parties were worried - Russian and Turkish. Their struggle has given opportunity to occupy Crimea and Kuban region. Manifesto of 1783 announced the accession of the Crimea and Kuban region to Russia. Last Shahin Giray Khan was sent to Voronezh, Crimea renamed into Tauride province; Crimeans raids ceased. It is believed that as a result of the raids of Crimeans Great and Little Russia, and parts of Poland since the XV century to 1783 lost between three and four million of population: captives were converted to the slaves, captives women filled harems as slaves and came into the ranks of female workers. Joining the Crimea ended the shameful trade of Russian slaves. After that Irakli II, King of Georgia, recognized the protectorate of Russia.
In 1795, the first agreement was signed between Britain and Russia to send troops to France. Russia had put 60000th army led by Suvorov and England provided the funds for the war. However, on November 6, 1796 Catherine died, and the campaign did not take place (Alexander 142). Thus ended the enlightenment reign of Catherine the Great that gave rise to the national spirit.
The internal policy of Catherine II was marked by contradiction. By carrying out the interests of the landed nobility – support of the autocratic monarchy, she could not but raise protest of population. During the reign of Catherine II in the socio-economic development of the country there were observed two contradictory processes (Smith 230). On the one hand, the growing development of new forms of economy based on wage labor and market relations. On the other hand, preservation of the feudal system imposed a heavy burden on the economy, particularly in the farm. Hence - the contradictory nature of the results of economic development. Good results were only where the impact of serfdom was less. All this was indicative of the need to change the very foundations of the ruling feudal serfdom.
Catherine the Great's foreign policy has led to a significant increase in Russian territories. It expanded to right-bank Ukraine and Belarus, the southern Baltic, Northern Black Sea Coast, a lot of new territories in the Far East and North America. To the Russian Empress swore residents of Greek Islands and the Northern Caucasus. Russia's population has increased from 22 million to 36 million people. Another important result of the foreign policy of Catherine II was the beginning of the transformation of Russia from a great European to a great world power. Russian fleet plied the Mediterranean, the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, keeping the power of their guns the Russian foreign policy in Europe, Asia and America. Thus, it is clear that Catherine II was a prominent figure in the Russian history.
Works Cited
Alexander, John T. Catherine the Great:Life and Legend. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print.
Dixon, Simon. Catherine the Great. New Jersey: Profile Books, 2010. Print.
Grey, Ian. Catherine the Great, autocrat and Empress of All Russia. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1975. Print.
Kagan, Donald. Western heritage since 1648. New York: Academic Internet Publishers, 2006. Print.
Meehan-Waters, Brenda. “Catherine the Great and the Problem of Female Rule.” Russian Review 34.3 (1975): 293-307. Print.
Smith, G.S. “Catherine the Great.” English Historical Review 119.480 (2004): 229-230(2). Print.
