Catherine the Great and the age of Enlightenment

Russo-Turkish Wars (1768-74, 1787-92)

a) 1770 Battle of Cesme Bay: R annexed northern territory around Baltic Sea (inc. Crimea) seen as old R territory b) 1787-92 annexed some western territories around Baltic Sea (most imp= Suvorov)

The Enlightenment (les philosophes)

-Encyclopedie -Voltaire - promoted her as enlightened empress - she only chose ideas that fitted w/her policies -opened schools like Smorlniy institute for officers f officers etc - not critical enlightenment- imposed from above, wrote soc contract between monarchy/nobility (portrayed soc harmony) - incarcerated some rad writers of her age

Freemasonry and the Intelligentsia

-longed for improvement of souls -important network for nobility -R masonic lodges connected with imp m/lodges --> C disapproved of this bc many freemasons rad writers -son Paul became head of R m/lodge -many in Fmsnry belonged to intelligentsia- towards start of her reign C agreed w/this intellectual agreement

Publishing and journalism

-work censored- this syhstem began to develop around time of Fr rev

Catherine the Enlightener - educator, writer, patron

-wrote satirical plays -criticsed Swedish king in one but didn't publish -impressive bc R not her 1st lang

Partition of Poland (1772, '93, '95)

3 stages: 1975 Poland stopped to exist as state, many territories it annexed belonged to R i) R bordered on P and Austria ii)R/P quite anti-S --> many orthodox citizens belonged to Jewish religion iii) greatest Polish writer actually Jewish

Theatre and poetry

T: Fonvisin P: Derzhavin- social critique and sentimentalism

A self-based economy

a) wanted to codify R laws b) C supposed to read commission and create new R laws (many laws not realised) c) imp for C to promote image of enlightened Monarch as part of docu (considering serfdom abol - but this met strong opposition from nobility whose support she needed) d)system of serfdom restricted agricultural econ e) bourgeois class only emerged late 19C f)industry also serf based g) C more effic than Eisabeth - but not that effic as ruler (spent lots on advisors/war/art) h) govt ignored poor treatment of serfs - 300 serfs tortured and killed - petitions until state responded

Russia in the 18th century

Westernisation R as big European power gap between nobility and serfs birth of Russian Intelligentsia

Western Expansion under Catherine

i) @ end / 18C R involved in trade w/rest of Europe - sculptors, businessmen, architects ii) foreigners encouraged to stay in R - could gain privileges - led to interconnection between countries (culturally and politically) iii)contact btwn Fr and R - trade rel. not gd until 1880s --> importans often from Br/Hol iv)C before in favour of so-perceived practical/eff G cult. - criticism of Fr foppishness and morals

The Enlightened Despot 1762-96

i) C educated - studied langs, wrote plays in Russian (knew how to make friends and keep supporters, wanted to show rev. to PI ii)showed this succession (e.g. monument The Bronze Horseman dedicated to Paul I in St P --> this paved her succession as a ruler)

Pugachev Uprising 1773-4

i) apply to occupy lots of land in basins of don and volga ii) Cossacks and peasants supported it iii)Catherine able to move troops and crush rebellion (after Pugachev briefly claimed to seize control and say serfdom over)

Accession of Catherine II (1762 Palace Coup)

i)apptd Peter III to throne when Elizabeth died (Jan-July 1762) ii)Peter had spent childhood in German principality, spoke G, not much intro into R h/c, not pop. under minister, guards iii)C sensitive to R culture, introduced in hybridisation of Russian and Western cultures - fully integrated into R culture - able to make friends amongst R guards iv)C wrote her biography - in it Peter was portrayed as childish, he only interested in military --> this was the last straw for C (Peter said he'd send her to a convent) v)C's son Paul probs conceived w/lover vi)kept Paul away during reign to cement her getting throne vii)Aleksei helped C to throne and was involved in Paul's murder during palace revolution

Golden Age of Nobility

i)system of meritocracy ii)obligatory service abolished under Peter III iii) R state in poor state and needed to be attended to iv)more spiritual and relig freedom v) R nobility now had function and power in provinces following Charter from C - still governed centrally w/govt but nob had right to get involved w/governing vi) some entitled to own estates - the way C got rid of nobs she disagreed with