Catherine the Great in Russian History - Essay Example

? Your of 17 October Catherine the Great in Russian History “Catherine the Great's rein in roughly the lat third of the [18th] Century witnessed a remarkable growth and intensification of Russian Cultural life” (Riasanovsky 284). Catherine was the most effective potentate who ruled after Peter the Great. Peter the Great (1682 – 1725) was fascinated by Western Europe and its advancements in the late 1600s so he took steps to modernize Russia and set up economic programs, a strong armed forces and a centralized administration. However, due to hostilities with his son, Peter the Great failed to designate a successor. This led to a power vacuum after his death. In 1762, Peter III became Tsar but he was weak and incompetent so he was overthrown and murdered. His wife, Catherine, a German Princess from Pomerania took over affairs of the Kingdom when Peter III passed on. Catherine ruled till 1796. This paper looks at the plans of Catherine the Great and the major areas she changed in Russia as well as an evaluation of her contribution to Russia's Westernization and modernization. Plans of Catherine the Great The plans of Catherine the Great can be seen in some inherent elements of her lifestyle and the principles she embraced as a ruler. “Catherine showed more originality than any previous ruler of Russia and than most rulers at the time in Europe” (Madariage 206). This means that there are some elements in her actions that showed her intentions to improve her country. First of all, her background as a Western European showed that she had a tendency to tilt Russia towards a modernized nation that was on the same level as her German homeland. Thus, it comes as no surprise that she had several inclinations that were similar to Peter the Great who also had a connection to Western Europe. Secondly, there is evidence that Catherine had strong connections to the Enlightenment that was going on in Western Europe during her reign. Gillespie writes that “Although she was quite young, Catherine was deeply invested in acquiring knowledge and became intellectually and politically astute, mainly through reading and writing,” (285). This shows that from the onset, she had a vision of changing her kingdom to match up with other Western European nations. A further evidence is given by Viault who states that Catherine “corresponded actively with Voltaire and other prominent eighteenth-century thinkers” (130). This indicates that Catherine was open to new ideas and was ready to link up the country with the other changes that were going on around her kingdom. From these pointers, it is logical to infer that Catherine the Great had a plan and an intention of Westernizing Russia when she took power. However, the realities on the ground made it quite difficult for her to attain her plans. Implementation of her Plans In order to Westernize Russia, Catherine believed that there was the need to change and modify the educational system of the country. One of the earliest things that Catherine did was to put in place an educational system that was designed to develop individuals intellectually and morally with the end of equipping them with knowledge and skills that would support a sense of civic responsibility and allegiance to the state (Riasonovsky 12). This is because there was a sharp contrast between Russia and Western Europe. And this contrast lied in the fact that the vast majority of Russians were serfs who were forced to remain loyal to the nobles who ruled them. Thus, to promote a sense of national unity and national pride as Russians, she put in place an educational system that promoted national integration as well as independent thinking in order to prepare the people for a Westernized model of nationhood. With the educational system in place, Catherine set off to nurture a system of governance that was similar to the Western nations. Catherine went on to issue the Instructions which was a set of laws that were meant to recognize and respect the rights of individuals and promote social reforms in the affairs of Russia. “Before she issued the Instructions … she consulted the work of great legal authorities – Montesquieu, Beccaria and Blackstone – from whom she borrowed liberally” (Riha 252). This shows that the Instructions were meant to provide some kind of civil code similar to the Napoleonic Code which was meant to regulate the conduct of people in Russia. Through this, there was the expectation that Russia will build a system steeped in Human Rights which was fast evolving in other parts of Europe and North America. This draws parallels to the English social and legal system which had recognized the natural rights of human beings by the 1790s. Also, the American and French Revolutions had shown that the Russian system of serfdom was outdated and there was the need for some degree of change. Hence, the Instructions were meant to lay the foundation for the preparation of the ordinary Russian to understand his rights and respect the rights of other people. Catherine's hope was that the people of Russia would learn and know more about modern legal systems so that they could also assert themselves in a democratic manner. Also, to support mass education, Catherine encouraged the printing press and this helped in the manufacture of many books in Russia in her reign (Riasonovsky 284). A strong attitude towards the Westernization of Russia came up five years into Catherine's reign when she set up a system of democratic governance. “In 1767, Catherine established a Legislative Commission of over five hundred members to propose reforms in the legal system. The commission represented all classes in Russian society except the serfs” (Viault 130). This shows that Catherine moved towards the drawing up of a constitution. This was exactly the point where Louis XVI had failed in France which led to the French Revolution. However, evidence from this shows that Catherine started to seek reforms and a constitution several years before the French began their revolution. This shows that Catherine was somewhat ahead of some European powers of her time. Also, in economic affairs, Catherine sought to build on the program of development initiated by Peter the Great (Gillespie 41). There was a reduction in internal barriers and trade and Russian exports were increased (Viault 130). Reasons why Catherine's Quest for Westernization Failed However, the attempt towards reforms failed. This is because the representation on her legislative council was devoid of the serfs and this meant that a significant portion of the country was largely unrepresented. Under Peter the Great, the nobility and aristocracy were subjected to restrictions, taxes and checks and balances, however, in the years after his death, most of the nobles were relieved of all those restrictions (Viault 131). Since Catherine relied on the nobility to control the vast lands of Russia, she had to reduce the power of the crown and allow the nobles to live without some important restrictions. This kept serfdom in place and the nobles suppressed the masses. This made it almost impossible for the law to work in an impartial matter. Also, the legislative commission summoned to help in the reforms were advising in their own interest (Viault 131). The fact that the serfs were excluded in the reform process also created an inherent problem in the future constitution that was being formulated. This led to the ultimate failure of the legislative commission. In the period between 1773 and 1775, a serf revolt began in the Volga region of Russia (Dixon 228). This Revolt sought to demand more rights for serfs and equality on the lines similar to the American and French revolution. This was a major threat to the Russian Crown and the Monarchy. However, the nobles managed to raise an army to crush the revolt. This led to the capture and beheading of the Don Cossack who led it. In a gesture of gratitude, Catherine reorganized local government and yield a higher degree of control to the nobles who were necessary for the survival of the Monarchy (Viault 131). Later on, the Charter of Nobility was put in place in 1785 to provide privileges to the nobles who ruled the provinces on behalf of the queen (Hatt 30). “The Charter of the Nobles listed many rights, old and new of the Russian Nobility. This included immunity from corporal punishment and taxation, as well as the right to refuse state service and to own serfs” (Hatt 30). Unfortunately, this was not limited to just the nobles who ruled to provinces but also, to the towns which gave nobles a similar level of privileges. Conclusion From this paper, it is apparent that Catherine the Great had a strong plan to promote reforms that were meant to put Russia on the same pedestal as other Western European nations. There is evidence that she had read a lot about the views of the supporters of the Enlightenment in mainland Europe as well as Britain. Due to this, she sought to promote individual rights and a fair and impartial legal system. She sought to promote a system of education that would prepare the younger generation for this and also issue the Instructions that were meant to promote the legal reform process. In preparation of Russia for Westernization, Catherine the Great convened a legislative commission to draft a constitution but this failed due to the fact that most of the participants were advising in their own interest and the serfs were excluded. Also, the revolution of the serfs led to the need for survival of the Monarchy. Due to this, Catherine relied on the nobles to raise armies to crush the revolutions. In gratitude, she had to give the nobles a privileged position and protect their privileges. This made it impossible for the granting of equal rights to all Russians and the promulgation of a constitution that abolished serfdom because that was a sure recipe for the overthrow of the Russian monarchy. In my view, she had a good plan for the Westernization of Russia in her time but her effort was not successful. Works Cited Dixon Simon. Catherine the Great London: Profile Books. 2009. Print. Gillespie Carmen. Critical Companion to Toni Morrison. New York: Infobase Publishing. 2009. Print. Hatt Christine. Catherine the Great. London: Evans Brothers. 2001. Print. Madariage Isabel de. Catherine The Great: A Short History Second Edition. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1990. Print. Riasanovsky Nicholas. A History of Russia. New York: Oxford University Press. 2010. Print Riha, Thomas. Readings in Russian Civilization Vol 2 Imperial Russia 1700 – 1917 Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1969. Print. Viault Birdsall. Modern European History. San Francisco: McGraw Hill. 1990. Print. Read More