Gianna Rocca

Block 2
Catherine II Essay
Catherine II- Enlightened Monarch or Absolute Monarch?
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, was a German Princess who ruled over
Russia from 1729-1796. Catherine was much like Peter the Great; however, she was not an
absolute monarch, but she was instead an enlightened monarch who worked to improve Russia
for the better. Catherine had very good intentions for Russia: she condoned art, literature, theatre
and science, but her main goal was to westernize the culture of Russia, and to enhance Russia
with enlightened ideals.
Catherine was an enlightened monarch because she favored religious, economic and legal
reforms and attempted to pursue them with the Enlightenment spirit. Likewise, she exchanged
correspondence with the French philosopher Voltaire. This is important because it shows how
Catherine reflects the Enlightenment ideals of order and reason through the arts. In addition,
Catherine loved the arts so much that she built a theatre for her people! To continue, Catherine
expanded Russia to Poland and sought access to the Black Sea, causing her to gain the title
Catherine the Great, due to her success of territorial expansion. Despite how she enjoyed
military success, Catherine knew that the social structure of her country was precious and
precarious; therefore, Catherine realized Russia needed prolonged peace and stability. For an
example, she recommended allowing religious toleration and abolishment torture and capital
punishment, showing that she is in favor of legal reforms and believed that every Russian subject
had the right to religion. Catherine also undertook Russia's legal system, which was based on the
Code of Laws, and attempted to abolish serfdom. Much of the Russian populations were serfs, so
Catherine worked to protest the horrible living conditions of the serfs. Nevertheless, Catherine
directed her attention to domestic matters. She gave much of her attention to the arts and
sciences and aspired to expand the countrys education facilities.
In contrast, many would disagree with how Catherine is an enlightened monarch and
instead would believe that she is an absolute monarch. People would claim that Catherine did
little to improve the life of peasants due to the revolt. Catherine was simply convinced her that
she needed the nobles support to keep her throne. Who in their right minds would want to give

up the throne? Despite, how Catherine gave the nobles absolute power over the serfs, she used
her army to crush the rebellion. Just because Catherines views about enlightened ideas
changed after a massive uprising of serfs in 1773, does not mean the change applies to her views
about the other, various enlightened ideas! This situation only proves that Catherine had control
over the rights of the people and could make them pursue anything that she desired.
Overall, Catherine the Great was the known as the ruler admired by most philosophies. If
she ruled Russia for a solid 34 years, she had to be pursuing things that the people liked. And
Catherine was, she created schools, towns, cities and new places for people to live. More
importantly, Catherine might have believed that absolute form of government was the best form
of government, but was not an absolute ruler because she did not possess all power. Catherine
was able to be a great-enlightened monarch for Russia.
Work Cited:
"Catherine II." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 26 =5" >Mar. 2015.
Jarus, By Owen. "Catherine the Great: Biography, Accomplishments & Death." LiveScience.
TechMedia Network, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Keithly, David M. "Catherine II, the Great." - Enlightenment Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar.
2015.