Catherine the Great, Ruled Russia during a Period of Unprecedented Political Growth

Name: Catherine the Great (Catherine II)

Birth Date: May 2, 1729 – November 6, 1796

Job Functions: Empress of Russia

Fields: Politics

Known For: She had an expansive foreign policy and continued the process of Westernization, especially of the military. 

Mini Biography of Catherine the Great

Catherine II was nicknamed Catherine the Great by Denis Diderot, one of the great thinkers of the time with whom she corresponded. Born on May 2, 1729 in Prussia, modern day Poland, at age 16, she married her cousin, German-born Peter, who was the grandson of Peter the Great, and heir to the throne of Russia. Catherine the Great was among a group of leaders called “enlightened despots.” 

This profile is important because of what it can teach us about how not to lead. Although Catherine's leadership style was autocratic, there are many good things she did for Russia.

What You Can Learn From Catherine the Great 

Catherine was very ambitious, and quickly adopted her new country Russia, after her marriage to Grand Duke Peter of Holstein in 1745. Peter was proclaimed Emperor Peter III when Empress Elizabeth died on December 25, 1761. Peter had every intention of divorcing Catherine, and he and everyone underestimated her. Peter enraged the military, the government and the church, and plans were underway to overthrow him, and place his seven year hold son Paul in his place with Catherine as regent, until the child came of age.

However, in June 1762, with the assistance of her lover, Gregory Orlov, she garnered the support of the troops of St. Petersburg and declared herself Catherine II, the sovereign ruler of Russia. She had her husband Peter arrested. She was crowned Catherine II on September 22, 1762.

1. In the course of close to two years, Catherine developed and introduced Instructions, a guide to the type of Russia – government and society – she envisioned. She drew heavily from the ideas and writings of Baron de Montesquieu, Cesare Beccaria, William Blackstone, Baron Bielfeld, Voltaire and Diderot.
2. Instructions didn’t achieve its goals because it failed to address serfdom, reduce the power of the nobility, draft a constitution, or promulgate a complete law code. Her Instructions to the commission preserved the tsarina's autocracy and the boyars' agrarian power. “Catherine was instrumental in strengthening serfdom. During her reign girls were sold for 10 rubles, and she gifted various noblemen with over 800,000 peasants.” Historic World Leaders
3. Concerned about the education of children of both sexes, so she created foundling homes, hospitals, and educational institutions, and drew ideas from John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
4. The growth of Russia through internal development and border expansion, created expanded educational opportunities and highlighted the need for a better public school system since at the time, Russians were educated by private tutors. Catherine created a bigger pool of educated personnel to fill new government offices. At the end of her reign, the commission increased the number of grade schools from 50 to about 550 with at least one high school in each province.
5. She and Voltaire were friends and she purchased his library after his death in 1778. She also exchanged letters with Denis Diderot.
6. For 20 years, she corresponded with and confided in Friedrich Melchior Grimm, a German-born, French literati.
7. Her interactions with people who were a part of the Enlightenment movement influenced her actions and policies.
8. Cared deeply about reputation and spent a lot of time building her public persona. However, she was also a contradiction; on the one hand, she imaged herself after the previous four female rulers. On the other hand, she imaged masculine attitudes.
9. She also broke the mold – she rode horses astride, instead of the customary sidesaddle for women riders.
10. Had a long list of male suitors, many of which received high profile positions in the government and military. Some of these suitors who received positions lacked the qualifications required to perform the job. Her lovers also received large severance packages and pensions.
11. Invited French philosophers to St. Petersburg and improved the Russian army.
12. Lifted the ban on owning private printing presses. During the last decade of her 34-year reign, over 3,000 books were published, surpassing any previous decade in the country’s history.
13. Catherine the Great was among the “enlightened despots.” Frederick the Great of Prussia and Joseph II, Emperor of Austria were others. 

 Biggest Accomplishments/Why Catherine the Great’s Contribution Matters 

1. Had an expansive foreign policy, continued the process of Westernization and improved the military. Russia grew through internal development and border expansion, through diplomacy and military might – she added 200,000 square miles of territory to Russia, creating a need for a better public school system, which created a larger pool of workers for government roles.
2. Although she was autocratic, she ruled with tact and ease. Catherine II is considered great because she corresponded with great thinkers like Voltaire and Denis Diderot, who gave her the nickname Catherine the Great.
3. Also corresponded with powerful monarchs as equal.
4. She collected art, and assembled one of the greatest art collections in Europe – by 1785, she had bought 2,658 paintings – and Catherine built the Hermitage in St. Petersburg to house it.
5. Catherine built palaces, wrote plays and satirical articles and worked on a comprehensive chronicle of Russian history. Also wrote her memoirs. 

Application of Information Learned

1. Unlike Catherine the Great, your personal and public persona should be the same.
2. Hire people based on their knowledge, skills and abilities, and not solely on the relationship you have with them.
3. Catherine was a despot and autocrat who reigned for over 34 years – she functioned as her own minister of foreign and domestic affairs, of finance and war. Although she is a historic leader, she wasn’t a great leader because of her leadership style. The best leaders do not lead with an “iron fist.”

Books About Catherine the Great

 Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman Catherine The Great: Last Empress Of Russia Catherine the Great Catherine the Great Catherine the Great The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great Catherine the Great & Potemkin: The Imperial Love Affair

Book links are affiliate links. 

Sources Cited/Referenced 

Encyclopedia of Sex And Gender

Encyclopedia of Russian History

Encyclopedia of World Biography

World Eras

Historic World Leaders

Women in History