...Historical Leader Paper Catherine the Great Catherine II was originally born Sophie Augusta Fredericka in 1729. She was born to a noble family in and raised in Germany then call Prussia. She was born a princes and was raised as such. Sophie was considered as an immensely beautiful princes. However her family was considered as minor and as poor by royal family standards. What they did have was an important connection to the Russian Empire. Sophie left for Russia in 1744 to meet Empress Elisabeth at the age of 15. As with most princesses of the time she was married off to increase political and family ties. In Sophie’s case this was to Peter III. Grand Duke Peter was the nephew to the Empress and heir to the throne of Russia. Other than meeting Empress Elisabeth and Peter III her childhood was relatively dull. The first time Sophie met Peter she was not fond of him. She described him as being “small and infantile and talked about nothing but soldiers and toys”. He was far too childish for her. In addition Peter would drink in excess at the mere age of 16. Although she disliked him, Sophie’s marriage to Peter was her first step in becoming Catherine the Great. She unlike Peter immediately immersed herself in the Russian culture. She also converted from German Lutheran to Eastern Orthodoxy and thus she was reborn and renamed Catherine. Catherine was an intellect who learned the Russian language swiftly. The newlyweds were nothing alike. Even on their wedding night Peter stayed...
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...Voltaire called Catherine the Great the new “Semiramis of the North,” after the legendary founder of Babylon noted for her beauty, wisdom, and sexual excesses. Despite the notoriety she gained for her sexual escapades, Catherine's importance to the flowering of Russian literature was immense. One of her driving ambitions during her thirty-four-year reign was to advance Russian culture, and she patronized Russian authors and artists accordingly. Possessed of a self-admitted “mania” for writing and eager to provide models for the literary culture she sought to develop, Catherine produced reams of writing, including voluminous correspondence with Voltaire and other Enlightenment notables, passionate love letters, lively memoirs, political tracts,...
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...Catherine the Great, also known as Catherine II, is the longest-ruling female of Russia. She was born on May 2, 1729 in Stettin, Prussia. In 1744, Catherine moved to Russia where she started her relationship with Grand Duke Peter. Catherine and Peter became married on August 21st, 1745 and didn’t exactly have a happy relationship. Once Empress Elizabeth died, Peter inherited the throne and Catherine received the title Empress Consort. Peter was a bad leader, he alienated nobles and angered the Orthodox Church. Within six months of rule, Peter was overthrown in a coup that Catherine was a part of and not long after being overthrown, was murdered. With Peter overthrown, Catherine became the ruler. While in power, Catherine modernized Russia, made Russia a major European power, expanded the borders of Russia, and made reforms in agriculture and education. Though Catherine did many good things for Russia, there were still rebellions. Cossack Yemelyan...
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...'PETERSON DESIR PROF: SMITH-PETER CLASS: HST- 275 Catherine the Great was and remains one of the most important figures in Russian history. During her thirty-four-year reign Russia has greatly prospered not only materially , but more importantly intellectually, which played a vital role in the modernization or the westernization of Russia a couple centuries later. Evidently, analyzing her long reign through the prism of what is considered as democracy today, one could depict its very faults and blemishes. However, we should view her reign as it was then , but not as it should have been nowadays. Whether somebody coined it as an enlightened absolutism, the real truth remained : Catherine the Great has brought Enlightenment to Russia, the European Enlightenment. What was it, Enlightenment?- It was a philosophical movement that greatly fostered rational thinking, the use of science over traditions and superstitions, and also promoted freedom ,security and equality before law for all people. Catherine was thrilled by such great ideas. She devoted herself to reading and established a great line of correspondence with the true leaders of the movement such as Voltaire, Diderot, Bossuet,etc..In her letters, she overtly expressed her intention of becoming an adept of the movement. She started in creating schools and reforming the educational system. She Turned to Voltaire for advice. As an Enlightenment's follower, she was deeply interested...
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...'PETERSON DESIR PROF: SMITH-PETER CLASS: HST- 275 Catherine the Great was and remains one of the most important figures in Russian history. During her thirty-four-year reign Russia has greatly prospered not only materially , but more importantly intellectually, which played a vital role in the modernization or the westernization of Russia a couple centuries later. Evidently, analyzing her long reign through the prism of what is considered as democracy today, one could depict its very faults and blemishes. However, we should view her reign as it was then , but not as it should have been nowadays. Whether somebody coined it as an enlightened absolutism, the real truth remained : Catherine the Great has brought Enlightenment to Russia, the European Enlightenment. What was it, Enlightenment?- It was a philosophical movement that greatly fostered rational thinking, the use of science over traditions and superstitions, and also promoted freedom ,security and equality before law for all people. Catherine was thrilled by such great ideas. She devoted herself to reading and established a great line of correspondence with the true leaders of the movement such as Voltaire, Diderot, Bossuet,etc..In her letters, she overtly expressed her intention of becoming an adept of the movement. She started in creating schools and reforming the educational system. She Turned to Voltaire for advice. As an Enlightenment's follower, she was deeply interested...
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...Catherine the Great is a controversial leader. She was born a minor German princess and married Peter III, heir to the throne of Russia. Peter was not a good ruler. He had many lovers, was an alcoholic, he was juvenile, he was neurotic, and he was rebellious. Catherine was especially angered when Peter considered having one of is mistresses rule with him rather then her. She started a rebellion against Peter, forcing him to step down. She later planned his assassination with one of her lovers. Even her way to the throne can be seen as controversial, just like her rule. The major negatives to the rule of Catherine the Great include her many lovers, her treatment of peasants, and her poor skills at handling money. Catherine the Great did not handle the state treasury well. She exempted people from paying taxes, but still planned large military missions. These ate up the state treasury. Under her rule she drained the treasury, leaving Russia almost bankrupt. She sacrificed the economy of her country so the people could have more luxury. This may seem good at first, but when Russia was drained of money things were...
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...Austria and its allies. Frederick the Great of Prussia personified tolerant despotism. (Frank, Kagan, Ozment, Turner, p.539). Catherine the Great (1729-1796) Born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst, the daughter of a German prince, she was related through her mother to the dukes of Holstein. She became the empress of Russia on July 9, 1762 until her death in 1796. Frederick regularly describes himself as “the first servant of the state,” contending that his own personal and...
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...The Time of Troubles ended with a new ruling house coming to power. The House of Romanov was the second dynasty to rule over Russia, and reigned from 1613 until the abdication of Czar Nicholas II on March 15, 1917, as a result of the February Revolution. The ancestor of the Romanovs was Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla who lived in the 14th century. The surname comes from Roman whose daughter Anastasia became the wife of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. After the marriage of Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina, her family became close to the tsar’s court and started pretending to the crown. The elder son (Ivan) was murdered by the tsar in a quarrel; the younger Fedor, a pious and lethargic prince, inherited the throne in 1584 and was...
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...Tiffany Prill Challenges of Leadership Leadership Book Analysis Modern World Leaders- Angela Merkel The person chosen for this leadership report is Angela Merkel. I read “Modern World Leaders-Angela Merkel” written by Clifford W. Mills. Being born in Berlin, with my pride in being German, as well as being a female with my own leadership ambitions, I felt Angela Merkel was a perfect fit for me. Gaining knowledge on the leadership style from one of the most powerful and influential women in the world, while also learning the values and beliefs my country is grounded on, I find Angela Merkel to be extremely interesting leader to study. Angela Merkel (born Angela Dorothea Kasner), was born in Hamburg, Germany on July 17, 1954. Angela was raised in East Germany where she later received Associates degree in 1973. Shortly after, she enrolled to the Karl Marx University where she later met and married Ulrich Merkel.She graduates with a bachelor and continues onto her PhD in Science at the Central institute for Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin. By 1986 she received her PhD which is also the same year she goes back to West Germany for the first time since she was baby. It was the many years in West Germany, full of communism and hardships, that taught Merkel how strong and powerful government could be. Merkel was determined to use power to serve the people not use it to control them. Rather than telling them what they wanted hear, she told them what to...
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...Russia Timeline: X-XX Century 1. Late 10th C. – Vikings land of the Rus! 2. 1015-1036- Sviatapol, Boris, Glev 3. 1240-1480- Golden Horde rules, Iron I “Kalitas”, Ivan II * Ivan the II Home Work 4. 1480-1505- Ivan III Tzar? 5. 1505-1533- Vasily Ivanovich * The time of Juana La loca y Felipe “El Hermoso” * Ivanovich needed an heir to the throne and he sent his wife to a convent and got married to another woman * The highest leader of the orthodox church accused his deeds as an abomination and told him that this new marriage was a curse (his son will be born a monster) * Cuando nace el hijo nace con una anormalidad * “a monster has benn born with two teeth he will dovour our people and with one he will devour you” * Ivan Grosny 6. 1547-1584-Ivan Grosny (Ivan IV) rules at 16 years old * Grosny was given to him because it means “awesome”, (all inspiring) * If you stand beside him you will be disintegrated * “A flock needs a shepherd” * Was taken out of power because of his terrible deeds * When he was persuaded to come back into ruling Russia he told them that he would, but under his conditions * Worst failure: (failed to protect Russia) * Was so focused on his outer enemies that he didn’t see the Tzar Mongols invade Moscu (the Tzars ended up burning Moscu) * They prophesized that he was gonna die in a specific day and month (***and he did *** when he...
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...company- a charter private company that controlled trade for china • Kangzi- A child Chinese emperor , did major expansion in china’s borders, gained control of the government , centralized government • Qing Technology-Introduced new ways to draw maps, created European calendar, worked in astronomy and anatomy • Canton system- a way for china to control trade, they did not allow ships to come in , closed off every port , left only one city port (Canton) open • Macartney- British ambassador that demanded china to open up their ports , he failed though • Environmental Stress- caused by population growth and • Muscovy- Area that surrounds the great city of Moscow • Tsar(Russian equivalent to emperor ,dictator)Ivan Iv -Ivan the fourth was also known as Ivan the terrible- first emperor of the Muscovy region • Siberia- Northern area of Russia , had very valuable...
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...reforms. In addition, they justified their authority on the grounds of usefulness, not divine right. These new monarchs were rational and reformist and they regarded political change as possible and desirable. Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, and Joseph II are good examples of Enlightened Despots. Frederick II (Frederick the Great), the most famous Prussian absolute monarch and a military genius, pursued an aggressive foreign policy. In 1740 he seized from Austria the province of Silesia. His action culminated in a major European conflict, the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in which he was pitted against a powerful European coalition of Austria, Russia, and France. Frederick, aided only by England, barely managed to retain Silesia. In 1772 Frederick shared in the first partition of Poland by annexing western Poland. Frederick the Great was an almost perfect example of the enlightened despot. He was familiar with the ideas of the eighteenth-century reformers and a friend of Voltaire. Many of the philosophers, including Voltaire, felt progress could come faster if the government were directed by a reasonable, benevolent, enlightened despot, who would make his state's welfare his/her highest aim. Frederick the Great was just such a man. Frederick the Great was a dazzling military and administrative success. His passion for military victory and his concern for his subjects provide the (almost) perfect example of the...
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...1. Politically, the period from 1715 to 1789 witnessed a. the rise of the masses in politics as advocated by the philosophes. b. the waning of monarchical power. c. the continuing process of centralization in the development of nation-states. d. "enlightened absolutism" establish its deepest roots in France. e. a decline in bureaucratic structures and more laissezfaire types of government. 2. During the eighteenth century, the idea of Divine Right a. remained a strong basis for government. b. was gradually replaced by more republican ideas concerning government. c. was replaced by the idea of "enlightened absolutism" justified by utilitarian arguments. d. was best exemplified by the reign of Joseph II of Austria. e. disappeared with the death of Louis XIV in 1715. 3. France in the eighteenth century a. thrived under the strong leadership of Louis XV and Louis XVI. b. suffered from severe economic depression throughout the century. c. was torn apart by a series of civil wars. d. lost an empire while acquiring a huge public debt. e. brought back the Estates General during the reign of Louis XV. 4. Louis XV's most famous mistress was a. Marie Antoinette. b. Madame de Pompadour. c. Mary Wollstonecraft. d. Madame Guillotine. e. Comtesse de Boigne. 5. In the 1700s, members of the British Parliament were a. appointed by the King. b. usually overseas and not actually in Parliament voting. c. chosen in different ways in different districts. d. elected...
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...improvement, economic growth, and administrative reform. Enlightenment intellectuals advocated agricultural improvement, commercial society, expanding consumption, and the application of innovative rational methods to traditional social and economic practices. The spirit of innovation and improvement came to characterize modern Europe and Western society. Politically, the Enlightenment had a direct impact on some rulers--in eastern and central Europe—whose policies came to be known as enlightened absolutism. Section One: Formative Influences of the Enlightenment Section Overview Chief factors that fostered the ideas of the Enlightenment The Newtonian worldview the political stability and commercial prosperity in Great Britain after 1688 the need for administrative and economic reform after the wars of Louis XIV the consolidation of what is known as a print culture Ideas of Newton and Locke Isaac Newton The achievements in science from Copernicus to Newton convinced European thinkers that both the ancient and medieval Christian worlds were incorrect and confused...
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...Peace, Land, and Bread The Bolsheviks’ Rise to Power in Revolutionary Russia In January of 1917, Vladimir Lenin said that he did not believe that he would not live to see a socialist revolution. Indeed, Russia appeared to be comfortably transitioning in bourgeois democracy. Progressive leaders, Pavel Miliukov and Prince Lvov were taking control of the State Duma, both Leon Trotsky and Lenin were in exile, and their Bolshevik Party’s following had been decimated by conscription. Yet by the closing of that very year, the Bolshevik Party had taken control of Russia and transformed the country into the world’s first communist state, with a very much alive Lenin at its helm. In addition to seizing power against all odds, the Bolshevik apparatus succeeded in crushing its rivals in the following years and created a regime that would survive a global depression, genocide, a world war, and a bitter half-century arms race with a world superpower. The Bolshevik Party’s ascension to power was enabled by a number of factors which coincided to create a ‘perfect storm.’ Disunity amongst the Bolsheviks’ adversaries contributed to a lack of opposition. Russia’s wartime economy proved to be a major inciter of unrest in both the urban and rural populace. Aid, both intentional and unintentional, from foreign powers bolstered the Bolsheviks’ position. And of course a sizeable amount of luck cannot go without credit. But the deciding factor, which is apparent before, during and after...
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