Madison Womelsdorf

10/21/14

Was Catherine the Great an Absolute Ruler?

Catherine the Great was a powerful leader who ruled the Russian
empire from 172 until her death in 17!" #hrou$h her rei$n she in%uen&ed
Russia politi&all'( e&onomi&all'( so&iall'( and $eo$raphi&all'" Catherine the
Great was an absolute ruler throu$h her &ontrol o)er the *rthodo+ Chur&h(
her &ontrol o)er the nobles( her disre$ard for the ,erfs( who were the
ma-orit' of Russia.s population( and throu$h the partition of the &ountr'
/oland"
When Catherine the Great 0rst &ame into power she returned the land
and propert' that was sei1ed from the Russian *rthodo+ Chur&h b' /eter 222"
Althou$h bein$ a reli$ious s&epti&( she soon de&ided that she wanted to
&ontain the power of the &hur&h" ,he determined that the wealth and the
&hur&h itself belon$ed to the state and that all the serfs( around 1 million(
also be&ame propert' of the state" #he Russian *rthodo+ Chur&h was also
sub-e&t to hi$h ta+es b' Catherine" Control o)er the Russian *rthodo+ Chur&h
is an e+ample of what made her an absolute ruler be&ause to be enli$htened
'ou ha)e to fa)or reli$ious toleration"
3a)orin$ with the nobles and ha)in$ disre$ard for the population
ma-orit'( ,erfs( is what also made Catherine an absolute ruler" 2n 1745(
Catherine the Great issued a &harter 6nown as the Charter of nobilit' or the
Charter of Gentr' whi&h hi$hl' in&reased the upper &lass.s power" #he
Charter e+empted 7obles from mandator' ser)i&es to the state( from pa'in$
ta+es( and o8ered them freedom of spee&h( assembl'( and a ri$ht to a trial
b' their peers" #he' were also allowed to own properties that were hea)il'
populated b' ,erfs" A serf is an a$ri&ultural laborer bound under the feudal
s'stem to wor6 on his lord.s estate" ,erfs ha)e )er' little ri$hts and the' are
usuall' bond to their estate for life" 9' issuin$ this Charter it not onl'
in&reased the bo'ar.s power but it also $reatl' de&reased the ri$hts and
freedoms of ,erfs" Also lar$e amounts of &iti1ens were for&ed into the
&onditions of ,erfdom be&ause of the Charter" 9' not attemptin$ to sol)e the
issue of ,erfdom it &ate$ori1es Catherine the Great as an absolute ruler"
2n 17!4( Catherine the Great appointed her former lo)er( ,tanislaw
/oniatows6i( leader of /oland" Althou$h the partition of /oland was not full'
Catherine.s idea she too6 the leadin$ role in &arr'in$ it out" 2n 17!4( she
be&ame prote&tor of the /olish:;utheran Commonwealth( whi&h lead to an
anti:Russian uprisin$ in /oland" After the uprisin$ dispersed she established
the polish state in a s'stem of $o)ernment full' &ontrolled b' the Russian
empire throu$h a permanent &oun&il whi&h was made up of ambassadors and
en)o's" Catherine re-e&ted man' prin&iples of enli$htenment that when she
0rst &ame into power she )iewed fa)orabl'" When the $rowin$ demo&rati&
mo)ements inside the Commonwealth of /oland be$an to &on&ern Catherine
she de&ided to inter)ene whi&h resulted in a war between /oland lo'alists"
,he sei1ed the land and split the territories between /russia and Austria in
175" ,he e+panded Russia.s borders b' en$a$in$ in war and sei1in$ the land
of other &ountries" Althou$h e+pansion of borders ma' seem positi)e( in the
means that Catherine obtained the land was for&efull'"
Catherine the Great( one of the most in%uential leaders of Russia( was
an absolute ruler" ,he &ontrolled the power of the *rthodo+ Chru&h(
disre$arded the serf population( and too6 &ontrol o)er /oland" 9' not fa)orin$
reli$ious toleration( attemptin$ to sol)e the issue of serfdom( and b' sei1in$
the land of other &ountries to $ain more power for the Russian empire is
e)iden&e of wh' she was a powerful( but absolute ruler"
Wor6s Cited
<Catherine 22 9io$raph'"< 9io"&om" A=> 7etwor6s #ele)ision( n"d" Web" 21 *&t"
2014"
<Catherine #he Great"< ?istor'" 7"p"( n"d" Web" 22 *&t" 2014"