| 词条 | Draft:The Autocratic Rule of Catherine the Great |
| 释义 |
Empress Catherine II of Russia (1729-86), most notably known as Catherine the Great, is one of the most divisive Russian rulers to historians in regards to her method of ruling. Similar to her predecessor, Peter the Great, Catherine II was a major advocate for the expansion and westernization of Russia through pro-enlightenment reforms. However, despite Catherine the Great’s enlightened absolutist front, her reign was best described as autocratic. Born into a German royal family as Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst, the future empress of Russia eventually married Peter III, heir to the Russian Throne. Peter III was a wildly unpopular ruler, and in a successful attempt to overthrow him, Catherine II staged a coup. As a result, Catherine became the Empress of Russia.[1] Catherine the Great's Approach to the Enlightenment: Much of Catherine the Great's rule involved her altering the state of Russia in accordance with other European countries. This involved the implementation of Enlightenment ideals, most prevalent in the Nakaz, or the Instruction, issued in 1767.[2] Societal reformation was a major focus of the Enlightenment, and as a result the discussion of liberty was prevalent. In the Nakaz, Catherine contemplates the role of government in achieving liberty for Russia, as well as the role of the ruler, in this case herself, in maintaining it. The majority of Catherine's utilization of Enlightenment ideals was meant to more closely tie the roles of government and the citizens of Russia. It was her goal to retain an autocratic rule while still possessing Enlightenment ideals as evidenced by the following statement in The Nakaz: "the sovereign is absolute; for there is no other authority but that which centers in his/her single person that can act with a vigour proportionate to the extent of such a vast dominion."[3] Furthermore, as she expresses in The Nakaz: “What is the true end of monarchy? Not to deprive people of their natural liberty; but to correct their actions, in order to attain the supreme good,”[3] she believed it was her responsibility as a monarch to guide her subjects to order. To further justify her argument that she should have absolute power, she cited the enormous size of Russia as reason for the efficiency of an absolute monarchy: “The extent of the dominion requires an absolute power to be vested in that person who rules over it. It is expedient so to be that the quick dispatch of affairs, sent from distant parts, might make ample amends for the delay occasioned by the great distance of the places.”[3]The Pugachev Rebellion:Despite having absolute power, Catherine II realized she would need the support of the nobility to maintain stability and power. This was most evident during the outbreak of the Pugachev rebellion. Catherine’s unforgiving restrictions on serfs, such as a 1767 decree that prohibited the voicing of any grievances against a serf’s master/landlord, led to major unrest within the peasantry of Russia. As a result, a Don Cossack named Emelian Pugachev began masquerading as Peter III, promising the serfdom that he would “grant [freedom] to everyone who formerly was in serfdom or in any other obligation to the nobility.”[4] After whispers of the possibility of serfs receiving certain freedoms due to the legitimate Peter III releasing nobles from compulsory service, Pugachev was able to gather the support of the peasantry after their upset caused by the restrictions put in place by Catherine the Great. Despite previously advocating Enlightenment ideals, Catherine II chose to abandon them in order to retain stable power by giving up all attempts to abolish serfdom. Catherine instead decided to give more rights to the nobles in her Charter to the Nobility, such as her decrease in the severity of punishment to the well-born as evidenced by the excerpt: “Corporal punishment shall not extend to the well-born (nobleman),"[5] as well as the abolition of personal taxes: “A well-born [nobleman] is to be personally exempt from personal taxes.”[5] This was all done in an attempt to win the loyalty and support of her nobles. Her efforts paid off when major government forces were eventually able to defeat Pugachev. Catherine the Great's Reaction to Event in Europe and the United States:As her rule progressed, Catherine grew more and more fearful of dissent as a result of learning of events in the United States and France in which major government powers were overthrown. As a result, Catherine’s previous approach to hiding her autocratic rule behind the guise of an enlightened ruler died as she began taking freedoms and liberties away from the people. This idea found life with her restrictions on the publications of books. Unrestricted publications presented Catherine II with accounts of the events in the United States and France. Clearly fearful that these writing would inspire similar events in Russia, Catherine used her absolute power to put heavy restrictions on what could and couldn’t be published. Her restrictions were so severe that even book advertisements had to receive approval from the police. Education, a major component of the Enlightenment, was also subject to these restrictions. The Academy of Sciences was forced to take a biased view of news relating to France, and any publications or writings discussing Russia in a negative manner were forbidden from being taught or shared. Catherine’s previously pro-Enlightenment approach to literature was completely reversed when she eventually censored printed books. The Autocrat:As time progressed, Catherine’s previously more civil approach to an autocratic rule through the mixture of Enlightenment ideals eventually devolved. During her reign, she looked to other major countries as templates for the westernization of Russia, and her gaze from these other countries was not averted during events in which their governments were overthrown, thus her paranoia later in life was understandable. However, despite these changes, she remained an autocrat throughout her reign. The enlightenment ideals present in The Nakaz were never put into effect, nor did she take any measures to abolish serfdom, rather, she strengthened it to fortify her power. Despite believing herself to be an enlightened absolutist with the interests of the people at heart, her actions speak the undeniable truth: Catherine the Great was an autocrat. References1. ^{{Cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41044512|title=Catherine the Great's Conversion of 1744 on JSTOR|website=www.jstor.org|language=en|access-date=2018-12-19}} 2. ^{{Cite book|title=Reinterpreting Russian History|last=Kaiser|first=Daniel|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1994|pages=250-255}} 3. ^1 2 {{Cite web|url=http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his241/Documents/Nakaz.pdf|title=The Nakaz}} 4. ^{{Cite book|title=The Pugachev Rebellion|pages=106}} 5. ^1 {{Cite book|title=Reinterpreting Russian History|last=Kaiser|first=Daniel|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1994|isbn=|location=|pages=245}} The Autocratic Rule of Catherine the Great |
| 随便看 |
|
开放百科全书收录14589846条英语、德语、日语等多语种百科知识，基本涵盖了大多数领域的百科知识，是一部内容自由、开放的电子版国际百科全书。