Catherine: character and aims; extent of influence of the Enlightenment; impact of French Revolution
Catherine the Great ruled Russia from 1762 and admired Enlightenment ideas about reason and reform. The French Revolution of 1789 later frightened her and pushed her away from those ideas.
Real World
Catherine personally invited the philosopher Diderot to St Petersburg in 1773 and paid him a salary, yet after 1789 she banned French revolutionary literature and increased censorship — showing how the Terror ended her public embrace of Enlightenment liberalism.
Exam Focus
When asked to 'assess' Catherine's Enlightenment influence, always distinguish between her rhetoric and her actual policy outcomes.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
How well did you know this?