Foreign affairs and wars: Sweden; Turkey and Crimea; wars with Poland and its partition
Catherine the Great fought wars against Sweden, the Ottoman Empire, and Poland. These wars expanded Russia's territory dramatically and made Russia a dominant European power.
Real World
The three Partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, 1795) erased an entire country from the map of Europe — Russia, Prussia and Austria each took slices until Poland ceased to exist as a state, a territorial restructuring that shaped European borders until 1918.
Exam Focus
For foreign policy questions, specify which war produced which territorial gain; vague references to 'expansion' will not score high marks.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
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