Catherine the Great - Reforms, Rebellion, and Greatness - Extra History - Part 4
Extra History・8 minutes read
Catherine's efforts to reform laws through the Nakaz faced challenges due to exclusions and lack of enlightenment understanding, leading to conflicting desires from representatives. Despite facing peasant rebellion and Ottoman conflict, she achieved victories and promoted smallpox inoculation among Russians.
Insights
- The Nakaz, written by Catherine, aimed to reform laws by involving diverse representatives but excluded serfs, leaving much of the Empire unrepresented and causing suspicion among attendees unprepared for the process.
- Catherine's efforts for legal reform faced challenges stemming from a lack of enlightenment philosophy understanding among representatives, leading to conflicting interests, while her actions in Poland escalated the war with the Ottomans, resulting in Russian victories and the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca.
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Recent questions
What was Catherine's focus on writing the Nakaz?
Catherine focused on writing the Nakaz, a set of guidelines for rewriting laws, involving representatives from various classes, regions, and religions to discuss necessary laws. The Nakaz aimed to reform and modernize the legal system in Russia by incorporating input from diverse groups within the empire.
Who was excluded from the inclusive assembly in Catherine's time?
The assembly was inclusive but excluded serfs, leaving nine tenths of the Empire unrepresented. This exclusion meant that many representatives were unprepared and suspicious of the process, highlighting the challenges of creating a truly representative legislative body in Catherine's era.
What challenges did Catherine face in the meetings for rewriting laws?
The meetings were challenging due to a lack of understanding of enlightenment philosophy among the representatives. This led to conflicting desires from different classes for new laws, making it difficult for Catherine to navigate the diverse perspectives and interests within the assembly.
How did Catherine seek knowledge and understanding from the representatives?
Catherine, an autocrat, sought knowledge and understanding from the representatives but faced difficulties in obtaining useful input. Despite her efforts to engage with the diverse group of representatives, the differing backgrounds and perspectives made it challenging for Catherine to effectively gather input for the legal reforms she sought to implement.
What were the outcomes of the war with the Ottomans during Catherine's reign?
The war with the Ottomans escalated due to Catherine's actions in Poland, leading to a series of victories for the Russians and the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca. This treaty granted Russia ports on the Black Sea, expanding Russian influence in the region. Additionally, Catherine faced a massive peasant rebellion led by Pugachev during this time, requiring troops from the Ottoman conflict to suppress. Despite these challenges, Catherine also successfully combated smallpox through inoculation, influencing many Russians to follow suit and improving public health in the empire.
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Summary
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Catherine's Nakaz: Inclusive Assembly, Excluded Serfs
- Catherine focused on writing the Nakaz, a set of guidelines for rewriting laws, involving representatives from various classes, regions, and religions to discuss necessary laws.
- The assembly was inclusive but excluded serfs, leaving nine tenths of the Empire unrepresented, with many representatives unprepared and suspicious of the process.
- The meetings were challenging due to a lack of understanding of enlightenment philosophy, resulting in conflicting desires from different classes for new laws.
- Catherine, an autocrat, sought knowledge and understanding from the representatives but faced difficulties in obtaining useful input.
- The war with the Ottomans escalated due to Catherine's actions in Poland, leading to a series of victories for the Russians and the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, granting Russia ports on the Black Sea.
- Catherine faced a massive peasant rebellion led by Pugachev, which required troops from the Ottoman conflict to suppress, while also successfully combating smallpox through inoculation, influencing many Russians to follow suit.
