Question

"READING

Catherine the Great (Russia)
Catherine was not born to be a Russian czar, just the daughter of German prince. At age 15, she was summoned to St. Petersburg to marry the heir to Russian throne. The marriage was a disaster, her husband was mentally unstable. Catherine saw her husband's weakness as an opportunity to seize power in Russia. Only months after her husband became the czar, Catherine had him arrested and confined. Soon afterward, Peter conveniently died, probably by murder. As the czar of Russia, Catherine continued Peter the Great's policies of expansion and Westernization. She also promoted limited reform, corresponded with leading French thinkers, and even granted
nobles their own charter of rights. However, she refused to part with any of her absolute power. During her reign, the conditions of the serfs actually worsened. She defeated the Ottoman Empire, expanded Russia's border to the Black Sea, and carved up Poland with her neighbors. Throughout her reign, Catherine took many lovers and married again, leaving behind several children.
Answer the following questions at the bottom of the page:
1. How was Catherine's tactics as ruler different from previous absolute rulers?"

Answer 1

Catherine the Great was different from previous absolute rulers in that she embraced Enlightenment ideas, corresponded with European thinkers, and advanced policies of Westernization, yet maintained her absolute power and expanded Russian territory.

Step-by-step explanation:

Catherine the Great's tactics as a ruler were distinguished from her predecessors by her engagement with Enlightenment ideas, even while maintaining her absolute authority. Unlike previous absolute rulers, she corresponded with prominent European intellectuals and implemented policies of expansion and Westernization. However, she still upheld the autocratic traditions by refusing to relinquish any of her supreme power. Her reign also involved strategic territorial expansion, notably against the Ottoman Empire and through the partition of Poland, while conditions for the serfs in Russia worsened under her rule.