Portrait of Catherine the Great (r. 1762-1796) by Fedor Rokotov (1735-1808) based on an earlier portrait by Alexander Roslin (1718-1793).  Pretty amazing that a stout, non-Russian princess from an obscure German petty principality (Sophie Augusta Fredericka of Anhalt-Zerbst) went on to become Catherine the Great of Russia.  Talk about upward mobility!

• Read the textbook chapters 21, 22, 23 and 24.
• Check the remarks by Professor Blois and Professor Evans on Catherine the Great.
• Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the Unit.
• Post (or respond) your thoughts/ideas about this Unit's reading and assignment in the Blackboard online discussion forum. Do not post your assignment there.

• Read chapter 17 and chapter 18 from Mary Platt Parmele (1843-1911) A Short History of Russia (1907, 4th edition).  These are short chapters, and this is optional reading.

• Catherine the Great Part 1/5 (PBS)
• Catherine II Biography
• The Rise of Catherine the Great (1934)
• The Hermitage Museum
• St. Petersburg, Russia Hermitage Museum part 2
• The cats which work for the Hermitage Museum
• Russian Imperial History 11/20, 12/20, 13/20
• For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the url and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.

• For 50 points maximum extra credit, read Aleksandr Radishchev (1749-1802), Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow (1790) and write a one-page paper explaining why this novel was considered dangerous by Catherine the Great.
• For 50 points maximum extra credit, read Isabel de Madariaga, Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great (1981), an excellent scholarly biography, and write a one-page paper that details the author's interpretations of Catherine's reign.
• For 25 points maximum extra credit, read The Instructions of Catherine II to the Legislative Commission of 1767 (The "Nakaz") and write a paragraph that answers the question, What was the rationale in the Nakaz justifying the autocracy? The link will probably not work, but I have a copy on this website.
• For 25 points maximum extra credit, read Catherine's Proclamation upon ascending the throne, her letter to D'Alembert and the comments by the English ambassador and then write a paragraph that assesses the character of Catherine the Great as an "enlightened" ruler of Russia.