be period 2. the contestants philip ii louis xiv charles i maria theresa peter i frederick ii...
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Growth of the Russian Empire under CatherineTRANSCRIPT
BE
Period 2
The Contestants
Philip IILouis XIV
Charles I
Maria Theresa
Peter I
Frederick II
Catherine the Great
Growth of the Russian Empire under Catherine
Catherine’s Success
• Catherine ruled for 34 years, the longest rule since the formation of the Russian Empire in 1721.
• Catherine extended Russia’s borders greatly by adding nearly 200 thousand square miles over her long reign.
Russian war under Catherine
• Catherine’s first war was a Russo-Turkish war with the Ottoman empire.
• While still involved in war with the Ottoman Turks, Catherine went to war with Sweden
• This was a difficult challenge during her early reign but handled it greatly, winning land, and forming Russia into a dominant southeastern power.
Common characteristics with other monarchs of the time
• Catherine took over after the death of her husband from a direct relation to the throne, as did most other monarchs in Europe.
• Catherine, and all of the other monarchs in Europe were Absolute Monarchs, who had complete control over their empires.
Similarities with other monarchs
• Catherine the Great was very much like Peter the Great, who also ruled Russia. Peter wanted to expand Russia’s borders and gain warm water ports, a task which Catherine later accomplished.
• Catherine also encouraged devolopment of the arts and culture in Russia. This was a very similar idea to Philip II, who was a patron of the arts.
A monarch unlike Catherine
• Maria Theresa was like Catherine in many ways but had differing ruling strategies
• Catherine wanted to improve the power of her country by extending borders and enriching culture.
• Maria wanted to improve her country by creating many reforms including financial and educational reforms, but didn’t put as much focus on the army, like Catherine did.
Modern Day Russia
• The Russian Empire under Catherine expanded over a huge area, but Russia today, is very large, and has expanded to over 17 million square kilometers.
Russian government
• Today, Russia is a Federation under President Vladimir Putin.
• The presidents are elected and the government has executive, judicial and legislative branches.
Which monarch would be best to live under
• Catherine the Great• Catherine was a wonderful ruler who had
complete control but gave her people much freedom.
• She expanded Russian borders, and developed culture and the arts.
Best country to live in today
• Germany• The greatest economy in Europe with the
second largest population density.• The average life expectancy is 78.8 years
old. • Germany also has a relatively low
unemployment rate. • The country would be the best European
nation to live in.