How Did Catherine The Great Reform

On August 5, 1772, Russia, Prussia and Austria signed a treaty that Partitioned Poland. This was the beginning of a three part partition ending in 1795 where Poland ceased to exist. The people of Poland had been trying to create a reform. Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, did not want the ideas of a republic to invade Russia. She wanted to remain Empress and did not want to change her political regime. However, this was difficult for Catherine the Great because she was very passionate about the arts and wanted to bring these new ideas to Russia, but did not want to bring the reform movement along with it. By creating these partitions of Poland, Catherine the Great was able to prevent the idea of a republic from spreading to Russia and solidify her empire.
Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg was born in Poland on May 2,
1729.
In 1744, Catherine was brought to Russia and converted to the Russian Orthodoxy so she could then marry the Grand Duke Peter. Catherine had a son, Paul, who was the heir to the throne. After the Empress (Peter’s mother) died in 1761, Peter took the throne. Peter was not a good leader for Russia so after six months of his rule Catherine the Great took the throne from Peter in a coup, and within a week Peter was killed. She had many plans regarding both domestic and foreign policy. During her first years in power she directed her attention towards strengthening her position. Catherine the Great needed to gain the support of the nobility and the military to ensure that she would not be overthrown by a coup as quickly as she had been brought to power by one. She took every opportunity to make peace with the nobility and the military while at the same time react severely to those who wanted to replace her son Paul. Catherine the
Great put her efforts into the economy, education and culture in Russia. It was Catherine the Great’s mission to make the Russians into “better people” (Cruse). She promoted free primary and secondary school. For the first time in Russia, private publishing and printing was allowed. Catherine the great also founded hospitals and introduced ways of helping widows and orphans. Catherine the Great was set on moving Russia forward and bringing them to an era of Enlightenment, however, she had some beliefs that she was not willing to change. Under Catherine the Great serfdom grew, she believed that they should “remain in their place and calling” (Cruse). Catherine the Great wanted a modern state, but did not want to make it a republic that way she could stay empress.
Catherine the Great had a strong interest in a social reform. She worked tirelessly to advocate a cultural program that would bring the Enlightenment to Russia. She was a great patron of the arts and encouraged the work of playwrights and poets. Catherine the Great was also after success and expansion for Russia. Throughout this domestic reform, there were many problems taking place outside of Catherine the Great’s empire. The political system in Poland was weak and disorderly. It was led by a strong aristocracy and a weak king. Their parliament was called the Sejm and the people of the parliament had the right to veto any law (liberum veto). This caused endless corruption and created a lot of political chaos. Despite all the political chaos, Polish society “experienced an intellectual and cultural revival that began to spread to politics.” Poland’s neighboring countries encouraged Poland’s internal problems, this ensured that Poland would be weak and easily taken over.
After Russia’s success in the Turkish War, Austria was afraid that Russia would try to conquer them. In order to satisfy Catherine the Great’s need for expansion, Frederick the Great of Prussia proposed to partition a part of Poland. Catherine the Great agreed and on August 5, 1772 the first partition of Poland was divided among Russia, Prussia and Austria. During the first partition of Poland Russia gained Belorussian and Latvian Lithuania to the Dvina and Dnieper rivers, Prussia obtained Royal Prussia except Gdnask and Torun, and Austria got regions of Little Poland south of the Vistula River. This partition caused Poland to lose about one-third of its territory and more than a third of its population.
After the first partition, the Poles began to enact reform. By 1773 these changes had begun and by 1792 the Poles were celebrating the Four Years’ Sejm and the constitution of May 3, 1791. The monarchy was to become hereditary and the king would have executive power, however, the legislative authority will be with a two chamber Sejm. Representatives of the middle class were now included, the liberum veto rule was abolished and replaced by the majority rule. Russia made it seem as though they had accepted the new Poland, but in May 1792, Russia created the “organization of the Confederation of Targowica to defend the old order and sent armies into Poland” (Riasanovsky). Following suit Prussia joined the invasion into Poland and in January 1793 the second Partition of Poland occurred. Russia not only gained more of Lithuania and most of western Ukraine, but was now in control of Poland’s foreign policy. Prussia gained Danzig, Thorn, and Great Poland. In March 1794, the Poles respond to the second partition with and uprising lead by Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Despite their efforts, the Poles were demolished by Russia and Prussia. Austria now rejoined with Russia and Prussia for the third and final partition of Poland which took place in October 1795. Russia took the rest of Lithuania, Ukraine and the Duchy of Courland, Prussia took Mazovia, including Warsaw, and Austria took the rest of Little Poland with Cracow. With this final partition, the state of Poland ceased to exist.