Catherine II the Great. Stories and the Path of Life

This book continues the series 'Great Names of Russia'. And how could one not include Catherine the Great? Her very title obliges it. Only two emperors in our history have been honored with the title 'Great': Peter I and Catherine II, and this is no coincidence, the transformations and results of both of their reigns are truly grandiose. But while Peter raised all of Russia with his mighty will like a rearing horse, Catherine ruled more subtly, more thoughtfully, and more patiently, achieving her results with much fewer losses. And the results are impressive: she annexed Crimea, Taman, Belarus, Lithuania, right-bank Ukraine, Volhynia, Courland, built a fleet on the Black Sea and completely defeated the Turkish fleet on it, carried out a series of administrative and legal reforms that brought Russia into the ranks of advanced European countries, and laid the foundation for the flourishing of Russian culture in the 19th century. This book is intended for study in schools as part of patriotic and moral education, for learning the history course, and for home reading.