Monthly Archives: January 2017

I am interested in how Catherine articulates her relationship to Peter the Great in her legislative document. As a ruler, and especially as a “reformer,” historical narrative is vital to pushing through political reforms. At first, she casts Peter as … Continue reading →

What stuck out most to me was that in Ch.3 of The Revolution of Peter the Great, Cracraft talks about the Russian form of government as compared to other forms in Europe at the time. Cracraft indicated that the system that … Continue reading →

In early Modern Europe, “dynastic aggrandizement” was the name of the game, its nature: self-reinforcing. Cracraft (2003, 54) defines dynastic aggrandizement as “the relentless pursuit of territorial expansion by hereditary rulers seeking economic gain and strategic security against the similar pretensions … Continue reading →