RUSSIA'S GOLDEN AGE
As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the golden age refers to the period of time when great tasks that lead to prosperity are accomplished. For the Russian Empire, their golden era had taken place during the reign of Catherine the Great between 1762 through to 1796. The attainments that were accomplished during her reign were mainly inspired by the French Enlightenment that was first started by Peter the Great, founder of the Russian Empire. The influence of the Enlightenment brought a change of mindset in the society, as well as values including reason, analysis and individualism. Notable advancements due to the Enlightenment include arts, philosophy, science and military.
1762 - 1796
Upon Catherine the Great’s ascension to the throne, the former Grand Duchess had developed a set of legal principles in 1767 with the purpose of modernising the code law. With the help of her closest advisor Grigory Orlov, it had taken two years for Catherine II to perfect the set of legal principles, which is known as Nakaz or the Instruction of Catherine the Great. In its final publication, the Instruction of Catherine the Great comprises of 22 chapters and 655 articles that cover the areas of state, civil and criminal laws and procedures. The Nakaz is also a set of documents that outline Catherine’s hopes and values for the Russian Empire. This is an attribute that highlighted Catherine the Great’s passionate ambition to rule the Russian Empire.
Another factor that made the Catherinian era the golden age of the Russian Empire is the advancement in arts due to the influence of the Enlightenment. In 1764, Catherine II had ordered an architect Yuri Velten to establish a two-storey building to store the increasing collection of paintings and other types of arts that Catherine purchased and adored deeply. However, Catherine’s collection of arts increased so rapidly that she had to instruct Velten to develop another building in 1771, known as the Great Hermitage to store all her remaining arts. Over the years of Catherine’s reign, five hermitages had been established along the Palace Embankment where the Empress resided. These include the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre. Presently, the Hermitages, which house these paintings, consist of over 3 million paintings and other types of arts.
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The paintings that Catherine II had purchased suggest the growth of international alliances and the stages of Russia’s integration to the rest of the world as the origins of these paintings vary widely. There are works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Peter Paul Rubens, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet and Pissarro, Vincent Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and a few sculptures made by Rodin. The Hermitages do not only show Russia’s place in the world but it also illustrates the evolution in architecture styles from the Baroque to the Neoclassicism. This is shown through the various buildings in Russia that are a mix of these two styles such as the Winter Palace.
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However, the most significant factor that made 1762 to 1796 the golden age of Russia is the rapid expansion of the empire. Catherine the Great invested in many wars over the years of her long reign, in order to conquer lands, enlarge access to the sea for trades and to improve Russia’s state of power. The most notable of these wars is the Russo-Turkish Wars that took eleven years of Catherine’s reign in total. While it was long and tedious, the series of wars between Russia and Turkey won Catherine II complete access to the Southern Black Sea. It also expanded the empire by incorporating Southern Ukraine. The Turks had also signed a peace treaty known as the Treaty of Kucuk Kainarji on July 10, 1774. This agreement had also won Empress Catherine II the ability to incorporate Azov, Kerch, Yenikale and Kinburn as Russian territories. The expansion of the empire allowed the improvement of trades between other countries as well as improving Russia’s economy. This has also made Russia into a major power in South-East Europe.
The power that Catherine II had gained in Europe allowed her to gather numerous kinds of information. In 1768 to 1774, Catherine the Great used her power to gather information regarding the educational systems of other nations that contributed significantly to the process of developing a national school system. Throughout the years, Catherine the Great also made numerous educational reforms to perfect Russia’s school system. It began to require educating children at a very young age and continued until they reached the age of twenty-one. Also influenced by the Enlightenment, the national school curriculum includes the areas of professional military, sciences, philosophy, ethics, history, international law and engineering. Catherine had also written many stories such as Oh, These Times! and The Siberian Shaman that encouraged more people to educate themselves and write their own creative writings.