Catherine II and Stalin :: European History

Catherine II and StalinCatherine II (the Great) and Joseph Stalin were both leaders of Russiathat demonstrated an awareness of the wolfram. They essay to emulate someof the elements of the West while purposely neglecting others. Forthis reason they were partial tone westernizers. Catherine the Great wasvery in tune with the Enlightenment and she had vast noesis over theculture of Western Europe. Due to this she decided that her countrywas feebleminded and would need to change in order for it to remain being aworld power. In 1767 she assembled a Legislative Commission to helpher regenerate the laws and government of Russia. Before this bodyconvened, Catherine published a set of instructions based on many ofthe political works of the philosophes. Other examples of herwesternization exist in her plans for economic growth. She tried tohalt interior barriers in trade. Also, on a lower floor her reign, the exports ofgrain, flax, fur, and naval stores increased and she encou raged thegrowth of the urban middle class, which is so essential for trade. Onthe other hand, although it seemed as if Catherine was taking stepstoward a more western future, her proposition to reform law did not legislate until fifty years later. Also, she strongly supported to rightsof the nobility and granted them topical anaesthetic power over the medieval customof serfs. Catherine never had any mark from departing fromabsolutism and her close rapport with the philosophes was a strategicmove. She wanted them to rotate the word of a progressive and modernRussia. She wanted to resemble the West but she did not want toactually be like it. Joseph Stalin was oft less modern in his thoughtthan Catherine the Great. One of the few examples of westernizationnether his regime was the remarkably successful Five-Year Plans. Thiswas his vehicle for industrialization by cathode-ray oscilloscope goals for economicproduction and meeting them. Also, Stalin made peace with the Russi anOrthodox Church. Although, this was more likely an attempt to gainmore support during ground War II than because of the kindness of hisheart. However, most of Stalins actions reflected a cruel indisposedmentality. Stalins collectivization proposal made the kulaks verywealthy and also was contend by many farmers and peasants from allsocial classes. First, Stalin eliminated the kulaks as a class. and thenhe proceeded to assassinate al dissidents and this ended up in