Comparison of Carherine the Great and Machiavelli

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Both Catherine II and Machiavelli were ambitious and opinionated, yet grounded, in their political philosophies. During her 34-year rule, “Catherine the Great” employed many strategies similar to those proposed by Machiavelli. A German girl married into the Russian royal family at fourteen, Catherine eventually overcame her husband and ascended the throne, becoming empress. Her rule focused on the reformation and maintenance of her kingdom influenced by the ideas of philosophers like Voltaire and Diderot. Even as she first entered Russia’s public eye, Catherine gained the affection of her future subjects. Soon after her Marriage to Peter III, Catherine began learning Russian to better suit her new position. She studied late into the night, eventually becoming sick because of it. Her servants began telling people in the city that “the little foreign princess loved Russia so much that now she was lying at death’s door because she had risen from bed every night in order to learn the Russian language more quickly!” Machiavelli stresses the importance of gaining the favor of your subjects with a good reputation. Catherine’s dilemma was that she was not Russian born and feared that she would lose credibility and reputation in Russia because of it. According to Machiavelli, “Nothing does more to give a ruler a reputation than embarking on great undertakings and doing remarkable things.” Machiavelli also advises rulers that “since every city is divided into guilds or neighborhoods, he ought to take account of these collectivities, meeting with them on occasion, showing himself to be generous and understanding in dealings with them.” Catherine, upon the annexation of Crimea to her empire, went on a six month journey along the Dnieper River to survey her new land. She toured the villages, greeting residents who were “waving and cheering as Catherine passed by.” Machiavelli
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