Catherine the Great's Lessons for Despots; Russia's erudite empress tried to redeem absolute rule; her failures highlight dangers still present today

Like her contemporary, Thomas Jefferson, she was an avid student of the Enlightenment, the European intellectual movement whose ideas about the social contract and human rights have so strongly shaped our own notions of the legitimate role of government. [...] Elizabeth offered Catherine a choice be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Wall Street journal. Eastern edition 2011-11-12
Main Author: Massie, Robert K
Format: Newspaper Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Social classes
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Like her contemporary, Thomas Jefferson, she was an avid student of the Enlightenment, the European intellectual movement whose ideas about the social contract and human rights have so strongly shaped our own notions of the legitimate role of government. [...] Elizabeth offered Catherine a choice between two young courtiers to act as a surrogate father for the necessary child.
ISSN:2574-9579