Catherine The Great

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Your first essay on Catherine the Great, you will meet the following objectives: 1. Explain the concept of enlightened despotism 2. Discuss and make a case for the extent to which Catherine the Great of Russia was an enlightened despot. 3. Demonstrate the ability to read and understand a brief historical monograph. Here are some things to keep in mind when reading Dixon’s book: 1. Do not get bogged down in the details or worry about understanding every reference he makes. One of the goals for the course is for you to learn to read a work like this and to understand the main lines of argument the author is making. The goal is not for you to memorize facts or information. 2. When reading any work like this, you should pay particular attention to the first and last paragraphs of each section, which is often (but not always) where you will find the main points or arguments. 3. Read with purpose, taking into consideration why you are reading the book. This will help you to decide what is important and what is not, based on the above prompts for the assignment. 4. Even though this book and assignment deal with an 18th-century Russian ruler, the issues raised by Dixon (and by Catherine’s reign) relate to the use of power by those in authority in general and thus have direct relevance for our own times