Impact of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment

The Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution brought on a prosperous time in Russian History. Catherine the Great who was renowned by western philosophers came to the throne in 1762. She was a well educated and good looking women who believed in the absolute monarchy as the best form of government. She ruled Russia with an enlightened manner and sought out to improve laws and legislation. After a major revolt by Serfs in 1773, Catherine put total control in the nobility to control the peasants. The enlightened thinking of Catherine also resulted in a campaign of expansion and imperialism. Russia took a large slice of Poland in three different partitions of the withering country. During the time of Catherine the great, Russia was westernized intellectually which fit the already westernized armies that Peter the great had established prior to the reign of Catherine.