OVERVIEW

Catherine the Great

Using a methodology that draws on the political, cultural, social and religious history of Russia in the eighteenth century, the course analyzes the reign of Tsarina Catherine II who transformed the Russian Empire from 1762 to 1796. Ranging from the analysis of the political and social institutions of the time to the study of culture and religions, the lessons will focus on the characteristics of a world undergoing turbulent changes then as now

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to equip students with a thorough knowledge of the history of Russia from the 9th century to the present day. The attention will be focused on the history of the different cultures and religions of the Russian world in modern and contemporary age. Great attention is paid to the acquisition of a method of critical interpretation of historiographical literature.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide students with a detailed picture of the historical, political, economic and social situation in Russia at the time of Catherine II. The aim is to provide students with an adequate key to understanding the constitution of the Russian state and society and their connection with the situation of the other state structures in Europe and Asia.

The student will have to acquire a deep knowledge of the period of Russian history characterized by the reforming action of Tsarina Catherine II, demonstrating that he is able to adopt the specific technical language of the discipline, to know the political, social and cultural events and dynamics of the Russian Empire in the second half of the Eighteenth century. Furthermore, the student will have to demonstrate that he has acquired a good understanding of the methods of analysis and interpretation of the great processes of Russian history of the eighteenth century both from the point of view of internal politics and from that of culture and religion and to possess adequate knowledge on the main debates. historiographies around the key themes of the course in order to be able to evaluate the main problems of 18th century Russia

PREREQUISITES

Students will gain an adequate knowledge of the main historiographical debates related  to the basic topics of the course, in order to be able to evaluate the principal problems of 18th century Russia.

TEACHING METHODS

University lectures given by the professor, in-class presentations.

The lessons will hopefully be held in person, with the possibility for students to follow them remotely via videoconference on the Teams platform.

The access code is as follows: 1p863k8

During the lectures considerable use will be made of the blackboard, in order to better memorize the dates, the concepts and the phases of Eighteenth-century Russian history. Historical and geographical films and maps will also be used.

Students will be supported in their learning by teaching materials and resources related to the lectures and made available on  a website (Aulaweb).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course aims to provide the necessary knowledge to address the themes and problems of Russian and Eastern European history during the second half of the 18th Century, and in particular during the years of the reign of Catherine II (1792-1796).

The course program includes the presentation and discussion of the following topics:

- The rise of the Grand Duchess Catherine

- The coup

- Legislative reforms

- The Russo-Turkish Wars

- Administrative reforms

- The multi-ethnic empire

- Literature, the arts, the theater

- The religion

- The economy

- Historical judgment

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reading list for students for whom this course is worth 6 ECTS

M. Natalizi, Caterina di Russia, Salerno Editrice, Roma, 2021.

Reading list for students for whom this course is worth 9 ECTS

P. Bushkovitch, Breve storia della Russia. Dalle origini a Putin, Torino, Einaudi, 2013.

M. Natalizi, Caterina di Russia, Salerno Editrice, Roma, 2021.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARCO NATALIZI (President)

ROBERTO SINIGAGLIA

EMILIANO BERI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

28th September 2021

Class schedule

HISTORY AND CULTURE OF EASTERN EUROPE: ITINERARIES OF STUDY (LM)

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral Exams:

The required knowledge will be verified through a final oral exam. The student will have to answer four / five open questions on the topics examined during the course.

In addition, the most important topics will be debated during some of the lectures with the aim of preparing the students for the oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The actual achievement of the expected learning outcomes will be verified through an oral exam that will ascertain:

- the effective acquisition of knowledge related to the history of Russia of the Eighteenth century, the ability to place single historical events within the broader international context (15/30)

- the ability to make causal connections between historical events in the political, social and cultural sphere; the knowledge of the historiographical debates (10/30)

- the quality of the presentation, the speaking ability, the acquisition of the correct lexical terms related to the discipline (5/30)

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Curriculum of the Lecturer

Marco Natalizi (1963) is Associated Professor in History of Eastern Europe. After graduating at the University of Pisa he was trained at the Universities of Florence and Siena. His most significant publications are: Il burattinaio dell’ultimo Zar. Grigorij Rasputin (Salerno, 2016); Pietro il Grande. Uno zar in Europa (EDISES, 2014); L’ingresso della Russia in Europa, in Storia d’Europa e del Mediterraneo. Dal Medioevo all’età della globalizzazione, Sezione V. L’Età moderna (secoli XVI-XVIII), Vol. XII. Popoli, stati, equilibri del potere (Salerno, 2013); La rivolta degli orfani. La vicenda del ribelle Pugačëv (Donzelli, 2011); Il caso Černyševskij (Bruno Mondatori, 2006); All’ombra della legge. L’amministrazione delle comunità urbane in Russia nella metà del XVIII secolo(Bruno Mondatori, 2003); Nikolaj Gavrilovič Černyševskij, Scritti politico-filosofici, traduzione, introduzione e note a cura di Marco Natalizi (Maria Pacini Fazzi, 2001). He is member of Società Italiana per la Storia dell'Età Moderna (SISEM) and of  Società Italiana di Studi sul Secolo Diciottesimo (SISSD).