Winston Churchill once proclaimed, “History is written by the victor”. This quote can be interpreted in a plethora of different ways. However, I believe that it means the one who defeats and wins the on-going battle at hand, directs the next steps that will be taken in history. Catherine the II exemplifies the victor when she makes personal and dire sacrifices to advance her status, and become an empress. In her memoirs Catherine states "My heart did not foresee great happiness; ambition alone sustained me. At the bottom of my soul I had something, I know not what, that never for a single moment let me doubt that sooner or later I would succeed in becoming the sovereign Empress of Russia." There was nothing that stood in the way of Catherine’s power to rise. She states herself that she suffered from multiple depressions and wallowed in self-defeat but she never remained defeated. In her memoirs, she reveals that she willingly learned Russian and converted to being an orthodox in …show more content…
She had impeccable judgment and an even temper. She did what she had to do, to win the favor of countesses. Catherine introduced education reforms for girls and buys, stabilized foreign policy and financial administration and expanded Russia during the seven years war. She accomplished a great deal in her as a empress. Her victories in war and leadership cemented her a reputation in Europe as a major power. She was able to push history in a different and positive direction with her many victories. Despite the fact that her judgment and credibility was continuously questioned when Peter died, and when overspent to gain credibility from the couriers, she had a severe but positive impact on the direction that Russia would take. What if she didn’t step up to the plate? What if she didn’t make scarifies? What if she didn’t go into debt to earn the respect of the