Catherine II s reign opened with prospects of extensive domestic reform in Russia but it ended
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Catherine was born Sophie of Anhalt- Zerbst, the daughter of a minor Prince in the Holy Roman Empire. Even at a young age Catherine was able to impress Fredrick II with her "intelligence and energy. She spent much of her time reading and educating herself on the works of the Enlightened Philosphe's, and was indeed the first Russian ruler to have the privilege of an enlightened education. When questioning Catherine's domestic reform to an extent it can be accepted that Catherine did start the reign with much emphasis on domestic reform. Her Enlightened education would indeed have had an effect upon these policies; she would have seen Russia simply a blank slate which she could create her "enlightened state". However as she would find out in reality Russia was bound by various factors which would impede Catherine's overall hopes and aims. The question of whether or not she had the ability to create these new domestic reforms could also be challenged by the weak position she was in due to the nature of her accession.
The fact that Catherine early within her reign called the Legislative Commission and issued her Nakaz is significant when considering the introduction of more reformist ideas within Russia. The fact that she had called together a group which represented the whole of Russia, (though serfs weren't included) had been a task which in itself was quite unique. The fact that Catherine issued her Nakaz as the discussion point of the Commission made this even more so...