Frederick the Great vs. Catherine the Great Debate
Post date: Oct 22, 2013 10:22:32 PM
FIRST THINGS FIRST, HERE IS THE DEBATE PACKET (feat. the rubric for the debate paper)
For this debate you're going to need to do two things: 1) define what you're talking about and 2) support your thesis.
If you don't define what it means to be an "Enlightened Ruler", you'll never win over the crowd. Make sure to spend some time in your opening remarks establishing a definition that is understood by your audience. Might I recommend these links to help you with The Enlightenment in general?
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/#GooPolTheEthTheRelEnl
Next you need to portray your person (either Catherine II of Russia or Frederick II of Prussia) as the superior Enlightened Monarch, depending on your side of course. You'll need to be familiar with them so here are some sites to help you with the background of these rulers. Study BOTH rulers--you'll be overwhelmed if the opposing side pulls something out that makes their person look great and you don't have a counter-point:
Catherine the Great
http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/the-romanov-dynasty/catherine-ii-the-great/
https://sites.google.com/site/despotsproject/catherine-the-great
Frederick the Great
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2552.htm
https://sites.google.com/site/despotsproject/frederick-the-great
http://katsanger.hubpages.com/hub/Frederick-the-Great-and-Joseph-II-Enlightened-Despots
Both:
http://richard-hooker.com/sites/worldcultures/ENLIGHT/ABSOLUTE.HTM
Some Primary Sources that may be of help:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/18catherine.asp
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/18fred2.asp
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1795Poland-division.asp
Finally, here's some sites that discuss the relationship between Voltaire and Catherine II & Frederick II. He's a philosophe so his opinions may be of interest:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jun/02/russia.books
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/when-frederick-the-great-met-voltaire-1577637.html
http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=morris&book=german&story=voltaire