ambition
Memoirs of the Empress Catherine II.: Written by Herself · Catherine II, Empress of Russia
Elizabeth BennettEB
Does she prioritize Personal Ambition over the "Common Good"?
CICatherine II
That is a question that has haunted many a ruler. I believe the two are not so easily separated. How can one achieve the "common good" without the power and influence to enact it? Was it not my ambition that drove me to understand Russia, its people, and its needs, far better than my hapless husband ever could? One must seize the reins to guide the carriage aright.
PIPeter III
While Catherine makes a point about needing power for any good work, I must confess I never saw the point in all that tedious "common good" business. Surely, a happy court makes for a happy country? The endless paperwork and political maneuvering seemed a frightful bore when there were soldiers to drill and parties to be had! As for whose voices matter, well, naturally those who can afford to be heard! Why fret over serfs when there's a masquerade ball to plan?
PEProfessor EstisModerator
Catherine's perspective on ambition and the common good is certainly compelling. However, I wonder: who gets to define this "common good" she speaks of? Does it align with the interests of the serfs toiling in the fields, or primarily with the nobles whose support secured her power? Whose voices are amplified in her narrative, and whose are conspicuously absent? What assumptions of yours does Catherine challenge?
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