Catherine the Great

The first popular biography of Catherine the Great based on contemporary scholarship, Alexander's volume provides a vivid portrait of Catherine as an extremely savvy ruler. Concentrating on her long reign (1762-96), he examines all aspects of Catherine's life and career, including her brilliant political strategies which won her the acceptance of a nationalistic elite, her expansive foreign policy, the domestic reforms she used to revamp the Russian military, political structure, and economy, and, of course, her infamous love life. The result of twenty years' research by one of America's leading narrative historians of modern Russia, this truly impressive work offers a much-needed, balanced reappraisal of one of history's most scandal-ridden figures.