In this book, Isabel de Madariaga uses a broad range of Western and Soviet Scholarship to give an account of Catherine's own role in the forward march of Russia during the 18th century. From her accession to the throne in 1762 Catherine ruled Russia for thirty-four years, and her greatness, de Madariaga shows, lay not in her territorial acquisitions but in the new relationship she fostered between the ruler and the ruled. During her reign, law courts were reorganized and new concepts of justice and legality were introduced, learning thrived and the court patronised the arts. On the other hand, corruption was widespread and too much of the national revenue was spent on military glory and too little on justice and administration, while changes in the status of the serfs were postponed in the interests of internal order. Yet, Catherine brought Russia closer to the rest of Western Europe than it would be for more than a century; despotism was turned into monarchy, and obedience was gained through honour not through fear.