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AP European History

2026 AP Euro DBQ: Peter the Great vs. Catherine the Great

The task (paraphrased)

Evaluate whether Peter the Great (reigned 1682–1725) or Catherine the Great (reigned 1762–1796) did more to transform Russia.

Exact wording and all 7 documents: official College Board PDF

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The 7 documents

  1. Alexander Gordon, Scottish general in Peter's army, The History of Peter the Great, published 1755
  2. Peter the Great, “Decree on the Invitation of Foreigners,” 1702
  3. Pierre-Philippe Chofard and Charles Monnet, Allegory of the Empress Catherine II with the Text of the Nakaz, France, 1778
  4. Count de Ségur, French ambassador, account of a 1785 tour with Catherine, published 1824
  5. Francisco de Miranda, South American revolutionary, diary of his tour of Russia, 1787
  6. Prince Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher, On the Corruption of Morals in Russia, 1787
  7. Princess Catherine Dashkova, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences, memoir published 1804

To earn both document points, use at least 4 of these to support your argument - not just summarize them.

Contextualization ideas

  • Muscovy had been largely isolated from Western Europe, and the Romanov dynasty came to power after the Time of Troubles.
  • The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment set the Western models both rulers looked to.

Describe one of these in 2-3 sentences and connect it to the prompt - a passing mention won't earn the point.

Evidence beyond the documents

  • Peter's Grand Embassy (1697–1698) and the founding of St. Petersburg (1703)
  • The Table of Ranks (1722) and victory over Sweden at Poltava (1709)
  • Catherine's Charter to the Nobility (1785) and Pugachev's Rebellion (1773–1775)
  • The partitions of Poland and the annexation of Crimea (1783)

Pick one, explain it specifically, and use it to support your argument.

A sample defensible thesis

Peter the Great did more to transform Russia, because he rebuilt the state, army and nobility on Western models and turned Russia into a European great power, while Catherine mostly extended his reforms and expanded the empire without changing serfdom or the autocracy she inherited.

Written by us as an example of the structure that earns the point (a claim plus a line of reasoning) - write your own.

Sourcing (HIPP) example

Ségur was a French ambassador touring with Catherine, so his position as a guest of the empress - and his writing decades later - shapes his favorable picture of her reign and the progress staged for visitors.

Do this for at least 2 documents to earn the sourcing point.

A route to the complexity point

Separate the kinds of transformation (Peter's institutional and military change versus Catherine's cultural Enlightenment and territorial growth), or point out continuities both left untouched, especially serfdom.

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