The book “Catherine the Great” of the series “Russia - the path through the centuries” continues the story of the reign of Catherine II. It covers the internal policy of the empress, her activities to strengthen absolutism in Russia. Catherine’s famous “Order” never became the basis for new legislation, but administrative reforms were carried out. Catherine further expanded the privileges of the nobility, and serfdom reached its apogee during her reign. Popular uprisings were brutally suppressed. At the same time, the Empress, in the spirit of the times, supported educational views and corresponded with Diderot and Voltaire. This did not prevent her from starting a fight against revolutionary France, which was accompanied by the onset of reaction in Russia.