Authors
- Faizova Irina Viktorovna Candidate of Historical Sciences
Annotation
The article discusses the process of development and presentation of the official image of Catherine II in 1762–1763. The topic has not been previously studied by researchers, this determines its relevance. The coup d’état on June 28, 1762, during which the legitimate emperor was overthrown and killed, and his foreign wife came to power, was ambiguously perceived by contemporaries. To retain power, it was necessary to justify the inability of Peter III to rule the country and create such an image of Catherine II that would convince her subjects of her exceptional personal qualities, which allowed her to break the law. These tasks were solved during the political PR campaign that unfolded in 1762–1763. The image of the empress was originally developed legislatively by the first decrees of the new government and was presented against the background of the negative characteristics of the deposed emperor. The coup d’état against Peter III was declared a heroic act of saving the state. The Empress was proclaimed “Given by God”, “Heroine”, “Savior of the Fatherland and Orthodoxy”, and also “Mother of the Fatherland”. She was symbolically included in the Romanov family tree as the “granddaughter” of Peter I and the “niece” of Elizabeth Petrovna. The documents signed by the Empress commanded to title her “Great” and “Mother of the Fatherland”. The official image of Catherine II was replicated by the press, voiced by professors of the Academy of Sciences and Moscow University during ceremonial meetings, for residents of the capitals it was visualized during spectacular performances. Its first public presentation took place in Moscow during the celebrations on the occasion of the coronation. The scenery of the triumphal gates, the coronation costume of the Empress, festive illuminations and fireworks embodied her official image and substantiated the legitimacy of her power. During the allegorical performances, the empress began to be likened to the ancient goddesses Minerva and Astrea. The reviewed materials make it possible to establish that the approval of Catherine II on the Russian throne was the result of not only a successful coup, but also a masterfully conducted PR campaign, during which the wife of the late emperor for contemporaries and descendants was turned into the heroic “Savior of Russia and Orthodoxy” and the “Great Mother of the Fatherland”.
How to link insert
Faizova, I. V. (2023). APPROVAL OF CATHRIN II ON THE RUSSIAN THRONE AND THE PR CAMPAIGN OF 1762–1763 Bulletin of the Moscow City Pedagogical University. Series "Pedagogy and Psychology", 2023, №3 (51), 6. https://doi.org/10.25688/20-76-9105.2023.51.3.01
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