CEVAP:

Catherine II (the Great) continued with the policy of Western-style modernization. The country expanded quickly by conquest, colonization, and diplomacy, and achieved the status of a great European power. Catherine ruled nearly thirty million subjects with a firm hand. However, army draft and the state economy continued to depend on the existence of serfdom, and the heavy-handed demands of the state and private landlords led to a number of insurrections, including the massive Pugachev Rebellion.