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| | Catherine II the Great (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-19) |
 | | All told, she added some 200,000 miles² (518,000 km²) to Russian territory, and she further shaped the Russian destiny to a greater extent than almost anyone before or since, with the possible exceptions of Lenin, Stalin, and Peter the Great. |
 | | Catherine's foreign minister, Nikita Panin, exercised considerable influence from the beginning of her reign. |
 | | Though a shrewd statesman, Panin dedicated much effort and millions of rubles to setting up a "Northern Accord" between Russia, Prussia, Poland, and Sweden, to counter the power of the Bourbonâ“Habsburg League. |
| www.cheguevara.co.za /wiki/Catherine_II_the_Great (3024 words) |
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