Under Catherine the Great, what items expanded or improved?

Question options:

expanded the Russian empire

freed the serfs

improved the education system

encouraged greater diversity in Russian architecture

First option is the correct answer.

Catherine II or Catherine the Great (1729-1796) was very fond of education and culture. She maintained correspondence with the thinkers of the era such as Voltaire and Diderot. She was the owner of an art collection that now is exhibited in the Hermitage Museum. However, during her reign she improved the Russian empire. She continued the process of Westernisation initiated by Peter the Great (1672-1725). Catherine added territories such as Crimea, Belarus and Lithuania extending the Russia's borders into central Europe.