“Split Personality Of The Russian National Character” Russian Empire, USSR, and the smaller states of today, the largest one being Russia itself have had their due share of a very healthy legacy and have been at the forefront of things. Russian Empire was the last largest empire to have survived for so long and when that split up things did not end there. It is a huge piece of land with marked difference in every respect possible. The way they have contributed to the history and made history is simply commendable. One keeps wondering when one sets to read about what is expected and what is due. The history seems intriguing when we start considering the Russian history. The Russians represents a sort of split personality and the way things …show more content…
Turks were there, controlling a part of it. Be it the Bolsheviks or the Proletariats or the reign of Peter the Great or the defeats at the hands of Napoleon or annihilation of his army or the defeat of German near Stalingrad, some things have stayed the same and in the limelight. They have paid dearly for the things, which they did not even do in the past and secondly they have always been there in their own subtle little way but never as a force to reckon with. Any guesses as to why do that happen? The nation has been growing and building as the earlier parts of the essay suggest. It had a lot of interaction and the growth brought in a lot of people from outside and the races mixed and there were hybrids. So it is not and it never was one nation. There were a lot of nations within that single nation and that is what made it all the more complex. There was no single driving force and there was nothing to unite the. No religion commonality, no language as being the same, even the origins was different. It was bound to happen that the nation would have a split personality and it did have that. There was a lot of dichotomy in the statements made and there was a huge consensus as to how to eliminate the differences but this was something that just was not possibly biologically speaking. Be it music or be it the style of governance or even the type of architecture in the country. They all
Russia, as a country, has had a long and proud history. However, for a small time starting in 1917, things started to take a turn for the worse. There was widespread famine, disease, and killing by the instituted government. There was also no Russia. Instead, there was the glorious United Soviet Socialist Republics, or the USSR. This new country did not come around peacefully, but instead under the 1917 Russian Revolution and the revolting communist Bolsheviks. The Russian people were not in a better condition after the Russian revolution due to Stalin’s leadership of his country; the reason being the GULAGs that Stalin was sending his people to, the communes that the peasants were sent to, and the disastrous effects of his five year plans.
“I pity the Tsar. I pity Russia. He is a poor and unhappy sovereign…He is obviously a good and quite intelligent man, but he lacks will power, and it is from that character that his state defects developed, that is, his
Lastly, is the politics which would form from a dictatorship government across nations, and the effect that had on the economy. Marks demonstrates how each Russian theme influenced world history by citing before mentioned individuals and the regions which were impacted: United States, England, Mexico, and China to name a few. This is done using studies conducted on revolutionary violence, examinations of Russian characters in Chinese fiction, and visual examples embedded in the text. Counterevidence is not his burden, however had he touched on it more some of his connections would be more concrete, for example anarchism on its own is a stretch. There is a lack of context, or it is brief when he discusses how the topics influenced the world but is understandable as he deals with complex and broad topics. In general the book is an advancement in Russian inclusivity with world history simply by existing, a great addition to a topic long neglected. While it is an interesting read, it may seem incomprehensible to those with limited historical background, it is directed to the academia
Auty, Robert, and Dimitri Obolensky. 1976. "An Introduction to Russian History (Companion to Russian Studies;1)." Brisol, Great Britain : Cambridge University Press Ltd.
Besides my personal struggles in assimilating and divulging myself into Russian culture, I also took part in many conversations with my dear Nicholas, consisting of him mostly explaining new policies and advances, and me listening in admiration of my husband’s intelligence and pride for his country and his people. I remember him explaining his new installment of railroads and graciously providing money to local business, as a way to level out the Motherland with the other Western countries so that our citizens and the people of the world can look upon Russia with pride and envy of it development. Even then, however, I knew that there was still turmoil in my dear country, Russia was still behind in industrialization and many had began to question the rule and decisions of your father. Nevertheless, I believed that as long as the autocracy remained intact and with my husband, Nicholas II, leading it, Russia would prosper and all would be merry. If only I could have known just how wrong, I
Russian Federation has a long and interesting history. Many different events the structure and development of the country. Nowadays, Russia plays one of the most important roles in our world. Russia is located at the intersection of different cultures and contains multinational population and ethno-cultural diversity. Russia is an interesting country to discuss its issues of ethnicity and religion, try to predict the future development and economics of the country. How different country’s issues such as class distinction, equity and equality, race, religion, nationalism and other political variables are solved or considered by the state at least. The main goal of this work is to show weaknesses and struggles which Russia faces on the road
It is the middle ground of Europe and Asia, and as a result, which cultural aspects to draw from had a great deal of influence over Russian culture. For example, Peter the Great’s transformation of Russia into a more modernized Europeanized nation had some traces of cultural inferiority. The only need to modernize and imitate a nation into a replica of a European state is because there is a sense of loss of identity. This is important to understanding the key similarities and differences that played out when comparing and contrasting Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union.
Russia’s social problems included those of agriculture, labor, and nationality, socioeconomic inequality, society’s cultural split, and the low standard of living—even though it had risen. These problems were being dealt with successfully, but they had not been solved. Let us remember that the burden of the war that even Germany, which was modernized in all respects, was unable to withstand, proved to be very severe. Russia had the prerequisites for emerging from the war victorious (together with its allies) if it had not been for the increasingly fierce struggle for power between the monarchy and the radical liberal opposition, which, under the conditions of a very difficult war, criminally encouraged the people to overthrow Nicholas II. The Revolution went forward in accordance with the classic scenario: the crisis of the “Old Regime”; the establishment of the power of the “moderates”; the victory of the radicals who created “a kingdom of terror and virtue”; and Thermidor, or the counterrevolutionary coup and post revolution dictatorship. As a result of the irresponsible behavior of the liberal and revolutionary elites the country was plunged into chaos for a number of years. (Mironov 94).
Throughout Russia’s history of Tsarism and monarchy there has been an ever-present focus on nationalism and purity of the Russian people. Through the expansion of Russian borders, the introduction and formation of Russification from 1899-1917, and the oppression and marginalisation of ethnic minorities within the Russian empire, one is able to see the contribution of ethnic minorities in the development of opposition towards the Romanovs, and the subsequent demise of the century old monarchy.
Russian society in C.19th was based upon hierarchy. The top of the chain was the king, “We rule over you”, after the king was the government, “We govern you”, after comes the church/temple, “We pray for you”, then the army, “We shoot you”, after the lords/upper class, “We eat for you” and at the bottom the working class/serfs/middle class, “We work for you” “we feed you.” The cartoon shows a very simple yet powerful chain of division of class! Russian society was a military state as the cartoon shows that the army is on top of the lords/upper class men and women as would be depicted in a Nazi Germany / Weimar Germany cartoon. The Kaiser would be on top and the same structure would be depicted. Because the military is on top of the people it show that the state comes first but the people come last; like Nazi Germany.
From the very beginning, relations between the Tsar and his people were fragile, based on a history of bad decisions, famine, and other issues. This all came to a forefront, however, when the Russian military began to lose battle after battle in World War One. This not only terribly disrupted the economy, but it showed to everyone that Russia was no longer a military match for its opponents. And all the while, the Romanovs lived lavishly, seeming not to care that they were living off of the pain and hardship of their people. The Russian people, angry and fed up, decided to revolt. They used food riots, strikes, and war protests, to demonstrate their cause. Eventually, Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, and when grand Duke Michael refused the throne, the Romanov’s family rule came to an end after 300 years of monarchy. The ending of this monarchy changed the way the world sees Russia forever. It could no longer be grouped side by side with places like England, with an ancient and cultural monarchy. Instead, it’s comparable to America for it’s more modern systems and ideas. In short, the abolishment of the monarchy has almost split Russia into two places in people’s minds -- the sparkling ballrooms of times before the people revolted, and the modern, steely government
Russian political culture is largely based upon the idea that size matters and that the collective should come before the individual. For the purpose of this research paper I will first discuss what role territory plays in Russian political culture. I will then discuss what role collectivism plays in Russian political culture. I will then discuss how these two subjects have affected the current identity construct of the Russian nation. I will conclude with how both collectivism and territory have contributed to the Russian political culture is a culture that has an emphasis on power and security.
Russian’s identity and perception of themselves qua Russians often fall back on the opposition between callous rationality and emotionally receptive, intuitive insight. Russians attribute the latter to their own ways of negotiating reality and associate the former with Western communication styles.
Few countries have as colourful and an impressive history than Russia. There were off and on struggles between the East and West and sometimes Russia would defend the two. Russia has brought immigrants from different backgrounds together into a single culture and state to inspire immense ethnic diversity that refuses to disappear. The outcome has been a fusion of social democracy and private enterprise, of east and west, Christians and Muslims, with a speck of social experimentation thrown into the mix. Russia has a long and rich cultural history, immersed in literature, dance, art and classical music. Foreigners may see the country as unexciting or uninteresting. However, Russia has a visible cultural past, from its colourful attires to
When we hear the term Russian culture many Americans tend to have negative thoughts like the cold war, their government ruling with an iron hand, and the Red Scare. These thoughts do not do the justice to the Russian people or to their long history as a people dating back to INSERT DATE. One of the major themes throughout Russian history and this course is the idea that the Russian people value intangible things more than the tangible. The Russian people have a long rich heritage, they are deep in there Christian faith, and they pride themselves on hospitality and value there community, families, and fellow Russian people. They have learned how to sacrifice from the constant invasions and being forced farther and