Before the First World War, Russia was a regular kind of place. Included in its past were the likes of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Ivan the Terrible, and the great grandparents of a really hot left-winger named Ovechkin. They also had a long history of being ruled by czars.
Their military had saved Europe from Napoleon’s ambitions in the early 1800s, and Russia had freed the serfs (their version of slaves) in 1860. But after heavy casualties in WWI, severe food shortages (caused by the war), and old-style government thinking—it was time for a revolution.
Russian revolution
Like their global counterparts, Russian workers in the early 1900s were fed up with selfish monarchs and capitalists. They’d been hosting strikes and socialist organizations for years, pushing for a better life. Early gains forced Czar Nicholas to grant them a parliament, the Duma, to assist with running the country. But being the obstinate fellow that he was, Nicolas abolished and restarted the Duma a number of times.
In 1917, while the war was still going on, Nicholas was overthrown and replaced by a provisional government (the Duma) made up of mostly liberals. This government was then overthrown, eight months later, by the communist Bolsheviks headed by Vladimir Lenin (John’s evil twin).
Civil war
Because not everyone wanted to be a commie, the revolution turned into a civil war that lasted three years. A number of groups were vying for control but we’ll summarize into three:
- Bolshevik Reds – those subscribing to the communist beliefs of Marxism
- Whites – those aspiring to become a democracy with left-wing ideals
- Loyalists – those who were happy to remain with the czar
Britain’s Winston Churchill screamed for allied support to anyone but the Reds, but allied ambition was drained after the loses of the just fought war. And working class people everywhere were sympathetic to the communist cause. As the war went on, Loyalists got lumped in with the Whites but in the end the communists won.
Lenin and Stalin
Upon retaking power, Lenin was faced with converting a nation that didn’t totally agree with him and his interpretation of Marx (what we now call Marxist-Leninism). He chose to persuade them through a reign of terror. Over the next two years, until his death, and long after by his successor, Joseph Stalin, the communist party imprisoned, murdered, and terrorized its own people through acts of barbarism.
Targets included loyalists, liberals, capitalists, and the religious (since communism abolishes all religion). In total, over 30 million people were killed from a population of 184. (And Nazi Germany learned its tricks of concentration camps from Siberia.)
Post WWII
Like many others, old time Russia was in the empire business. Its empire was one of the world’s largest and, in 1922, it became the Soviet Union (made up of 15 nations—Russia plus 14 others). After WWII, the UN was formed with the intent of ending imperialism. This made Stalin change course. His ambitions moved away from acquiring land to spreading communism.
Because of heavy contributions in defeating the Nazis, a tired world agreed to Russian demands by granting them communist influence over countries they’d taken during the war, plus others they negotiated. These countries were called the Eastern Bloc. They included Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and East Germany.
Due to social uprisings in the above countries and financial instability in the Soviet Union, soviet influence in these areas fell in 1989 and everyone gained back their independence. Two years later, the Soviet Union itself fell, granting the same independence to the nations they’d acquired through their empire (e.g., Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia, Lithuania, and Latvia).
Communism
In total, communism in Russia lasted for 70 years. Idealists rejected Western actions to improve worker conditions and introduce a welfare state—believing they could do better. (Remember, Britain was making changes in 1910, so things were well afoot by the time of the revolution.)
So how was it? This great social experiment of equality for all and everyone by their own needs. Horrible. Communism broke the country’s spirit, instilled fear, restricted freedoms, and promoted jerks. Oppression became the name of the game and people were conditioned into an attitude of defeatism. This bred depression, alcoholism, and incompetence. Poland fared better since they maintained much of their religion (social control wasn’t as strong in the Bloc) and they were still Polish (occupied by a foreign land). So they had hope. But Russians brought this upon themselves.
You can’t stifle ambition and expect to get things done. You can’t accomplish much without stability. And you can’t be successful with powerful jerks. One guy said, “You know in Canada how we have community leagues to promote friendship and provide activities for kids? We didn’t have anything like that in Russia.”
Conclusion
Today, Russia is a seven-foot teenager—looks like an adult, acts like a kid.
Germany went through the same process rebuilding its image. Tie yourself to culture and forget about the past. German identity is now focused on cars, good beer, and those funny little outfits they wear in October. Russia is doing the same thing by highlighting its kick-ass vodka, beautiful women, and those really cool Easter eggs.
Most of the world gets it, for we all have blood on our hands. The only way to relinquish your past is to rebirth your nation through a new identity. Germany has become a highly productive, socially minded country, that’s completely different than at any point in its past. Russia is now doing the same, but it takes time for the ugliness to rinse through. Anyone in Germany who remembers the war is now well over 80 and anyone who participated is over 90. Russia has only been free for 26 years.
Russia today is a capitalistic democracy. Yes, many of the elections are rigged, but not all and not everywhere. (The same can be said for most early democracies.) Yes, the economy is mostly run by oligarchs, but again, this is true for most countries coming to capitalism. And yes, many of the jerks are still around.
In order to understand Russia you have to identify with its past. When people say “Russia is,” remember it’s a nation in transition. So Russia isn’t anything for long because it’s a body in motion. And right now, it’s a seven-foot teenager.
Note: For a good book, try The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister by John O’Sullivan. You can also watch, The Russian Revolution (2017) available on Netflix.