06-15-2020, 05:36 AM
Eric,
Yes that was from me. I realised I had been too harsh to you and felt that I owed you an apology. I hope that we can once again let bygones be bygones. Plus I have some interesting stuff I'd like to discuss with you at some point that I think you might find interesting.
As for the beer - well whatever you fancy, I'm sure we can work something out. :
Also I liked your music list. You do have good taste and I can see why there was a strong liberal element amongst the boomers. It must have been a very magical time to be alive.
Blazkovitz,
What you have to understand about Russia is that it never was 'Western' and never will be. Throughout Russian history, the society has always been run along the lines of the 'strong king theory' which is basically the need for a strong ruler to unite the country and guide it through turbulent times on the road to a better future. Putin is no stranger to this tradition and has followed it quite resolutely. As someone once told me, "Putin knows how to be king." Therefore, there never has been the strong desire for a democracy.
As pbrower and others have said, this is largely down to the history of Russia and how they developed. They have always struggled on the land they live in, always being attacked and having to deal with hardships that strong leadership has always been required to get them through it.
Peter the Great and Catherine were in the same mould as this and merely copied the West in order to make Russia more competitive like what Japan did during the Meiji Restoration. However in Peter's case he was heavily in love with the West and saw Russia as a backwards nation. Even still, the reforms instituted did meet with much opposition and Russia sort of fell back into their old ways, failing to industrialise properly until Stalin came along.
Due to living in the steppe and embracing the lifestyle, I'd say Russians are not Western but not Eastern either. It's more like a true East meets West nation and always will be.
Pbrower,
Lots of stuff to reply to so I will be sure to give it a more thoughtful reply later on.
Yes that was from me. I realised I had been too harsh to you and felt that I owed you an apology. I hope that we can once again let bygones be bygones. Plus I have some interesting stuff I'd like to discuss with you at some point that I think you might find interesting.
As for the beer - well whatever you fancy, I'm sure we can work something out. :
Also I liked your music list. You do have good taste and I can see why there was a strong liberal element amongst the boomers. It must have been a very magical time to be alive.
Blazkovitz,
What you have to understand about Russia is that it never was 'Western' and never will be. Throughout Russian history, the society has always been run along the lines of the 'strong king theory' which is basically the need for a strong ruler to unite the country and guide it through turbulent times on the road to a better future. Putin is no stranger to this tradition and has followed it quite resolutely. As someone once told me, "Putin knows how to be king." Therefore, there never has been the strong desire for a democracy.
As pbrower and others have said, this is largely down to the history of Russia and how they developed. They have always struggled on the land they live in, always being attacked and having to deal with hardships that strong leadership has always been required to get them through it.
Peter the Great and Catherine were in the same mould as this and merely copied the West in order to make Russia more competitive like what Japan did during the Meiji Restoration. However in Peter's case he was heavily in love with the West and saw Russia as a backwards nation. Even still, the reforms instituted did meet with much opposition and Russia sort of fell back into their old ways, failing to industrialise properly until Stalin came along.
Due to living in the steppe and embracing the lifestyle, I'd say Russians are not Western but not Eastern either. It's more like a true East meets West nation and always will be.
Pbrower,
Lots of stuff to reply to so I will be sure to give it a more thoughtful reply later on.
