THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RUSSIAN NATION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 370, S. 99-115

Abstract

The Russian nation emerged as a distinct S-cul system with the establishment of the Kievan or Varangian state in the middle of the 9th cent. This nation from that time to the present has remained the main group whose activities have largely determined the nature of the subsequent character of the Russian state, culture, & historical destiny. Among the essential characteristics of the Russian nation are: its comparatively long life, enormous vitality, remarkable pertinacity, outstanding willingness to sacrifice for its survival on the part of its members, & extra-ordinary territorial, pop'al, pol'al, soc, & cultural growth. To these essential features, a number of additional peculiarities may be noted: racial & ethnic diversity, unity in diversity, placement of non-Russian persons at highest pol'al & soc positions, comparative peaceful expansion & growth, the fighting of primarily defensive wars, comparative orderliness, & high dedication of members. Like other Western nations, Russia has experienced the rise & decline of Christian philosophy & its replacement by agnostic, materialistic, & atheistic philosophy. Since the end of the 1920's, Russia has begun to display other traits: the supplanting of rude force by the rule of law, the modification of totalitarianism in favor of econ & soc democracy, the establishment of non-Russian nat'lities as autonomous groups, the restoration of the monogamic fam, gains in material well-being, cultural growth, & the moral renaissance of the Soviet people. HA.