THE CHINESE AND THE RUSSIANS

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 349, S. 1-23

Abstract

The Russians have been & still are Europeans, just as other peoples who - like the Spaniards - have lived part of their history under foreign domination (in Russia's case, Tartar domination). Hence, the Russians differ from the Chinese as much as do other Europeans. This fact is illustrated by comparison of the Chinese & the Russians re their intellectual, spiritual, & emotional aspects. In some respects, the Russians are even remoter from the Chinese than other European peoples, because they have been molded by a particularly emotional form of Christianity which is very far removed from the matter-of-factness of Confucianism. In the field of soc org, the 2 main peculiarities of China - the power of the clan over its members, & the formation of the ruling elite by examinations - have no counterpart in the USSR. In turn, the slavelike position of the Russian peasant, & the power of the hereditary nobility around the czar, were unknown in China. The explanation for the victory of Communism in the 2 vastly diff countries is not to be found in a particular predisposition of the Chinese & the Russians to Communism, but in peculiar historical circumstances, forces, & personalities which operated in each country, largely as a result of the Western impact which hit both these huge, proud, gifted, & econ'ly backward nations. AA.