Is Russia a European country?
- Thread starter The merchant of Venice
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Joined Apr 2010
16,754 Posts | 20+
Slovakia
People from West tend to think European is equal to Western European. In reality Europe is much more than just Western Europe. South-Eastern Europe is different from North-Western one. This division goes back in to times of split between East and West Roman Empire, perhaps even deeper.
Joined Apr 2010
16,754 Posts | 20+
Slovakia
Most dominant Y-DNA hologrup in Russia as far as I know is R1a. In fact largest concentration of R1a can be found in Russia (up to 70%). I newer found anybody associating it with Fins or Uralic people. Rather it tends to be associated with Slavs and Indo-Aryans -two ancient Indo-European groups.
Joined Feb 2013
6,724 Posts | 28+
By any standard that Spain, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, the various south Slav states, and Albania are European, Russia is European. By any standard that these states are not European, Russia is not European.
Joined Feb 2013
6,724 Posts | 28+
So is Prussia a European state? We're talking a splinter of a medieval system of choosing a ruler that only emerged as a state at all purely because it bloated itself on its army, and nothing more. Prussia also founded the Germany that went on to fail at being an absolute monarchy in the span of less than 50 years, where Russian absolutism lasted for centuries, that failed at being a Republic, and failed at totalitarian bloodthirsty conquest. So is Prussia European? What about the Habsburg autocratic system in its various forms?
So was Franz Josef a European ruler or was he an Asian ruler? What about Friedrich der Grosse?
Joined Jun 2012
1,474 Posts | 14+
Florida
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Is Russia an European Country?
This is the same type of question often asked on those ridiculous anthropological forums that ask such penetrating questions as: Are Southern or Slavic Europeans White and whose populations are more white or European.
So my answer to is Russia an European Country is simply a succinct: DUH
This is the same type of question often asked on those ridiculous anthropological forums that ask such penetrating questions as: Are Southern or Slavic Europeans White and whose populations are more white or European.
So my answer to is Russia an European Country is simply a succinct: DUH
Joined Aug 2010
18,694 Posts | 3,383+
Welsh Marches
Russia is a European country, but a peculiar one; but then, every European country is a peculiar one, some more peculiar than others.
Joined Mar 2011
6,304 Posts | 2+
Warsaw, Poland
There was a huge difference between Western absolutist monarchies and Russian patrimonial autocracy. Neither Prussian nor Habsburg monarchs ever had the unlimited license towards their subjects which Russian Tsars had.
As the territory of Poland was partitioned between these three states and occupied by them for about a century, Poles had an excellent occasion to compare and contrast.
A great deal was written here on the subject.
Joined Feb 2013
6,724 Posts | 28+
There was a huge difference between Western absolutist monarchies and Russian patrimonial autocracy. Neither Prussian nor Habsburg monarchs ever had the unlimited license towards their subjects which Russian Tsars had.
As the territory of Poland was partitioned between these three states and occupied by them for about a century, Poles had an excellent occasion to compare and contrast.
Perhaps in Habsburg terms, but I'm not so sure the Army with a Country can be called that.
Joined Aug 2012
626 Posts | 1+
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I think the Anglo-saxon countries are the so called ''western''
In the last 100 years the word western was mainly based on the german development in WW2 and the cold war between America and Soviet.
Going further back the Brittish empire was the ''pollinators'' of western culture, because of them Europe was recognized in its greatest form.
But yeah, many inventions are from the jewish community. Jews have 30-33 % of all Nobel prizes divided. But are we ready to call the ''swarthy'' jews for europeans?
I would think the Spanish and Portuguese did more pollination of Western culture then the British who tended not to really mix with the natives.
Has for Russians they seem to be more European in there ways.
Joined Jan 2013
915 Posts | 107+
Charlottengrad
Joined Nov 2011
6,052 Posts | 167+
Confoederatio Helvetica
I can understand that Prussia has its negative sides. However, don't you exaggerate a little bit, given the fact that Prussia is not only known for its army, but also, for example, for its religious tolerance and its contribution to the development of the modern research university? Moreover, many of the negative aspects of Prussia became prominent only late in its history, at a time point when the actual Prussia did not exist any more as a sovereign state but was fully integrated into Imperial Germany.
Joined Mar 2011
6,304 Posts | 2+
Warsaw, Poland
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In the Prussian army prügeln was regularly used as corporal punisment. Were Prussian soldiers executed by this method in the second half of the 19th century?
In Austrian, Prussian (or French) 19th century armies, court martialled soldiers were shot. In the Russian army, they were beaten to death with sticks - forced to run to and fro between two rows of soldiers with canes, beating them until they died.
Many Poles forced to serve in the Russian army experienced this. In 1862 private Leona Szczura (Pole of Jewish origin) got the penalty of 600 sticks and 12 years of katorga (slave labour in Siberian mines) Szczur belonged to a Polish patriotic conspiracy, his officer friends were shot for this, he - not being a nobleman - died differently.
Joined Apr 2010
16,754 Posts | 20+
Slovakia
There is hardly anything "Asian" in Russian culture. Assuming we are speaking about ethnic Russians of course, not Caucasus or Central Asian people.
Early Russian culture was based on Roman and Greek traditions (when we omit short lived Khazar influences at the total beginning). Reforms of Peter the Great and Katherine were based on Western European models, mainly French and German. Communism was of course 100% Western idea and its implementation typically European.
Is there anything Asian about Russians? I frankly can not find single thing.
Early Russian culture was based on Roman and Greek traditions (when we omit short lived Khazar influences at the total beginning). Reforms of Peter the Great and Katherine were based on Western European models, mainly French and German. Communism was of course 100% Western idea and its implementation typically European.
Is there anything Asian about Russians? I frankly can not find single thing.
Joined Jan 2013
915 Posts | 107+
Charlottengrad
Joined Oct 2011
537 Posts | 0+
Norway
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