Rusian History
Russia has always played a major roll in global politics, economics and thought. However, in the past two centuries, Russia has had probably the greatest influence on the international world in modern times, surpassed only by the United States. The Russia that we've known this century though, has its roots in last centuries Russian. At the end of the nineteenth century, Russia experienced great changes internally, politically, socially and spiritually. The half century leading up to the Communist revolution in 1917 was a time filled with sweeping changes, literary triumphs and military defeat. All of these factors played in the eventual revolution and not only affected politics and thought in Russia, but in every nation on earth. After the defeat of the Russian army in the Crimean War, Russian realized that it needed to modernize its country, socially and militarily. Alexander II realized that to modernize mean that Russia needed to westernize. So in 1861 he emancipated the serfs from bondage. The emancipation was mean to bridge the gap between the elite and the general population, but was not the first of such liberal western type reforms. Catherine and Peter the Great had also made western type reforms during their respe
The one downfall to this great period of social, literary, and political breakthroughs was that its leaders and prominent figures were of an older generation and they had no worthy successors. The other main political force of the day was the populists. Russia would enter the twentieth century as a powerful and complex nation, and soon would soon emerge as the world's first socialist-communist entity. They were highly influenced by Western Europe in their atheism and material positivism. The end of the era came soon after 1880. These were taken up by the various political groups and writers of the time. Almost all of the great works of Russian fiction were produced during this time. The major opponents of the Slavophile position were the western influenced Nihilists. Owing thanks to the political and literary changes and advances of the late nineteenth century. The reign of Alexander II was an age of great literary achievement, the 'Golden Age' of the Russian novel. The nihilists had many sympathizers in the literary and journalistic worlds, but most importantly Turgenev, who's novel 'Fathers and Sons' expressed the nihilist point of view, and was widely acclaimed. The writers however were the most important. During the summer of 1879, many young and rich populists went to the countryside to follow their idealistic instincts, and teach the peasantry about socialism. Fyodor Dostoevsky was Slavophilisms more down-to-earth and democratic member. He was also the movements' most effective proponent.
Common topics in this essay:
Alexander II,
Western Europe,
United Russia,
Socialist Revolutionary,
Pushkin Dostoevsky,
Dostoevsky Asakov,
,
Catherine Peter,
Age' Russian,
Dostoevsky Slavophilisms,
alexander ii,
reign alexander ii,
literary political,
western type,
type reforms,
material positivism,
nineteenth century,
ruling class,
russian literature,
influenced western,
slavophile position,
western type reforms,
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Acceptance Essays
