IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
# 180 – “The Thumb”
March 18, 2014
In lieu of giving a plethora of facts about Mother Russia, let me offer a few details about its government before 1917. As far back as the 16th century, tsars ruled Russia.
What about this term? What is its genesis? Like so many terms of the modern world, its derivation is from the Latin — specifically, Caesar. Caesar means emperor.
Glimpses into the five tsars that preceded the Bolshevik Revolution will give you more than a general sense of how the Russians have ruled their people.
Ivan the Terrible ruled from 1533-1584. He fought the Tatars and was the first to be named Tsar of all Russia. His legends paint a picture of a figure that was both authoritarian and fierce. Ivan commissioned St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square with its brightly colored Russo-Byzantine onion domes. St. Basil’s was built between 1554 and 1560 to honor Russia’s victory over the Tatars at Kazan. It is said that Ivan the Terrible had the architects blinded so that they could never again design a building so beautiful. Quite the colorful character, Ivan was barred from entering the Annunciation Cathedral after married his fourth wife, so he had builders add a special porch so he could get into the church.
Boris Godunov, not a nobleman, earned his reputation through his own ambition and ability to lead. He ruled as regent after Ivan’s death and later named Tsar after Ivan’s son died. He launched serfdom in Russia. This work arrangement virtually shaped Russia for hundreds of years. His architectural mark on the Kremlin’s Ivan the Great Bell Tower. Research affirms that he ordered its height increased and decreed that no other Moscow building was taller.
Peter the Great looked to the west for inspiration. He is known for his reforms and objectives and sought to emulate the” West”. He wanted to modernize Russia. He built St. Petersburg out of a swamp and created ranks for civil servants. He changed the Russian calendar, established the first Russian Navy and expanded the landmass of Russia. His legacy lives in the beautiful city he built and the Peterhof, one of the most beautiful palaces in the world. Impressive and luxurious, it attracts great numbers of visitors every summer.
Catherine the Great holds her position as one of the most famous Russian rulers. Not Russian, Catherine was a Prussian (for lack of more specifics, German). She married into Russian royalty and overthrew her husband to take control of Russia. She ruled from 1762-1796, expanding her empire’s lands. She wanted Russia to be modern and viewed as a major European power. Known for her dalliances, she went through many men in her private life and this reputation has outlived her. Much the opposite of a “sugar daddy”, Catherine compensated the men in her company. Many of these men gained stature and fame solely because of their association with her.
Catherine’s artistic legacy is the bronze statue of Peter the Great on horseback. Many literary buffs recognize the statue from Pushkin’s poem.
Nicholas II was Russia’s last tsar. He headed the Romanov family but was forced from the throne by the Bolsheviks who spearheaded the infamous revolution of 1917. He never wanted the throne and the Russian people did not like him. His wife Alexandra, a German princess, was granddaughter of England’s Queen Victoria. The people did not trust her and thought she was a German spy. She sought help from the mystic Rasputin to help her son, Alexis, who suffered from hemophilia. His close relationship with the tsar’s family was not received well by the people.
The Bolsheviks took Nicholas, Alexandra, and all their children to Ekaterinburg in Siberia. Authors and filmmakers have taken license with the story of Anastasia, who was thought to have survived the carnage. But that is a whole other story!
The Russian monarchy ended when Tsar Nicholas II was murdered. The new leadership banished all Russian farmers to Siberia, took over businesses, closed all churches, and killed any incentive that might have existed. Millions died under Stalin. The glue of the nation that survived was language and culture. Only those elements survived the government.
The Crimean people vote to remain with Russia instead of embracing Ukraine and joining the European Union begs a bit of reflection. Please remember how these people have lived their lives for their entire lives.
Under the tsars, the Communists, and the Russian Mafia in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russian people have never known real freedom. Oh, some yearn for it, pray for it, covet, it, but even they have no real control over their own lives. For three generations, they have been pawns. Their only link to the past is Russian, both in essence and in tradition.
Their world has been one where the individual had little or no value and independent thinking and entrepreneurship were virtually unknown. They are, and have been for many centuries, under the thumb their rulers. All that said, there is a bottom line here. It is hard to value something you have never had. The government of the Ukraine recognizes the value of private enterprise and freedom. Pray that Ukraine can keep it.
Pray that Ukraine joins the E.U. If Putin is determined to recreate the former Soviet Union, the successful takeover of Crimea is a bell-weather for what lies around the corner. Pray for Ukraine. Pray for all Eastern Europe. Its freedom may be the world’s last best hope for peace. The threat to reduce the United States to nuclear ashes is not laughable, as the current presidential press secretary believes. Russia has always been centered on military might, conquest and control. It’s a big thumb and one we don’t need exerted on us. Think about it.