Including the Baptism of Prince Vladimir In her haste to publish a book, she ignores a
thousand years of history of Kievan Rus' 
Posted on 05/04/2014 6:30:42 AM PDT by WhiskeyX
I have a feeling that at this point, Russian history is whatever Putin says it is.
The land belongs to those with the strength and the will to hold on to it.
Period.
Including the Baptism of Prince Vladimir In her haste to publish a book, she ignores a
thousand years of history of Kievan Rus'
Russia has not changed in centuries even as the names and ideologies of the teams in charge have changed hands - the Soviet Union took over where the old imperial Russia left off and now Putin wants to resurrect the same Russian historical legacy. Why?
From the beginning, the Muscovites (the Russ that settled Moscow) realized their state could not be a “major power” in Europe or anywhere else - it lacked all the natural advantages for one - unless it could absorb, bully, intimidate and/or in some way control it’s near neighbors; otherwise it would always be left a minor player. The Russian people - enough of them - have always accepted that view and goal from their top leaders. Putin is not a “retrograde”. That would imply that Russia changed and Putin was trying to “take it backward”. No. From Putin’s and many Russian’s point of view, Russia did not change, in spite of the setbacks it had to TEMPORARILY accept with the fall of the Soviet Union.
Which was exactly how the Prussians and Nazis thought about Germany. They saw the British Empire and envied their colonies. Meanwhile, here is Poland, stuck smack dab in the middle.
“Meanwhile, here is Poland, stuck smack dab in the middle.”
That may be true today, but it was not always so. At one time the Poles were the “Russians” of their day, and together with the Lithuanians held an empire that included almost all of the Ukraine as well as parts of many other states we see on today’s maps. Even “neutral” Sweden was once not so neutral and herself put together a set of conquests in the region.
The difference is that most of western Europe now sees that attitude as ending in war and wiping out any advantages it temporarily gave any of the people, while Russia, in spite of major losses in two World Wars and dismemberment of the Soviet Union seems to think that bullying and conquest will be a net positive for it. My guess is that like Spain and Italy sooner or later Russia will have to accept minor-player status, either by choice or by provoking a reaction that leaves it no choice.
The Russian Empire was famously known as a “prison house of nationalities.” The Russians wanted to Russify the others (Poles, Finns, etc.).
Hawaii, Texas and Vermont were once countries.
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