Old Russian Parable

[grantcart]

8. Well

I would say that Russia culture has always cultivated greatness, literature, ballet, architecture. But there are inherent limits to its strengths caused by location and climate that has fostered a long held inferiority complex.

Arnold Toynbee constructed a useful historical interpretation theory of history called "The Challenge and Response Theory of History". He postulates that if humans live in an area that has no strong challenges for human propagation, like the tropical islands, then there isn't enough challenge to force people to move into feudal and national development. You can simply feed your family by catching fish and eating mangoes that grow abundantly. On the other hand if the challenges are too great, like the native people in the arctic areas then all of your organization is to kill the walrus, feast for a few days and then rest for the next big hunt.is a

In moderate temperatures like Europe, China and Japan there is a balance which is best suited to develop strong feudal leadership that would evolve into nations. In Europe and Japan you had to have organized agriculture to accumulate food for the winter. Once the winter set in that organization could be used to develop culture, art, religion and the military arts.

In China you have the flooding of the Yangtse River. It required organization to manage the water and then there would be a rest time while the rice grew. When you fly into Bangkok you can see thousands of miles of canals that were built over hundreds of years that became an irrigation system, a transportation system and a communication system. It was built by corvee labor, all Thai males had to go work for the local prince after rice planting and return during the harvest.

Russia has always competed with Europe, China and Japan. Its loss to Japan in the war of 1905 was the begining of the end of Czarist Russia. Its military loss to Japan was echoed by the thrashing it got from Germany in WWII, only the crushing winter saved them. China's unfettered market is driving its population to a higher standard of living than Russians. Singapore, which has no natural resources has per capita GDP of $ 56,000 in 4th place. Russia is ranked 57th with a per capita GDP of $ 10,000. Without its vast oil and gas revenues it would be in the 80s behind the Dominican Republic. And remember this per capita which averages the rich and the poor and with the tremendous disparities with the oligarchs it means that there are tens of millions of Russians who are on a subsistance footing.

If you accept Toynbee's analysis then the answer could be that Russia is always a step behind because their climate creates additional stress in comparison to other more moderate areas. In any case and for whatever reason Russia has a very pronounced inferiority complex and as Ukraine moves to integrate into the evolving modern European Community they are embarassed at the comparison.