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comment by coffeesp00ns

You're right, I misspoke here in saying that the Orthodox church had power during this time. I should say that many of the people who had once latched onto the Orthodox Church (and thus the Tsar, as he was defender of the faith and kind of tangled into the church as sort of a Higher position person. Divine right of rule and all that jazz.) for their power simply moulded the idea of the Soviet State into a religion of sorts, as elizabeth mentions.

After the break up of the USSR, the Kremlin started to reattach itself to to Orthodox Church as a way to legitimize the new government and separate it from the previous one (even though it was, in many ways, the same people running the show).

So, all that to say I simplified the issue, and by doing so made an erroneous statement. apologies. I think what I was trying to get across was that the power structure, and many of the people in power didn't really change that much.





alpha0  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    I think what I was trying to get across was that the power structure, and many of the people in power didn't really change that much.

Are you trying to say that in positions of power, the powerful in Russia act alike even though they were wildly different demographics?

    I should say that many of the people who had once latched onto the Orthodox Church (and thus the Tsar, as he was defender of the faith and kind of tangled into the church as sort of a Higher position person. Divine right of rule and all that jazz.) for their power simply moulded the idea of the Soviet State into a religion of sorts, as elizabeth mentions.

The who's who of USSR's early history is very strongly populated by Ashkenazi Jews, as a matter of historic fact. In fact, as part of ideological and tribal retribution that was part and parcel of that wave of madness, nearly the entire aristocratic and thinking set of the "white" Russians were liquidated.

This gentleman has written rather extensively about it all. Some find aspects of his deeply candid observations 'unacceptable'.

coffeesp00ns  ·  3364 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I've had a .pdf of Gulag Archipelago for years, and have just never read it. Maybe I should.

Thanks for the info. I think my basic point that Russia is acting as Russia historically has - very conservatively - still stands, but obviously I need to go back to school on my 20th century Russian history.

alpha0  ·  3364 days ago  ·  link  ·  

That's a great book. Highly recommended. He is a great man.

What I was referring to was this book.

coffeesp00ns  ·  3364 days ago  ·  link  ·  

definitely an interesting perspective. I'll have to read more into the critical reception and rebuttal to see what others say about it (looks like it's pretty divisive).