Russia and Sweden: which is more European? (facts, house, English)
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I am sure you know people weren’t allowed to move from one place to another in Soviet Union.
Yet another myth.
Back in Stalin's times, it was difficult to move out of the villages/collective farms to cities - this is true. However with Khrushev's arrival people were moving en mass from villages to cities ( in the 60ies.) That's how the infamous "khrishevki" - ( those original "commie blocks") came about.
So no, you could easily move from one place to another in the Soviet Union, with an exception of Moscow and Leningrad.
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Moving to Moscow from other parts of Russia or other republics had to require many permits and certainly wasn’t easy for ordinary people I believe.
Moving to Moscow ( and obtaining the residence permit) was not easy, it's true.
However even in this case there was a way for those who really wanted it.
You'd have to sign up for working in Moscow's factories, then in five years ( or something like that) you could get a permanent residence permit, or so - called "propiska."
Plenty of Russians ( and not only) did it, but still no Asians from Central Asian Republics.
Yet another myth.
Back in Stalin's times, it was difficult to move out of the villages/collective farms to cities - this is true. However with Khrushev's arrival people were moving en mass from villages to cities ( in the 60ies.) That's how the infamous "khrishevki" - ( those original "commie blocks") came about.
So no, you could easily move from one place to another in the Soviet Union, with an exception of Moscow and Leningrad.
Moving to Moscow ( and obtaining the residence permit) was not easy, it's true.
However even in this case there was a way for those who really wanted it. You'd have to sign up for working in Moscow's factories, then in five years ( or something like that) you could net a permanent residence permit, or so - called "propiska."
Plenty of Russians ( and not only) did it, but still no Asians from Central Asian Republics.
So you mean the economy of republics was better than Russia because of Russian aid so they never felt the need to move?
So you mean the economy of republics was better than Russia because of Russian aid so they never felt the need to move?
No, that's not exactly how it was.
To begin with - the economy in Russian Republic itself varied greatly; Southern part was doing all right, so did parts of Siberia and Russian Far East, but Central part of Russia ( all those towns/cities hundred plus kilometers away from Moscow) were in poor shape.
Now Central Asian Republics (I am talking Tajikistan/Uzbekistan in particular,) were ones of the poorest in the USSR; they didn't have much going on for them, other than cotton for the most part that they grew there ( and produce, which was really out of this world.) However under Soviet laws, ALL people were guaranteed jobs ( and that means salaries,) no matter what republics they lived in, and Soviet gov. was subsidizing health care/child care/public transportation/housing there as anywhere else. The subsidizing was done in a different way than it is in the US, but never the less that's what it was. That's why these people didn't have any particular need to move - they stayed in their own lands, within their own culture.
But once Soviet Union was gone, the economy of these republics went up in smokes, and now people there are forced to move to big Russian cities, where they can find jobs.
And of course "new Russians" are exploiting these people now with impunity, as cheap labor, using their dire situation.
In a strange twist, Soviet Russia was actually more Christian in this respect, while being officially atheist. "New Russians" on another hand are "devout Christians," ( or so they claim,) and hire popes to propagandize their devotion right and left.
Russia developed it's European culture, starting with Peter The Great, based and borrowed ( by force at first) from the Europe's best.
It shows nearly in everything. And, they embraced it , eventually, dove in it, combined it, perfected it, magnified it and, sometimes, developed it to the extremes over the centeries.
Over the years, it's kind of went overboard - St. Petersburg looks more European to me than some other European cities (here, with the help of Rostrelli - Italian influence) or Peterhof here on Anhityk's picture looks more Versailles than Versailles itself (weren't those original fountains made out of gold???), the Russian classical music, operas, ballet, theatre, the French influence in it's art, language and cuisine, fashion, literature, science... Christian churches with gold plated onion domes and everything gold inside ...
I felt that over the years Russia overall obtained more of "combined" European look and feel than some other countries...But, it's just me...
Russia developed it's European culture, starting with Peter The Great, based and borrowed ( by force at first) from the Europe's best.
It shows nearly in everything. And, they embraced it , eventually, dove in it, combined it, perfected it, magnified it and, sometimes, developed it to the extremes over the centeries.
Over the years, it's kind of went overboard - St. Petersburg looks more European to me than some other European cities (here, with the help of Rostrelli - Italian influence) or Peterhof here on Anhityk's picture looks more Versailles than Versailles itself (weren't those original fountains made out of gold???), the Russian classical music, operas, ballet, theatre, the French influence in it's art, language and cuisine, fashion, literature, science... Christian churches with gold plated onion domes and everything gold inside ... I felt that over the years Russia overall obtained more of "combined" European look and feel than some other countries...But, it's just me...
Well... yes and no.
St. Petersburg - yes, as for other Russian cities - there is nothing particularly "combined" there - they more or less resemble Moscow's architecture ( which is of course European - well, used to be, until it was turned into some faceless megalopolis lately. )
Now with that being said, Russian culture ( in which I have been raised, so I can attest to it,) is deeply European through and through - in fact it still feels like the leftovers of old Europe 19th century, since people overall were/still are involved in abstract intellectual conversations, still adore classical art and all. Russian understanding of morals is deeply European too.
But this side of Russia of course is hidden from the rest of the world because of the language barrier and some other circumstances.
So that's when it comes to culture.
However when it comes to politics/political life, Russia doesn't come across as European, and THAT'S what the rest of the world has tendency to base its opinion on about the country, because it's more visible for everyone to see.
You're seriously making a comparison between a former autocratic great power monarchy and a small democratic island declaring independence in 1944?
Must be Estonian minimalism behind the fact that you guys don't have an air force. Or maybe there could be another reason?
First of all- I certainly did not want look down on Iceland. Not at all, it is a nice country, i would like to visit it on a one nice day and I used it just as a sample as a poster before had mentioned it. Secondly, it is not impossible that the minimalistic style there is connected with country's smallness and Russia as a large empire could enable for itself fancy looking palaces as it was big. It is certainly not impossible at all.
As for defence forces of Estonia- they are not that small for taking account the country's size (do the latter, of course).
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Originally Posted by erasure
Well... yes and no.
St. Petersburg - yes, as for other Russian cities - there is nothing particularly "combined" there - they more or less resemble Moscow's architecture ( which is of course European - well, used to be, until it was turned into some faceless megalopolis lately. )
Now with that being said, Russian culture ( in which I have been raised, so I can attest to it,) is deeply European through and through - in fact it still feels like the leftovers of old Europe 19th century, since people overall were/still are involved in abstract intellectual conversations, still adore classical art and all. Russian understanding of morals is deeply European too.
But this side of Russia of course is hidden from the rest of the world because of the language barrier and some other circumstances.
So that's when it comes to culture.
However when it comes to politics/political life, Russia doesn't come across as European, and THAT'S what the rest of the world has tendency to base its opinion on about the country, because it's more visible for everyone to see.
Yes, i have a feeling that the westerners hardly know other aspects than politics of Russia's life. Media, news are 90 percently about politics.
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I think that Scandinavian minimalism exists, and the Iceland would be a good sample of it. This is the house of Iceland government:
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