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First of all, I'd like to say I'm fascinated by empires, from the Mongol Empire to the British, to this one. They simply fascinate me. Every other country would prefer to be bigger itself, my own, the world's 2nd largest Canada, included.
Ethnic variability aside, Russians are an ethnic European East Slavic group and not the indigenous inhabitants of Siberia, having expanded into the region the 16th and 17th centuries. The beginnings of the colonization of this area go back even further in "Russia's Wild West" of the east. This in itself makes most of Russia essentially a former colony, like the United States, Brazil, Argentina, or Canada, except married to its European counterpart, always contiguous and never subordinate. Secondly, not so much in what was always sparsely populated Siberia, but in Southwestern Russia butting up against the Caucasus Mountains, ethnic Russians are a minority, yet Russia controls this mostly Muslim territory. These are no ordinary European ethnic minorities like in Spain, who often carry the same religion, even language, and are rarely ethnic majorities outside of absolutely tiny areas (Catalonia aside.)
Highlighted in red, the mostly Muslim North Caucasian Federal District, where ethnic Russians make up less than 1/3 of population according to the 2010 Russian Census! This district includes Chechnya. In fact, the layout of this district is very misleading, remove the northern section where Russians are 80% (Stavropol Krai), and Russians are very much a smaller minority. Remninsicient of minority settler regimes like South Africa, and the Israeli-controlled West Bank, because ethnic Russians hold the real power.
Spoiler
Ethnic map of Russia, 2010:
Spoiler
Finally, here's a map of Russia at its greatest post-Soviet extent, with Crimea annexed:
Spoiler
Crimea is also interesting because the region, minus Sevastopol, was counted as 58.3 percent ethnic Russian in the 2001 Ukrainian census, making Russian's minorities in many areas, especially after 13 more years of low birth rates, possible migration to Russia, and further Turkic migration (Crimean Tatars, the indigenous inhabitants of the peninsula, expelled by Stalin.) The ethnic composition of the peninsula, minus Sevastopol which was counted at 71.6 percent Russian, is likely a very, very narrow majority. 2014 was likely one of the last few years where Russia could annex it without ethnic Russians becoming outnumbered by ethnic Ukrainians (mostly Russian-speaking in this area) and Crimean Tatars. With no land connection to the Motherland until a bridge across the Kerch Strait is made, Russia definitely has to count on ethnic Russians, especially considering the implausibility of a 97 percent vote for joining Russia while the region was under Russian military control and while ethnic Ukrainians and Turkic Tatars mysteriously voted in large numbers to join Russia. Regardless of their feelings on Euromaidan, the results were certainly falsified, according to Russia's own Human Rights Council! This would make Crimea another unlikely part of the heavily-centralized Russian Federation, but with an ethnic Russian majority, the region is probably safe from civil war like in Chechnya.
Russia is the world's largest country today, and is in my opinion the last true European empire.
Last edited by HansIsland; 05-12-2014 at 04:17 PM..
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Technically, Russia is NOT an empire (anymore)
It is NOT ruled by an emperor (today).
The only empire today, would be Japan !
But ... , if you define an empire by : an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority,
formerly especially an emperor or empress.
Then , you could have several *opinions*
Russians are rather Asian in both their mindset and behaviour. They are basically Muslims who whorship Jesus Christ.
It doesn't surprise me that Russia was the only Communist empire in the XX century. Only other Asian countries like China, North Korea and Vietnam could hold that title.
Russians are rather Asian in both their mindset and behaviour. They are basically Muslims who whorship Jesus Christ.
It doesn't surprise me that Russia was the only Communist empire in the XX century. Only other Asian countries like China, North Korea and Vietnam could hold that title.
That is one of the weirdest posts I've read on here so far.
Russia isn't even in Europe, the most of it is in Asia.
And no it won't. Eventually it will try expanding somewhere where it is not wanted and will get a good clash.
One things for sure it will NEVER get anywhere near my country.
Russians are rather Asian in both their mindset and behaviour. They are basically Muslims who whorship Jesus Christ.
It doesn't surprise me that Russia was the only Communist empire in the XX century. Only other Asian countries like China, North Korea and Vietnam could hold that title.
Not sure what that's supposed to mean, if you're trying to pull a "non-white countries can't be democratic", then just look at Japan and compare it to Belarus, one of the worst countries for Human Rights in the world, entirely within Europe. Even further West, Italy's freedom of the press is horrible. A lot of it comes down to tradition, and Russia doesn't have a democratic, anti-torture, human rights tradition. Japan had been rapidly westernizing and moving to Western European ideals even prior to the end of WWII. A tradition of Authoritarian governments and strong men doesn't make Russians "more Asian in mindset and behaivour," that's like saying Germans were prior to 1945 (1990 in the East.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac15
Russia isn't even in Europe, the most of it is in Asia.
And no it won't. Eventually it will try expanding somewhere where it is not wanted and will get a good clash.
One things for sure it will NEVER get anywhere near my country.
The majority of Siberia's population that are ethnic Russians, minus some mixing going on over the years, are East Slavs.This is a European ethnic group. Admixture aside, Russians are ethnic Europeans, or "whites." Majority of the population is also west of the Urals. This is why European makes sense.
Immigration from European Russia started from the time of the Russian colonization of Siberia, around the 1500's, not time immemorial. The actual native inhabitants of the region are not Russian, and are generally related to Central Asian groups and the Indigenous people's of the America's, not Slavs. The fact that most of the landmass is in Asia doesn't really matter. That's like saying that Egypt can't view themselves as Arab brothers to the Middle East because they're in Africa.
Last edited by HansIsland; 05-13-2014 at 04:32 PM..
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Not sure what that's supposed to mean, if you're trying to pull a "non-white countries can't be democratic", then just look at Japan and compare it to Belarus, one of the worst countries for Human Rights in the world, entirely within Europe. Even further West, Italy's freedom of the press is horrible. A lot of it comes down to tradition, and Russia doesn't have a democratic, anti-torture, human rights tradition. Japan had been rapidly westernizing and moving to Western European ideals even prior to the end of WWII. A tradition of Authoritarian governments and strong men doesn't make Russians "more Asian in mindset and behaivour," that's like saying Germans were prior to 1945 (1990 in the East.) 
