Introduction
This article was written for the Russian site of Taking IT Global. The purpose of this article is to make you acquainted with those facts about Russia, which are rarely reported in the press and in books about Russia.
In this article you won't find data about where Russia is located geographically, what city the capital of Russia is, or who is the president of Russia. You can find all these data easily.
I hope that this article will make you re-consider dogmas of the modern world, evoke the wish to discuss topics presented here with your co-people and perhaps even to let common illusions behind you.
In any case, I will be happy if you, dear reader, tell me your thoughts about the theses of this article.
Russian dream and Russian mentality
Two Romes fell. Third Rome is intact. There will be no fourth Rome.
Philophei
The Russians are dreaming people. Throughout the history, the majority of Russians was more concerned with abstract notions (like justice) more than with practical issues. Russians are willing to sacrifice the comfort of today for a better world of tomorrow.
Russians regard themselves as a nation with a special mission to the world. Since the fall of Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine), they think that Russia's mission is to save the world from the evil and to make it better.
Let's look at some examples for the fulfillment of this mission in the past.
Mongol yoke
First manifestation of Russia's world-saving mission lies many centuries in the past.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the Mongols formed a state, which is best known by its military victories. Led by Ghenghis Khan, the Mongols conquered many peoples and acquired large territories in Asia. They were able to conquer more advanced civilizations due to the fact that their victim civilizations were torn by inner conflicts.
But the conquest of Asia was not the only goal of the Mongols. They wanted to go further to the West and eventually put entire Europe under their control. Between Europe and Asia lies the only country, which was able to stop the Mongols - Russia.
Even though the Mongols conquered Russia and controlled it for more than two hundred years (1240-1480), they could not move to Western Europe. This was due to the incessant resistance of Russians throughout the period of Mongol occupation. Even the harshest tortures of the Mongols towards Russian population could not prevent Russians from continuing their Guerilla war against the aggressors.
This means that the Russians protected Europe from Mongol invasion and devastation.
Russia saved the world from Nazi domination
World War II was the most important event of the 20th century. After this war, the world was split into the American and the Soviet bloc. The American bloc had a much more efficient propaganda machine than the Soviet bloc. For this reason, ordinary people in the West do not have access to the truth about who prevented the Nazis from implementing their plans of world domination.
According to the American propaganda during and after the Cold War, it were the Americans, who liberated Europe and the rest of the world from the Nazis. At least, one gets this impression after viewing films like „Saving private Ryan“.
The truth is different from these impressions. Western powers did support Russia from the beginning of the Nazi invasion in 1941, but only verbally. The first treaties regarding military cooperation in fighting Hitler between Soviet Union and USA/Great Britain were signed already in 1941 and 1942, yet neither USA nor Great Britain did provide military help to the Soviet Union until June 1944.
From the end of 1940, Nazi Germany controlled most of Western Europe (the only country, which remained free was Great Britain). For more than four years Western Europe was a zone where human rights were violated. For more than four years Western Europe was a zone where millions of people were murdered.
Seemeningly, those murders did not bother the United States. We can even assume that they hoped that Nazis would conquer Russia, thus eliminating the only country, which had the potential to undermine USA's plans of world domination.
Only in 1944 the West started to support Russia's efforts to liberate Europe from the Nazis. The Americans and their allies wanted to prevent Russia from liberating Western Europe alone.
1944 was point in time, at which it was sure that Nazi regime will fall sooner or later. At the beginning of Nazi invasion into Russia in 1941, this was not sure. Germans were better equipped, better prepared for the war and captured most important industrial regions of Russia during the first days of the war. It is almost a wonder that Russia succeeded in liberating itself and saving the world from the Nazis with no reliable allies.
Think about what the world would look like had the Nazis actually put Russia under their control. What would have happenned, if Russia wouldn't exhaust the resources of Nazi Germany. What would have happenned, if the Nazis had enough time to develop the nuclear bomb. What would have happenned, if the Nazi concentration camps would operate not 13 years, but longer. Finally, what would have happenned, if Nazis really would put a large part of the world under their control.
Russia's role in Western wealth
One of the most important achievements of the Western civilization is the development of a functioning social system, which makes it possible for people of all social classes to enjoy benefits of high salaries, medical treatment, pensions etc.
At the beginning of the 20th century, most economists predicted that economic development in the West would lead to degradation of the greatest parts of the population. According to this theory (developed by Karl Marx), the production of goods would become more and more capital-intensive in time. That is, more and more machines would be used in the production of goods. Those machines would replace human workers and allow the entrepreneurs to use low-skilled workers, who can be replaced easily by another workers. This would lead to lower salaries of the workers. Eventually, most of the population would empoverish, until it reached a critical mass. Once too many people were very poor, a socialist revolution would break out and destroy the capitalist order.
That's the theory. What Marx did not take into account in his theory, was the Russian factor. Against any theoretical predictions, in 1917 Russia became first socialist country in the world.
Step by step, the Russians built a socialist state, which had many attractive features like
•egalitarian social structure (little differences between rich and poor)
•powerful economy
•functioning social system
•high education level of the population.
Apart from this, Russia was a functioning socialist state. Despite of all disadvantages of Russian socialism, the Russian way was a real alternative to the capitalism.
The elites (governments) in the West understood that Russian example (and socialism in general) was very attractive to the intellectuals. They understood that if they lower the salaries too far, empoverished masses in their countries may overthrow the government and establish a socialist system. These fears were rational - as long as Russia was socialist, many intellectuals in the West went to demonstrations with posters of Che Guevara, Marx, Lenin and other socialist leaders (for instance, student uprisings in France in 1968). Moreover, the Soviet Union supported socialist movements in the West financially.
Western elites wanted to prevent socialist revolutions in their countries. For this purpose, they decided to introduce regulations (laws), which would raise standards of living in the West to make Russia's social achivements look pale. High salaries, medical treatment etc should prevent the masses from getting poor and from establishing a socialist system.
We can conclude that Russia prevented the development of Western economies according to Marxian scenario. Presence of Russia forced Western elites to establish social systems.
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, there is no alternative to capitalism any more. More than 10 years after the socialist threat disappeared, we notice the first signs that Western elites now have no obstacles in destroying the social achievements of the past. Today we witness such tendencies even in countries with a long social-democratic tradition, like Germany and Austria.
If nothing happens, the world is likely to develop according to Marxian scenario.
Threats of the modern world
In order for that scenario not to become reality, Russia must again save the world.
At the moment, the fate of the world lies in the hands of a single, not particularly responsible, superpower. The policy, which it pursued in the last years seems to be based on following principles:
1.Liberal (Western) democracy is an ideal form of state organization for all peoples
2.Market economy is the ideal form of economic organization for all peoples
3.Western values (individualism) are the only acceptable ones, again for all peoples.
First statement is put through by the US officials and the officials of their satellite countries (almost the entire world).
Second statement is put into practice by means of international financial institutions, most important of which (International Monetary Fund and World Bank) are under American control.
Third statement is the domain of American propaganda (news and entertainment industry).
Many people throughout the world believe that all of the above three statements are wrong.
Value systems differ significantly among different peoples. Values of a particular people determine the optimal form of both state and economic organization. Different types of organization are not better or worse, they are just different. The fact that liberal democracy and market economy works in Western cultural context does not mean that it will work in, say, Muslim cultural context.
It is absurd to think that a European will be able to live according to the same values as a Muslim. It is also absurd to think that a Muslim will be able to live according to the same values as the European. Both European and Muslim have own systems of values, which are time-proven and work within their cultural contexts. They are different, but none of them is better or worse.
Unfortunately, the US has the capacity to implement any philosophy, even an absurd one. The US can force almost any country to accept its view of the world by means of political (military), economic or informational pressure.
Building a multipolar world
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Lord Acton
The US have absolute power.
We want to build a world, in which no single power can make global decisions without taking into account the interests of other powers.
In order to establish such a world order, the efforts of any single country alone are not sufficient. Some thinkers propose following plan for creating a truly multipolar world:
1.All powers, which are against American domination form an alliance (Eurasian Alliance). Eurasian Alliance combines the resources (political/military, economic etc) of all its members so that the power of the alliance is comparable to that of the US.
2.Using its power, the Eurasian alliance achieves that US give up their aggressive doctrine. In the end, US becomes incapable to force other countries to accept their values. US becomes a great power among many.
3.After US gave up their world domination plans, the goal of Eurasian alliance is attained and the alliance is dissolved. From now on, the world is truly multipolar.
The Eurasian Alliance will include many different countries, which have one in common: they want to be independent powers and not vassals of the US. Russia is one of them.
Can it work?
There is at least one example in history, where such an approach worked.
In ancient times, Carthago was a very strong power and had world domination goals. In order to protect themselves from conquest by Carthago, many peoples united themselves into an alliance, which eventually destroyed Carthago. That alliance is known as the Roman Empire.
Eurasian Alliance is the modern Roman Empire.
Conclusion
Russia can contribute a lot to establishing of a multipolar world according to the scheme presented above. Not only does Russia possess significant military and political power.
Much more important is the self-image of Russians as the savers of the world. Today there is a concrete threat to the world and this threat must be eliminated. For this reason, the idea that Russians have the mission to save the world is beneficial not only for Russians, but for the entire world.
Russia saved the world from the evil several times in history. She will do it another time.
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