STROKES TO THE PORTRAIT OF RUSSIAN PEOPLE

January 15, 2015

*The Eastern Slavs and their place in Europe and in the world*

           The Eastern Slavs is the name for the three kindred peoples: Russian, Ukrainian and Byelorussian. Their common historical root was the Old Russian nation, which had formed during the process of rising of one united state – the Rus. In its turn this people was generated from the number of Slavic tribes, living on vast territories of East-European plain and the basin of the river Dnieper – from the Baltic Sea in the north to Black in the south.

The formation of the Old Russian state dates back to 862 when Scandinavian-Varangians were invited to the first Russian capital, Novgorod. Then the first city moves to Kiev, the power gets stronger, the state is centralized and in 988 is introduced the Orthodox faith, despite of counteraction of Varangian pagan top. This event was the most important landmark on the way of national foundation of Rus, development of its culture and its public consciousness. Even the son of prince-christianizer Vladimir, prince Yaroslav the Wise, justly realized that he was one of the mightiest leaders of Europe, and his daughter Anne became one of the greatest French queens.

However, all medieval states have gone through the periods of feudal strife. It also did not pass the Rus. Weakened, divided into small principalities, it became a loot for a powerful enemy – Mongolo-Tatars. Despite of desperate resistance, Russian princes did not find in themselves the wisdom to be united and became the vassals of the Golden Horde.

At the same time, the very fact of heroic confrontation to the barbarians for the sake of freedom and hope became the factor of easing of Mongolo-Tatar’s onslaught on Christian Europe, and already in the territory of the nearest Rus’s neighbors – the Poles – this charge was choked up. It is possible to assert, that at those times the Rus first became a European board before the Asian expansion. Thus, in the Middle Ages the Rus has already occupied a rather important place in the general world order.

In general, the niche, which should have been occupied in the history by east Slavs, usually associates with the peculiarities of their geographical placing at the joint of two civilizations – the East and the West. The geographical aspect, by all means, was one of the major ones, but not the only one, which determined the place of east Slavs in Europe and in the world. The peculiarities of culture, national character and, naturally, the Orthodox faith determined this place greatly.

The “Boundary” nations, that is the peoples which are taking place on a joint between two various, if not opposite by their character civilizations, always had features, which are alike. So, our nearest neighbors and brothers – Slavs (Poles, the Czechs, the Slovaks) are hardly closer to Russians in historical sense, than the far Spaniards. It is self-evident, that the language affinity is not taken into account here. The Spaniards, as also the east Slavs, were on a joint of Christian and Muslim civilizations too, have gone through the long period of Arabian enslavement and served as a European board from eastern expansion. The peoples of the Pyrenees, as well as the peoples of East Europe experienced serious influence from the part of yesterday conquerors not only in their life and culture, but also in the formation of the national type, though they kept the religion, national self-consciousness, language and deep bases of culture.