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ErikM
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Catherine the Great - Alexander I period comes close.
After Napoleonic wars, well, Russia probably was not #1 power but one of top three powers for sure and probably a premier continental power.
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Serb
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Siberia, Communist party of Apolyton
Nov 2001 time: 11:35
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quote: Originally posted by Uber KruX
I simply want to know if at any point in history, was Russia "better" than it was during the Communist rule. |
No.
Attachment: ussr_flag.gif
This has been downloaded 190 time(s).
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mrmitchell
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I am nominating this post for
MOST PREDICTABLE RESPONSE OF THE CENTURY
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Serb
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Siberia, Communist party of Apolyton
Nov 2001 time: 11:35
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quote: Originally posted by mrmitchell
During the Cold War, I would call Russia, in parts, the leader in power. |
Thanks.
quote: However, geography (as many neighbors to be nice with)... |
Russia is the coldest country among its neighbours (well, almost, only Mongolia is worse).
However, it is a plain and unbeatable fact, that no one else, ever build such great, long-lasting and powerfull civilization in such enviroment as Russians did.
Perhaps in terms of enviroment Canada is closer to Russia than any other country (though Russian enviroment is more hostile and it is colder in Russia).
And how many people live in Canada? 30 millions?
In USSR lived more than 300. Today in Russia live about 150 millions.
Was Canada or any country with more or less Russian alike climate a superpower?
I don't think so. Actually, I think you can hardly name any other big countries except Russia and Canada that located in such hostile enviroment.
quote: ... and environment (lots of Russia is just frozen unfarmable wasteland at least in the winter ) works against them. |
Sure. Btw, I live in this frozen unfarmable wasteland. 
quote: Plus vodka. Vodka is the greatest productivity loss to hit Russia since the cold. |
Vodka, vodka, what the hell is so wrong with vodka?
It's stereotype about Russians. In fact in accordace with statistic Russians are not European top drinkers and average Russian consume less alcohol per year than some of his european neighbours.
Anyhow, every country has its national sport. Germans have beer, French and Italians have wine, Russians and Finns have vodka, so what? It's damn cold here and in such enviroment people have to eat food which contains many fats. Vodka helps to digest such kind of food. National alcohol preference comes from enviroment where people live.
quote: But you couldn't say Communism was good for Russia, because it wasn't technically Communism--it was more of a brutal and oppressive, but industrialized, dictatorship. |
Like anything else could save Russia in its darkest hour. Everytime when Russia is in grave danger it turns to brutal dictatorship and mobilize itself. That's the only way if you want to build a great civ in such enviroment.
Because:
1) Russia in its natural form (I mean as big and strong country) cannot be like its european neighbours, because of enviroment.
2) Thanks to favorable conditions, it is natural for european countries to be technologically superior in comparison with Russia. And since in human history more advanced civs were always "eating" backward civs, there comes time when more advanced civs attack their backward neighbour. However, Russia always survived those invasions, because it's mobilized itself. And this period of mobilization was always:
a) a period of brutal dictatorship, beacuse to survive, state had to find resources somewhere and the only source of resources for the Russian state, was its population.
b) started from Russians taking technologies from the West.
That's for example, how it was during three greatest periods of mobilization in Russian history, during: Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great and Stalin.
3) After mobilization, Russia usually reaches/exceeds technological level of its enemies and kicks invader's arses. After that comes period of relaxation, because population cannot be such epxloited forever. People have to rest time after time.
When Russia is in period of relaxation, it starts to lose competition with its neigbours and become more and more backward in comparison with western powers.
Then everything repeats.
Nobody proved to me yet, that this theory of mobilization/relaxation cirles is wrong.
Russia cannot survive as Russia without those circles, because it is impossible.
Without those circles, it is impossible to create such country as Russia in such hostile enviroment .
Without those circles Russia would never exist and it's territory would be populated by 15-20 millions at best.
In other words, without those circles, in this enviroment, it would be country like Canada, poor populated, but still more backward in comparison with real Canada. And during its history, this Russia would never be among world's top powers and there would never be Tolstoy, Dostoevsky or first space flight, as well.
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Serb
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Siberia, Communist party of Apolyton
Nov 2001 time: 11:35
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quote: Originally posted by mrmitchell
I am nominating this post for
MOST PREDICTABLE RESPONSE OF THE CENTURY |
Well, thank you. Where I can get my prize?
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Serb
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Siberia, Communist party of Apolyton
Nov 2001 time: 11:35
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Give us your lands and we will for sure.
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Serb
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Siberia, Communist party of Apolyton
Nov 2001 time: 11:35
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FYI, it was Margaret Teacher, who said this troll.
F*ck her. Old witch.
Btw Upper Volta now calls Burkina-Faso which means "the land of honest people".
Last edited by Serb on 25-04-2004 at 10:11
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Serb
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Siberia, Communist party of Apolyton
Nov 2001 time: 11:35
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Like west ever had any opinion about Russia except "low".
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All times are GMT. The time now is 05:35. Apolyton Time is 00:35. |
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