Monthly Archives: February 2017

Madariaga touches upon, in her description of the events surrounding the executions of Pugachev and four of his principal followers, Catherine’s secret intercession on behalf of the sentenced. By commanding the executioner to begin the quartering process with beheading, she … Continue reading →

If there’s one thing Russia has no shortage of, it’s land. Thus, it should be easy to see why land ownership was seen as essential to freedom and prosperity. “Until Catherine’s reign, the moral right to own serfs had never … Continue reading →

According to Madariaga, during the 1760’s Catherine the Great grappled with the idea of changing conditions of serfdom with Russia. This came to a halt when Russia entered war with the Ottoman Empire in 1768. Because of this war Catherine … Continue reading →

Madariaga’s account of Catherine’s reign indicates a tension between Catherine’s admiration of Western culture and her desire to maintain power. The Westernization of Russia under her rule seemed to take effect significantly more in the higher-ranking classes than among the peasants. … Continue reading →

According to Riha, “The Soviets view[ed] [Radischev] as the first Russian revolutionary” (261). This seems to conflict with the idea that the Decembrists were the first Russian revolutionaries, as they came decades later. Furthermore, Radischev seems overall a more admirable … Continue reading →

As we learned before and throughout today’s readings, Peter the Great was keen on revolutionizing Russia by transplanting Western European styles, ideas, and customs to Russian society, most notably to the nobility and urban dwellers. The Honorable Mirror for Youth … Continue reading →

The growing prominence of women as active members of Russian society paralleled the heightened depiction of women in art and portraiture during the Petrine era. Peter sought to westernize Russia, which made it necessary to shift Russia’s attitudes towards women. … Continue reading →

To a certain extent, duty seems to have played an important role in civilian life under Stalin. Jones states, “The interpretation of iconoclasm as a ‘duty’ could be seen at a meeting of the Odessa sailing school Party organization, where … Continue reading →

The death of Stalin posed a challenge for his successors. As Khrushchev recounted in his secret speech, the Soviet Union had become a very sick place during Stalin’s reign. His nakedly cynical personality cult had become pervasive, innocent, loyal Soviets … Continue reading →

Once in power, Khrushchev’s response to Stalin’s death and the subsequent confusion surrounding it was, increasingly, to control the memory of the Soviet Union’s late leader. As Jones details, the years between 1956 and 1961 saw a shift from “‘correcting’ … Continue reading →