Explanation: The Russian Empire under the Tsars continued serfdom later than any other major European country - some 23 million people in the Empire were still serfs when they were freed… in 1861.
For obvious reasons, this enduring legacy of near-slavery did no favors to the long-term stability of the monarchy, and Russia similarly lagged behind its peers economically in part because of the long-lasting effects of keeping an entire nation in bondage.
A curious thing that many scholars have pointed out is that Russia has never truly had a modern democracy or democratic system … ever.
Many people in the modern day underestimate the cultural value of even deeply imperfect institutions.
Democracy is learned. And it’s a hard thing to learn by observation.
May Russia have a democratic future one day.
Hell, for that matter, may we all have a more democratic future…
I really like one sentence summaries of national histories, and one of my favorites is Russia’s: “and then it got worse.”
Some part of the world, some culture throughout history, has to be the most recidivist during a time and it’s usually the state which is closest to collapse without fully succumbing. That’s been Russia for the last century after milking wars and a few self inflicted mass tragedies for propaganda about triumph and resilience. The backwards culture should have been left behind after the Mongols invaded but they are also the right shade of sycophantic parasite to persist.
