Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad_Michael
Interesting question...
|
Yes, I don't want to offend some other people from this forum, but the answer "First choise off course" is not very interesting, because the problem lies some more deeply, I think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad_Michael
Of course, I'd like to see a liberal democratic Russia of the 'Atlantic' model, but that's a bit too far-fetched for reasonable consideration, so I'll say that I'd like to see a non-Imperial Russia, stable and strong - with the goal of working towards liberty and social-democracy.
|
Apparently yes, but 'Atlantic' is rather an empty word than a capacious notion I think. There is some problem anyone can exactly define, what 'Atlantic' means... What do you mean by it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad_Michael
Russia is a proud country, an old one and a strong one. And as Winston Churchill alluded to in his famous epigram, a very complex and mysterious one.
|
Is it "it is impossible to win a nation who eat an ice cream in winter"?
Funnily, when I was a little I ate ice cream in 10 degrees of frost. It is truth. But now it would be too strange for me
There is a funny proverb in Russia: "what is good for Russians, that is death for Germans". (I think you can't understand it as well as I can't understand British humour)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad_Michael
I also think it is very important to work on economic, agricultural and structural reforms before any serious move is made towards democracy. The western representative-democratic model can really only function when you have a solid majority middle-class, well distributed geographically across the country. Russia doesn't have this yet (Lenin and Stalin were most thorough in their purges and completely eliminated the earlier Russian middle class).
|
I am absolutely agree with you about a problem of middle-class. But the situation in a royal Russia was very awful, worse than soviet Russia (except stalins period). If there were very happy, there wouldn't have any dethronements. The middle-class was 10-15 percent at most (not 80), I think. Up to 80th there were not any oppression except a social one. The family of my great-grandfather was a noble and they had several acres, they lost them of course, but they were able to find in a new life themselves. And they didn't suffer. Certainly, in stalins period they were VERY affraid. But in the royal Russia there were ethnic oppressions. For example, there was a horrible law, that Hebrews may not live in cities, they may live further than 100 kilometre circle only...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad_Michael
Russia has always loved their strong rulers - and needs one now more than ever.
|
Sorry, but it is your stereotype of Russia only, I think.
Some west ideas about Russia look in a funny manner for me.