NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... nary War of the United States, but it is not the same because it ended in communism and repression, rather than gradual democracy that occurred in America (Melvin 68). People in Russia do not have the concept of how a democracy functions because they have no experience with it. They went from having tsars to communism, they " ve never had a real democratic government until recently. People are used to serving the state whereas in America people are used to referring to government officials as "public servants. " The governing documents of the states are not honored and valued as they are in America because they were mainly mandates with little public consensus (Melvin 126). Lack of legitimacy in national constitutions has caused Russians to favor government intervention in all aspects of life involving the economy.
Paucity of opportunity and hope has hindered personal aspirations of Russian constituents. This is due largely in part to the strong autocratic traditions of Russia. Russians have never been forced to motivate themselves to gain wealth because the government has always told them where to work and proportioned their salaries (McDaniel 162). There has never been a real capitalist class in Russia because of this. The emphasis of the Russian economy lies mostly along the lines of collectivism versus conservatism in the United States. Precedence of the hierarchy of society sitting on top of individuality has programmed Russian citizens to value well being of society to that of their individual selves (McDaniel 163).
An example of this is Bolotov, a nobleman farmer who was a self made man. He dedicated himself to improving his crop yields, hence prospering economically. The tsar government of Russia denounced him. This is typical of the old Russian beliefs that have been pounded into the minds of current citizens. Recently, however, Georgy Gather wrote an essay called "Honest Private Life as an Alternative to Russian Literature" (Rzhevsky 69). Basically, this essay praises Bolotov for what he did and improving his own situation.
It also criticizes previous, traditional Russian literature that has been emphasizing society rather than the individual. With this new criticism of proceeding ideals, it is apparent change of mind is gradually occurring in Russia. It will, however, take a significant amount of time before this new attitude can be implemented throughout the entire Russian society. Many obstacles lie in the way sustaining conservative foundations in the Russian economy which are necessary for their democracy. One of those obstacles is the lack of middle class (McDaniel 169).
Poor people have a tendency to be more radical than those of the middle or upper classes. So many poor people, the current situation in Russia, leads to instability. These people have no stake in democracy, they instead value prosperity. They look to the government when looking for a savior giving the government a huge amount of power. The middle class generally acts as a conservative influence, especially regarding the right of private property which is inevitably a major pillar of any democracy. All of this is in large contrast to America where we have an abundant middle class that acts as a balance to the radical groups in America.
There has never been a Communist party in the United States, even during the depression when the nation was in dire need of a savior. The middle class is a strong basis of support for democracy in America. Diverse, incongruent and motivated to maintain democracy, the middle class is a stable way to ensure and sustain democracy (Heywood 210). Religion is not always considered a pillar of democracy, however, The Russian Orthodox Church being the primary religion of Russia has had a profound influence on its culture (Grudzinska-Gross 48). Its tradition of state control has helped foster a slave mentality among the Russian people.
Its refusal to allow dissent or debate over religious practices has ingrained in the Russian mind the need to bow to the dictates of their superiors without question, which is not a healthy trait in a democracy. In America the presence of many religions has forced the general population to accept their fellow citizen's differences of opinion in religious matters, but in Russia the predominant Orthodox Church encouraged discrimination against other religions. Even as recently as 1993 the Russian Orthodox Church encouraged the passing of a law that would have forced religious organizations to register with the state and that would have restricted "non-traditional" religious activity. The Russian Orthodox Church has also failed to take a very active part in democracy as churches in America have done.
It has not encouraged debates over policy and it has not even become involved in advocating for issues except where it is directly concerned. In stark contrast are the religious organizations in America that strongly advocate their positions. They encourage their congregations to get involved in the democratic process and to lobby for what they believe in (Grudzinska-Gross 187). The diverse and active religious groups in America have served as bastion of strength for democracy while the Orthodox Church of Russia has functioned more as a servant of autocracy. However, it should be noted that the Church's influence has declined. Seventy years of Communism severely damaged its position as did the Church's lack of opposition to serfdom, the despotism of the tsars, and the Communists.
Still, it has undoubtedly had a strong influence. In order to sustain and grow as a democracy, Russian citizens must acquire a new sense of government. They must respect their leaders, value their constitutions and aspire to be prosperous. The United States does not respect all of their leaders, does not value all of their important documents and does not have universal motivation to prosper, but America does have a strong combination of the three. United States citizens have achieved this state of mind through the geography, history and traditions of the nation. Russia, although having geography, history and traditional values standing against it, has made a significant effort to preserve strong features of democracy through recent decades.
Grudzinska-Gross, Irena. The Scar of Revolution: Custine, Tocqueville, and the Romantic Imagination. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. Gustafson, Thane, and Daniel Yergin. Russia 2010. New York: Heywood, Andrew.
Political Ideas and Concepts. New York: St. Martin's McDaniel, Tim. The Agony of the Russian Idea. Princeton: Princeton Melvin, Neil. Russians Beyond Russians.
London: Royal Institute of Rzhevsky, Nicholas. Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: russian orthodox church, russian economy, poor people, middle class, religious organizations
Research essay sample on Russia Vs United States
