Russian Serfdom

Serfdom was not the original status of the Russian peasant. It was one of the consequences of the Tartar devastation during the 13th century when peasants became homeless and settled on the land of wealthy Russians.


By the end of the 16th century the Russian peasant came under the complete control of the landowner and during the middle of the 17th century serfdom became hereditary. Their situation became comparable to that of slaves and they could be sold to another landowner in families or singly.

By the 19th century it was estimated that about 50 per cent of the 40,000,000 Russian peasants were serfs. Most of these were the property of the nobility but large numbers were owned by the Tsar and religious foundations.

The Crimean War made Alexander II realize that Russia was no longer a great military power. His advisers argued that Russia's serf-based economy could no longer compete with industrialized nations such as Britain and France.

Alexander now began to consider the possibility of bringing an end to serfdom in Russia. The nobility objected to this move but as Alexander told a group of Moscow nobles: "It is better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait for the time when it will begin to abolish itself from below.

In 1861 Alexander issued his Emancipation Manifesto that proposed 17 legislative acts that would free the serfs in Russia. Alexander announced that personal serfdom would be abolished and all peasants would be able to buy land from their landlords. The State would advance the the money to the landlords and would recover it from the peasants in 49 annual sums known as redemption payments.

Serfdom was common all throughout Eastern Europe during this time period but Russia was the last country to abolish serfdom.

The KBG 'A State within a State'

Established by Nikita Khurshchev in 1954, the KBG was the national security agency of the Soviet Union. They served as the Soviet Union's internal security, intelligence and secret police organization. They were established to protect the Bolshevik revolution and Stalin. In its time, the KBG was the worlds most effective intelligence agency as it operated both legal and illegal espionage in the target countries.

The KGB classified its people as either agents (intelligence providers) or controllers (intelligence relayers). They had to take on a false identity of either a live or dead 'double' to protect their identity. To make sure they were never discovered, they would first be moved to a foreign country and then immigrate to their target country. Their job would include: stealing and or photographing documents, code names, contacts, targets, dead letter boxes, influence policy and arrange kidnaps and assassinations.

Did you know that Vladimir Putin, the former Russian President, was once an officer of the KBG. Here is an article from the Washington Post in 2000 explaining more.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/russiagov/putin.htm

There was one time in the USSR when all young men thought it honourable to be asked to join the KBG. The KBG gave these men a name in society and some way to serve their country.

From an American point of view, Russia has yet to get fully rid itself of communism. According to journalist David Satter, Russia must do three things to fully rid themselves of a communist legacy:
1. A juridical condemnation of communism
2. An apology from the government to the victims of communism
3. Making a public a list of KBG informers

The third point is unrealistic because many high class officials such as the Pope of the Russian Orthodox Church were allegedly part of the KBG. As well, the Russian people just don't seem to care. They elected Putin fully knowing that he was once a member of the KBG....this only adds to the fact the the Russians want to move forward, not dwell in the past.

I believe that Russia can move forward without taking the 'American point of view'. They have thus far and generally, the Russian people don't like to hold grudges. There mentality is about moving on and if they had made a mistake in the past to learn from it, and not repeat it again.

History of St. Petersburg

Founded in 1703 by Peter I (Peter the Great), it was Russia's capital for around 200 years until the end of the Russia revolution. Peter the Great was the Tsar of Russia from 1682-1725. He was credited with dragging Russia out of Medieval times. He centralized the government, created a navy and modernized the army. By the time of his death in 1725, Russia was the leading European power. He wanted to build St. Petersburg to be his European paradise. After conquering the Northern War with Sweden, Russia had access to the Baltic coast which therefore made St. Petersburg one of Europe's major sea ports. Being a man who appreciated physical labour, he wanted to showcase the quality of craftsmanship the Russian workers had to offer. Palaces of the grandest scale were built for all to see, especially to show sailors traveling from over countries just how wealthy and powerful the Russian empire truly was. 

Until April 1914, St. Petersburg was one of the most stable cities in all of Russia. But in 1914 after World War I, the Russian people found its name too "German" as Russia and Germany were now enemies. St. Petersburg would now be known as Petrograd. All efforts changed from building up the city to industries to aid war efforts, particularly military ammunition factories and hospitals. The war didn't go so well for Russia though. Their government was collapsing, political tensions were rising and there was a massive food shortage in the capital.  

In 1918, Lenin proposed that the capital be moved to Moscow because the German army was advancing quickly and they were coming close to Petrograd. The population also dropped from 2.3 million people to 722 thousand by the end of the Civil War. In 1924 once Lenin was fully in power, the name changed again to Leningrad to symbolize the transition to a socialist society. When Leningrad collapsed in 1941 (start of World War II), it was a devastating time for those who lived there. Germany had the city surrounded and for 900 days, people were unable to have access to food or any other necessities that lied outside of the cities borders. 

After the war, Leningrad was restored to its former beauty. The 70's and 80's were a period of stability for the Soviet Union but at the collapse of the Soviet Union, hardship became prevalent again. But with all this change, the city was given back its former name, St. Petersburg. Economically, St. Petersburg is still far behind Moscow but they were making a slow and steady recovery. The younger generations are starting to restore St. Petersburg to its glory in hopes to attract more tourism which will help a faster economic recovery. 

Russian Revolution (1917): Timeline

Events Leading up to the Russian Revolution

Russo-Japan War (1904-1905): Russia's attempt to invade the east
-Russia attempted to invade Manchuria and Korea
-They were defeated by Japan which caused a political divide in the country because this was the first time any European country had lost a battle with an Eastern country.

1905 October Manifesto: Russia's first constitution...sort of!
-Against his will, Nikolai Romanov adheared to the wishes of the working class
-created the State Duma, an elected parlimentry body
*Problem-Nikolai spent the following years stripping the Duma of its power so he could retain autocracy

Assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914): Murdered by Serbian political activists
-Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia and Serbia turns to Russia for help
-Nickolai saw it as a chance to unite the Russian people once again after the embarassing defeat of the Russo-Japan war.
Outcome: It didn't work...created a further divide

The Revolution (February 23 1917): culmination of a century of civil and military unrest directed at the Tsar and aristocrats
Causes:
-Cruel treatment of peasants by Tsar and aristrocrates
-Poor working conditions for those in the industrial economy
-Social awareness of democracy from the west
-Food shortages
-Military failures

Story:
-All workers abandoned their factories and went on strike
-When Nikolai ordered the military to intervene, they turned against the Tsar and joined the demonstration instead
-After failing to hand over power to his brother Micheal (who refused to take the position unless elected by the Duma), Tsar Nikolai was forced to resign leaving Russia with no head of state.
-After his resignation, leading members of the Duma set up a provisoal government until a more permanent leader and political system could be voted on.
-Gave Lenin the opportunity to step into power