1

J.J Miller
HW 23-24
Ms. McCabe
06/03/2014
The Type of Rulers that Russians Want and They Deserve

The Russian people have felt throughout history unsafe about their security.
Is this because that they think their army is weak, their enemies strong, and their
weapons are dull? Do they believe need a strong leader to step in to protect them?
Is the kind of ruler they want democratic thinking or authoritarian? This paper will
answer these questions and show how Russian culture, developed during history,
affects the actions of the rulers of Russia to this day.

The Rurik Princes were Varangian (Vikings)
1
who were invited by local tribes
to rule them. These Princes took control of the river Dnepr and fought a war with
the Byzantine Empire to the south for rights. The Russian Princes first success, then,
as ruling a kingdom, came from war.

These conquered provinces, known as the Kieran, expanded the territory of
the Rurik Princes. Then they continued to make wars against their neighbors to gain

1
Freeze, Gregory. Russia A History: Oxford New York: Oxford UP Chapter 1


2
even more territory. So war was influential early on in Russian history and brought
security to the Russian people.

There was a religious motive for the campaign against neighboring lands of
the ruling Rus princes. One of them was quite simply the longing for security. A
terrible problem for an agricultural realm whose Eastern and Southern Frontier lays
open and exposed to the steppes which stretched thousands without major barriers
all the way into Central Asia.
2
It turns out that these wars left the Rus
weakened, and with a lack of clear succession were a problem when they were faced
with a threat from the east- the Mongols.
3
These successful wars brought success
to the Russian Kingdom but allowed the Mongols to conquer them easily.

The Mongol invasion destroyed the lands of Rus or Russia. Major towns
northeast were burned up and cities in the south including Kiev, were badly
damaged. Many of ruling Princes were killed or captured and turned into slaves. For
instance one expert writes, At the battle of Sit -Alone Prince Iuri, three sons, and
two nephews had all been killed. The invaders ravaged all the villages and fields in
their path. Peasants who were not enslaved or slain fled to safer locations.
4


So the Mongol invasion destroyed the Russian State and enslaved the ruling
class. The Rus or Russian people now lived under very strict and foreign rulers, the

2
Hoskings, Geoffery. Russia People and Empire. Cambridge MA: Harvard
University, 1997 page 3
3
Ibid page 12
4
Ibid page 14

3
Mongols Khans. One history book notes
5
The Khans of the Golden Horde were
subordinate to the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, and their policies were shaped
by Imperial politics and their interactions with other components of the Mongol
Empire. The Khans assumed to right to confirm the Rus Princes right to rule, to
obtain a patent of authority, each Rus prince had to present himself before the Khan
in symbolic recognition of his suzerainty
6


So the conquered Rus Princes had no say in how to rule Russian lands after
the Mongol invasion. Their power depended on the good will of their violent rulers
the Mongols. But eventually they beat the Mongols after the death of Kublai Khan
and threw them out of Russia. Things started to change but also remained the same.
The process of consolidating Muscovy Rus authority lands and forming a
centralized unified state occurred after the defeat of the Mongols in 1380. The
principal of vertical succession, confirmed by the war (against the Mongols) limited
the division of lands, limited the size of the smaller principalities thus resulting in
power being centralized in the hands of the strongest Mucovy Rus prince.
7


Then rulers now faced yet another foreign invasion, from the German Princes
of Lithuania. The Russian Prince had to raise an army to defeat these Germans. In
order to do this the Prince had to make taxes very high and draft soldiers. They
used smaller princes or Boyars to do this for them. As long as the Boyars

5
Ibid chaper 1
6
Ibid page 15
7
Ibid page 26

4
cooperated with taxes and armies they could rule in peace. But if they did not do as
they said the Russian Prince would kill them and their families. The Russian Princes
acted just like the Mongol Khans who had ruled Russia who they had learned from.
8


During the Sixteenth Century, after so many invasions, a need was seen for a
permanent army to protect Russian. But the army could also be used to also attack
and defeat other close by lands and peoples and to enforce the will of the rulers of
Rus. This is what happened. Those people who contributed men to the army
became nobles known as Boyars. But the Boyars had no power except what the
Prince of Russia gave them. Just like the Mongol Khan the ruling Russian Prince
gave power but could also take these powers away from the Boyars any time he
wanted to and for any reason that happened. So Russia never developed an
independent aristocratic class like had happened in England and France.
9


An example for absolutism and power in the Russian Empire was Ivan the
Terrible. Ivan did many bad things but he was there when yet another invasion
started. This time the invaders were from Poland and Sweden. Ivan defeated
invading armies from Sweden and Poland who almost took over Russia. Afterwards,
because of the new army and his victory over the invaders, Ivans word was law.
This law was never put in writing - but his decrees were enforced with killing
anyone who opposed him. Once more a strong Russian ruler, Ivan, protected Russia

8
Ibid Chapter 2
9
Freeze, Gregory. Russia A History: Oxford New York: Oxford UP Chapter 5

5
and demanded total obedience from the Boyars (nobles) and the people.
10
He killed
anyone who disobeyed him but the Russian people were safe from foreign invasion.

After Ivan the Romanov dynasty ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917. Peter the
Great, another Romanov Tsar, made the Patriarch (Pope of the Russian Orthodox
Church) his servant and destroyed the Russian Church as an independent power.
Unlike the Western rulers, who had to fear the Catholic Church and the Pope who
could send them to hell, after Peter the Russian Rulers told the Ruler of the
Orthodox church what to do instead.
11
Peter also had to defeat Polish and Swedish
invaders. Peter was a ruthless and stern ruler who built up Russian Armies and
industry and also defeated invaders. Because of these accomplishments he is called
the Great showing again that the Russians like strong rulers that protect them and
give them security.


By the eighteen hundreds the Tsar was an absolute ruler and no one, not
even the nobles, had the least bit of freedom. The Tsar could tell anyone to do
anything any time and no one could stop him. A travel wrote in 1836 What are the
duties of the Russian Noblesse? To adore the Emperor and to render themselves in
accomplices in the abuse of sovereign power, that they themselves may continue to

10
Ibid Chapter 5

11
Ibid Chapter 5

6
oppress the people.
12
Although the Romanovs had some problems from the noble
Boyars and peasants during their rule, and sometimes gave in, for the most part they
imprisoned or killed anyone who disobeyed them.
13


Because of this Russians never had anything like Democracy until the
Twentieth Century. There was again until 1906 no equivalent of a Reichstag [the
German Parliament], no universal suffrage, no legal parties to outlaw, no labor
unions or free association of workers to persecute and harass.
14
This meant that
the Russians had little experience in anyone but the Tsar making the law and ruling
the country since no one else had any real say in what was done. Since the Tsars
were total rulers in everything the people thought anything that went well or went
poorly was the Tsars doing. As long as things went well the Tsars would be okay but
if he was seen as weak and a failure he would have big problems.

When the Russians lost the Crimea War in 1856, and were again defeated by
the Japanese in 1906, unrest began. The Russian people were willing to put up with
all -powerful rulers but wanted the Tsars to protect Russia from foreign invaders
who would kill them. At the beginning of the 1900s Russia was also falling behind
the other countries and was very poor when compare to a place like Germany. So
Nicolas II, the Tsar in 1906, and his ministers made investments in modern industry
raising taxes. But this also made a class of industry workers who worked long hours

12
Custine, Marquis De. Empire of the Czar. 1839. Second ed. New York City NY:
Double Day, 1989 page 131
13
Ibid Chapter 5
14
Freeze, Gregory. Russia A History: Oxford New York: Oxford UP Ibid Page 201

7
for very low wages and were unhappy.
15
Also country people did not like all the
taxes spent on modern investments and saw this as against Russian traditions and
against Gods special place for Russia.

When World War I started in 1914, Russia was already weakened by war
with Japan and had many problems with industrial workers who were called
proletariats. Russias armies then lost many battles with the Germans. This let the
Germans conquer most of Eastern Russian. The Russian people now viewed the Tsar
as weak because the Germans won so many battles. The ruling Tsar was seen as not
able to protect the Russian people from foreigners who would kill them and make
them poor.
16
The already poor industry workers were now starving as crops failed
because of the war and because factories that only produced weapons. People were
now going hungry and were angry that the Tsars had caused all this hardship as
absolute rulers. Everything was seen as being the fault of the Tsar.

In 1917 a small revolutionary band of Communists grabbed power promising
Land, Peace, and Bread.
17
These were things that the people wanted but the Tsar
had not been able to give them. The country people and workers, although not
understanding the doctrines of Communism, backed the leader Communist Leader,
Lenin. They supported Lenin because promised them food and peace and made

15
Ibid Chapter 8

16
Ibid Chapter 8
17
Ibid Chapter 8

8
peace with the Germans.
18
They did not care that Lenin was a dictator because all
their rulers in the past had been absolute rulers; which is the same thing.

The Western European powers, and the United States, angered by the
seizure of all private property by Lenin, invaded Russia
19
to over throw the
Communists. But invasion by foreigners made the people like Lenin and support
him even more. This is because the people were angered yet another foreign
invasion and did not like foreigners because of their bad history with foreigners.
20

Custine wrote about Russia and revolution in 1837 one hundred years before the
Bolshevik Revolution: Either the civilized world, will before another fifty years pass
anew under the yoke under these Barbarians, or Russia will undergo a revolution
more terrible than that, the effects of which we are still feeling in Western Europe.
It turned out he was exactly right!

After the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin died, and Joseph Stalin took his place
and authoritarian rule continued. Stalin would not allow any opposition and no
freedom of the press. Anyone who opposed him was shot or put in huge labor
camps. This was just like the Tsars. One policy he put into place was to make
people work on collective farms and not have any private things for themselves.
This resulted in many deaths because the farms were not growing enough crops.
21


18
Ibid Chapter 8
19
Ibid Chapter 8
20
Ibid Chapter 8
21
Medevev, Roy. Let History Judge- the Origins and Consequences of Stalinism. New
York: Columbia UP, 1989 Chapter 2

9
But under Stalin the military was built up and Russia was modernized. It became
powerful and everything was orderly. Stalin seized the Balkan states, and part of
Poland in 1939, expanding Russias power again.
22
So he was seen as a strong ruler
protecting Russia from foreigners who were against Russia. He was an absolute
ruler and the Communist Parliament simply passed his laws without question.
Anyone who did question him was shot dead.
23
But even with all the bad things
Stalin did the Russians felt secure with him in power and felt that order was being
kept by a strong ruler.

In 1941 Nazi Germany, invaded Russia. The Nazis saw the Russian Slavic
race as animals and treated them as slaves. The war killed sixteen million Russian
people and many cities were destroyed. Stalin called on Holy Mother Russia in a
speech that invoked called on God and the Orthodox Church to help as Russia
verged on defeat in late 1941.
24
The Russian people responded by volunteering by
the millions into the army. They moved entire factories and cities to protect them
from the Germans.
25
The hatred of foreigner helped the Russians to defeat the
Germans and their armies conquered Eastern Europe and most of Germany. Once


22
Freeze, Gregory. Russia A History: Oxford New York: Oxford UP Ibid Page
201Chapter 11
23
Medevev, Roy. Let History Judge- the Origins and Consequences of Stalinism. New
York: Columbia UP, 1989 Chapter 2
24
Ibid Chapter 12
25
Ibid Chapter 12

10
again a strong ruler, telling the Russian people they were special, saved them and
restored the power of Russia (the Soviet Union).
26


After Stalin, the Communist Party, and Russia, stagnated.
27
After 1953, as
the structural faults became increasingly apparent, Stalin successors applied various
panaceas to repair or conceal the fissures. But neither the spasmodic reformism of
Khrushchev nor the systematic stand- patism of Brezhnev had much effect. Despite
superpower status abroad and repression at home by early 1980s the Soviet Union
(Russia) like its leadership was tottering on the verge of collapse.
28


Bad management made the country fall further and further behind the
Western Countries like the U.S. Russia had to pay for large armies that enforced
Russian rule in Eastern Europe.
29
In 1989, realizing Russias communist party was
losing power, the leader Mikael Gorbachav brought the armies home and allowed
Eastern Europe to become free from Russian armies.
30


The Russians then brought in democracy and popular elections. After this,
and because of the long period of no investment, Russian industry collapsed, the
Soviet Union (Russian Empire) fell apart and Russia lost power abroad prestige.
31


26
Ibid Chapter 13
27
Ibid Chapter 13
28
Ibid page 348
29
Ibid Chapter 13
30
Ibid page 356
31
Ibid Chapter 13

11
The country was now very poor and the people resented this, but they had
democracy .

In the 1990s with democracy the Russians could not agree on what to do
because they had no experience with democracy and how to make this work. One
expert wrote Public opinion surveys in late 1996, for example, revealed that only
11 % now approved of the break up of the Soviet Union while the vast majority
rightly believed the transition (to liberal democracy) had drastically lowered their
standard of living.
32
This shows that the Russians did not care about democracy,
they wanted security and a good living. Democracy and nice rulers brought them
nothing good or so it seemed to the Russian people by reading these polls.

In the late twentieth century the Russian people elected a ruler who
promised to restore Russian power and security. He also promised to restore the
Russian Orthodox Church to power as well. This ruler, current ruler of Russia,
Vladimir Putin, represents the wishes of the Russian people for a strong leader who
will protect them from foreigners, provide stability, and give them prestige
aboard.
33
This is because of the history of foreign invaders, years of poverty and
even the autocratic rule of the Mongols five hundred years ago. A recent article
states: Surrounded by what he perceives to be a hostile West, Putins vision of a
powerful Russia centers on the Eurasian Union. Most Western observers have

32
Ibid Page 420
33
TIMES, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.latimes.com/world/
worldnow/la-fg-wn-putin-ukraine-20140417-story.html>.

12
interpreted the invasion as a sign of Putins strength. It is in fact a sign of his
weakness.
34
Just like the Tsars and the early Communist Rulers Putin wanted to
make Russia strong in the face of much stronger countries.

Reacting to NATOs
35
dislike of the invasion of Crimea, Putin said: We know
quite well that we must do our best to protect their rights and help them
independently decide their fate and we will struggle for that... I remind you that the
Federation Council of Russia [the upper house of Parliament] empowered the
president to use the armed forces in Ukraine.
36
So we see that Putin is defying
foreign powers and this makes the Russian people really like him.

Putin has also said that he will use the power of the Russian Army to
protect those Russians in the Ukraine. Thus Putin is acting just like Ivan the
Terrible, The other Tsars, and Joseph Stalin in calling on the power of the army and
state to protect Russians. Even with European leaders condemning Putins actions
37

Russia continues to act like they might invade the Ukraine.


34
Putzier, Conrad Putin and Stalin Mirror Reflections World Policy 14 Mar. 2014
Web. 29 MAY 2014 http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2014/03/14/putin-and-stalin-mirror-
reflections
35
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
36
TIMES, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.latimes.com/world/
worldnow/la-fg-wn-putin-ukraine-20140417-story.html>.
37
Ashton, Catherine. "EU Leaders condemn Russia's invasion of Russia."
EurACtive. Euractive, 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014.
<http://www.euractiv.com/video/eu-leaders-condemn-russias-invasion-crimea-
suspend-g8-sochi-summit-preparations-48381>.


13
This is because Putins reaction to external threats from the west is the same
as other strong authoritarian Russian rulers of the past. All of them reacted to any
threat to Russia, or its people, with power, and to any foreign threats with more
action and even more power. If these past rulers did not do this they found that
foreign countries would invade them has happened over and over in the past. The
fact that Putin sees himself this way is shown in a recent article: The president
informed a group of history teachers that Russia has nothing to be ashamed of and
that it was their job to make students "proud of their motherland." His government
has tried to help by commissioning a more balanced picture of Joseph Stalin,
described in one approved volume as the most successful Soviet leader ever.
38


Putin claims that Ukrainian extremists who are persecuting Russians who
live in Ukraine have caused these clashes. But a respected Russian historian states
that the unrest in Ukraine is "absolutely orchestrated and empowered by Russia
39

So we see that Putin is using the excuse of protecting ethnic Russians to react to
perceived threats from foreign or western powers.

Like Stalin and the Tsars Putin is also reacting strongly to any internal
protest from Russians regarding his actions in Crimea. A recent article in the

38
Gutterman, Steve. Putin and Stalin Reason Magazine. 5 Sep. 2007. Web. 29 May
2014. <http://reason.com/archives/2007/09/05/putin-and-stalin>

39
Sorcher, Sara National Journal, 2 MAY 2014, Web. 28 MAY 2014 NATO
Commander Says Russia Doesn't Need to Invade to Take Over Eastern Ukraine
National Journal <http://www.nationaljournal.com/defense/nato-commander-says-russia-
doesn-t-need-to-invade-to-take-over-eastern-ukraine-20140502>


14
Associated Press states now Putin, with his approval rating at 80 percent, no
longer appears willing to tolerate any criticism. Chillingly, Putin has begun to
cast his critics as "national traitors," an intimation that anyone who opposes the
Kremlin is serving the interests of the West.
40
Just like the Tsars Putin has
shown he will take action against any Russians who question his policies and
probably put them in prison.

Putin is the kind of leaders the Russians like: strong, powerful and sure of
their success and mission. This has been shown repeatedly throughout Russian
history. The two times in their history (1917 and 1990) that Russia had real
democracy it ended making Russia up impoverished and seemingly weak to
foreign countries. The Russian people want to feel safe. They do not feel safe
when they think foreigners are taking over lands that they should control. So it
would be expected that just like the Tsars and Stalin, Putin will use the army and
power against any threat by the West to stop him from taking over Ukraine and
protecting Russians. Although Russia and its people act strongly and cocky they
are doing so out of fear that foreigners will once again invade Russia and take
away their security and kill them. Therefore they will always like to have a very
strong and powerful army. This worry about foreign countries invading Russia
also explains why the Russians continue to like and need strong leaders that
protect them.

40
Berry, Lynn Associate Press, 22 APR 2014, Web. 27 MAY 2014 Putin leverages his
soaring popularity in Russia to further silence critics
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/putin_leverages_his_soaring_po.html


15
Bibliography with Annotations
Ashton, Catherine. "EU Leaders condemn Russia's invasion of Russia." EurACtive.
Euractive, 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.euractiv.com/video/eu-leaders-
condemn-russias-invasion-crimea-suspend-g8-sochi-summit-preparations-48381>.

Berry, Lynn. "Putin leverages his soaring popularity in Russia to further silence critics."
Associated Press. Associated Press, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/putin_leverages_his_soaring_po.html>.
This shows that Putin's actions have made him very very popular with the Russian
Peoplein Ukraine

Custine, Marquis De. Empire of the Czar. 1839. Second ed. New York City NY:
Double Day, 1989. Print. This book provides background on Russian Culture and
thinking and why the Russian Government and peoples behave regarding Foreigners. It
was written by a French writer who TOOK a trip to Russia in 1839. It talks about the
strict rule of the Czars, how Russians distrusted and were threatened by foreigners,
needed a strong ruler (the Czar) and were suspicious of anything foreign. Many of the
traits found in Russia by the Marquis de Custine are still seen in Russia.

FactMonster. FactMonster, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014. Putin popularity
poll<http://www.factmonster.com/country/russia.html>. This shows how Putin is very
popular in Russia


16
Freeze, Gregory. Russia A History:. Oxford New York: Oxford, n.d. Print. This books
shows the history of Russia and its rulers and how invaders created the culture of fear and
how Russia's backwardness and inferitory complex makes it react to the West.
Hoskings, Geoffery. Russia People and and Empire. Cambridge MA: Harvard
University, 1997. Print. The books shows the conflict between the Rulers of Russia and
the Church- how Russia lost its Orthodox we are special people thinking only to
replace it with Communism as a world cause making Russia special one more time. Then
the author shows how Russia has again adopted Orthodox Chrisitianity (The Third Rome)
as a reason for its specialness and its mission to Russians and Orthodox Christianity as
reasons for its actions against the West.

Loiko, Sergie L. "Putin Made Invade Ukraine to Protect Locals." LA Times. LA TIMES,
17 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014.
<http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-putin-ukraine-20140417-
story.html>. This article shows how that Russia is using fake reasons to invade Crimea
instead of the real reason that they are scared of the West and foreigners.

Medevev, Roy. Let History Judge- the Origins and Consequences of Stalinism. New
York: Columbia UP, 1989. Print. The author writes that Stalinism (was bound to happen
because Russia, due to its cultural past and history longs for and needs these types of
strong rulers. This is because they value security over freedom and stability over
growth. He shows Russia s distrustful of strangers and will tolerate an evil dictator if he
can show that he can protect them from enemies and make things work in corrupt Russia.

17
This book help explain why the Russian people like strong rulers and how they applaud a
ruler who strikes out with force when threatened

Putzier, Konrad. "Putin and Stalin: Mirror Reflections." World Policy Org. World
Policy, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. <http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2014/03/14/putin-
and-stalin-mirror-reflections>. This article shows that Stalin and Putin have the same
thinking as a Asian power in Russia and how the dont like Western democracy.

Gutterman, Steve. Reason Magazine. Reason Magazine, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2007.
<http://reason.com/archives/2007/09/05/putin-and-stalin>. This quote shows that Putin
thinks of himself as Stalin or a strong leader like a Tsar.

Sorcher, Sara. "NATO Commander Says Russia Doesn't Need to Invade to Take Over
Eastern Ukraine." National Journal. National Journal, n.d. Web. 2 May 2014.
<http://www.nationaljournal.com/defense/nato-commander-says-russia-doesn-t-need-to-
invade-to-take-over-eastern-ukraine-20140502>. Shows that Putin and Russia are
creating the problems in the Ukraine so Russia can take action against the West if they
want to.

Russia Today La Times 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014.s
<http://www.latimes.com/world/ worldnow/la-fg-wn-putin-ukraine-20140417-
story.html>. Quotes Putin as saying he will protect Russians as a duty



.


18