Split Personality Of The Russian National Character

“Split Personality Of The Russian National Character” Russian Empire, USSR, and the smaller states of today, the largest one being Russia itself have had their due share of a very healthy legacy and have been at the forefront of things. Russian Empire was the last largest empire to have survived for so long and when that split up things did not end there. It is a huge piece of land with marked difference in every respect possible. The way they have contributed to the history and made history is simply commendable. One keeps wondering when one sets to read about what is expected and what is due. The history seems intriguing when we start considering the Russian history. The Russians represents a sort of split personality and the way things have turned out over the years it seems that there are a lot of factors working within the system that might have contributed to a lot of problems besides contributing to the uplift of the nation. It is the same nation that has astounded the world by its contrasts and taken the things to the extreme in different ages. Be it wealth and poverty, culture and primitivism, cruelty and human genius. Behind or beneath these contrasts lies the deep dichotomy that splits the national psyche. The heritage and culture is bright and strong but in places is mulled and dark as well and there is proof of conflicting forces represented by the cultures of Europe and Asia, West and East. A nation that had so much and gave so much yet suffered such frequent ups and lows and what could be the reasons that might have contributed to all of this? Split personality of the Russian national character is a part of their heritage as well. Russians had a dual national identity and at times there have been more than two as w...

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... Moscow or even in St. Petersburg. There is a marked difference in structures, carvings and even the paintings that can be found in these regions. Is having so much a difference good or bad? Is split personality for a nation like this good? Nations should stand together and in a unified manner but how does one expect all to be fine when there is no binding force at all. Differences if they become pronounced can lead to clashes and that is what happens when one is in a strong position and other in a weaker one. That is what we all witnessed in case of Chechnya. Split nations are not good in any case because they lack that firepower and there is no binding force and that is why the fortunes of Russia have been fluctuating so much of the centuries and are likely to fluctuate in the future as well. References Britannica Encarta Grolier’s Encyclopaedia Washington Post