Most of us probably know Russia only from some angles, such as the large role played by King Peter I, the era of communism, which leaves a bitter outlook on human life, as well as perestroika and glasnost led by Mikhael Gorbachev. Perhaps too many of us who still think that the Russians are in the era of communist and socialist, not a capitalist democracies and Russia. Indeed Russia is a great nation that continues to metamorphose in total and never know until when it will end.
Russia is not a asiatic nation nor an integral part of the western European nations and also not in between. The Russians are the two colossal unity of the world in the Roman and Byzantine civilizations is meeting east and west. This creates to establish the existence of life as a result of the Russian nation as a nation destined to be similar to orphans. Or a child who is not the child who. Russia is not entirely an extension of the culture of Byzantium, while western Europe certainly is the sublimation of Roman civilization.
Understanding the history of the Russian people is determined by the milestone that is also different from the understanding of Western European nations. We know that the history of Europe related to the division of the period with three prominent features. That is a classic history of the Roman Empire, the medieval form of the Renaissance, and the modern century with the Industrial Revolution. In the meantime, if you want to understand the Russians, you must understand that Russia’s own path in history. As if walking alone.
Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev says that Russia is known only as a nation that likes to move the city. In fact The Russian capital has always moved from one place to another. The first capital of Russia is located in Kyiv, both in Moscow, then in St.Petersburg (or often called Leningrad / Stalingard), and returned to Moscow in 1917 when the Social Revolution. Maybe you can ask after Moscow, what’s the next town is Vladimir Putin has been proposed that the Russian capital was moved to Novgorod which some historiography was made the capital of the ancient Russian times.
Russian history is divided into
– Russia Prehistory in the 4th century to the 9th century BC.
– Kyiv period starts from 882-972 BC when Prince Kniaz Prince Oleg and Sviatoslav government in power. Then came the ruler named Yaroslav Mudrey and Vladimir. At the time of Vladimir, he makes Christian Russia from Byzantium so thought Byzantium go to Russia, while the Latin civilization declined. From here thinking Byzantine influence government in the form of a hierarchical structure within the Russian nation.
– The third period of Kyiv dim, then split and ended up on the power of Vladimir Monomakh ruling at 113-1125.Some say the destruction of Kyiv during the reign of Mstislav who is the grandson of Monomakh in 1125-1132.
– Kyiv revival period. In Russian folklore loaded history of Kyiv Rus and emergence into the country Kyiv.
So who exactly The Russians? Russia is one of a group of Slavic peoples who belong to the Indo European family. It is estimated that they came from the area that is currently located between Poland and Ukraine which produces Lusatian culture, but it disappeared around the 500 BC. Then the Lusatian culture is evident in Wendish culture emerged in the beginning of the Christian era. While southern regions of Russia, there are groups of people who are known by the people who hold Sychtian trade contacts with the Greeks. The role of the nation Sychitan later replaced by Sarmatian nation about 200 years BC. Furthermore, a pad first century, Russia was inhabited by tribes Alan from the eastern region, but in the 2nd and 3rd century, they were supplanted by the Goths coming from the West.In the 4th century, the area occupied by the Huns and bulgar and replaced by the Avars in the 8th century AD.
Broadly speaking, the Slavs were divided into three groups. Namely that inhabit the West Slavic Republic, Poland, and Slovakia. South Slavs who inhabit Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia. East Slavic Russians who turned into a nation consisting of Great Russia in the north, Belarus, and Ukraine.
Slavic peoples are always threatened with danger annexation of other areas such as the Khazars which is located in the north and the Nation Varangian or Vikings from Scandinavia. Both of these nations are seizing the path of Commerce in Russia. From the east, came the invasion of the Magyars who had mastered Hungarian. Along with the invasion of the Magyars, coming also from the Nation of Patzinak, Novgorod, and Pecheneg that makes people ask for help to Scandinavia.