Understanding Putin is a look into Russian history and that history is brutal. “Ivan IV Vasilyevich commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 and Tsar of all Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584.”1. Ivan’s greatest legacy was his conquest of Kazan Khanate (modern day Tatarstan). This reshaped Russia and pushed back the Tarter’s who were invading Russia for centuries. He defeated the Crimean Horde. He Christianized Russia. He would go into fits of religious devotion where he would confess his sins while banging his head against the wall. In a drunken rage he murdered his oldest son. He liked torturing cats, small animals and cutting open the breast of a bird while still alive. He died playing Chess with a friend.
Peter the Great was Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and first Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He went to war against the Ottoman and Swedish Empires. He annihilated the Swedes and crippled the Ottomans to the point where Russia annexed massive amounts of territory. This enabled Peter to establish the first Russian Navy and start construction on the city of St. Petersburg. His reforms include the development of its economy, trade, education, and science. He once stopped the be-heading of a criminal by the executioner who was using an axe so that he could do the job himself with a sword. The nobility in Russia wore beards. Peter hated it. He started a “beard tax” and when it wasn’t paid Peter would drag that noble into the public square and shave him personally. Without Peter the Great, who knows where Russia would be today.
Joseph Stalin was born in a poor family where his father beat him during drunken rages. His mother sent him to Catholic school but was asked to leave because they didn’t think he would make a good priest. He was intelligent, liked opera and planting lemon trees in his back yard. A voracious reader (20,000 books) and a good organizer. Stalin was quiet, extremely well mannered, and preferred to let others speak.
He instituted collective farming. This is where the peasant farmers would give all their harvest to the state and the state would distribute food across Russia. Some of the farmers held back their grain shipments and kept a little bit for themselves. When Stalin found out about this, he had the police go to their farms and take everything they had. Everything included any animal, their winter clothes, blankets and shoes. Millions died.
Industrialization was the next step. Factories were given goals and when those goals were not met managers of those factories were put on trial, given prison time or put to death.
Stalin’s five-year plans were incredibly successful. Russian production from 1928 to 1932 was second in the world. Only America did better. The second five-year plan allowed Russia to produce almost as much steel as Germany. Joseph Stalin was a brutal dictator. Without him we would be wearing Nazi Armbands.
European history was created after the fall of the Roman Empire. When the guidance of Rome was gone each country had to create their own destiny. Europe is France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Italy, and England. Each of these countries had to fight to become what they are.
Our American history was made by people who wanted to leave England for two reasons. The first was religious. Our pilgrims wanted to worship a religion that was different than the Church of England. The second was that King James the first wanted to establish colonies in the new world, but no one wanted to make the dangerous trip. So, he decided to let prisoners out of jail if they would make the journey.
In 1776 King George the third declared war on the colonies and lost. Our democracy is an experiment that previously had never been tried. The American patriots were dissenters against the crown.
Russia has always been a dictatorship. That country has always been guided by a strong hand and will accept no dissenters.
Alexei Navalny was a dissenter in a country that does not allow dissention. Russia has been led by a strong hand for hundreds of years. What did he think he could accomplish? Is a gazelle a hippopotamus? Can you turn a dog into a cat? Russia is a dictatorship!
What if Alexei Navalny would have won Russian election? What would he have done with Putin? He would have called him a criminal. Then he would have had him arrested and tortured in the same jail that he was in. This was a struggle for power which Putin won.
Look at America. Seems like everyday someone goes into a school and starts shooting kids. Or you go into a shopping mall and there is a mass shooter there. How many people does this shooter kill before someone shoots him? Or he decides to take his own life. Do we ever hear of anything like that happening in Russia?
What about congress? There’s so much enmity between the two parties. They even let the government shut down rather than come to some kind of agreement. That doesn’t happen in Russia.
That’s why I’m calling Putin a good Russian. He is perfect for Russia. He is just the type of man that Russia has had as it’s leader in hundreds of years.
- Wikipedia “Ivan IV Vasilyevich commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, was Grand, Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 and Tsar of all Russia until his death in 1584.”
