Russia General Discussion

[GMantis]

Nobody actually cares about the February Revolution.

Well, I do. Historically, you can't understand October without February.

Well, no one one cares about history.
Seriously, are me and Silent Hunter the only people who knew this?

[GMantis]

Nobody actually cares about the February Revolution.

Well, I do. Historically, you can't understand October without February.

Well, no one one cares about history.
Seriously, are me and Silent Hunter the only people who knew this?

I knew it and of course the February Revolution is important historically, but no one actually celebrates the anniversary in Russia or anywhere else.

I think there was a movement in Russia to commemorate, but failed revolutions are usually not celebrated.
And cool name (Is your father's name John).

[GMantis]

A bit dated, but still quite funny.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3466775.ece

[GMantis]

It won't be either a communist dictatorship or a fascist one. While the communists are actually popular (unlike the liberals, much as they're loved by the West), the ruling party has managed to take just enough of their platform to marginalise them. Fascism has many supporters, but little chances of electoral victory. The ruling party will continue to be in power, wining easily semi-free elections (not that they actually need to, at least for now) for a long time - something like Havelock described.

[GMantis]

Could the west have a war with Russia that doesn't go nuclear?

The nuclear forces are the best of the Russian armed forces and in enough quanity and quality to offset a missile shield and they're taking steps to improve them. So the answer is no.

[GMantis]

Let Putin continue his work.  In my opinion it's much more in the interests of the US and the Western World for Russia to remain strong rather than implode and be exploited by China.  If we play our cards right maybe we can even turn Russia into an ally.

You had them already as an ally, but you blew it by encouraging (that's how it looked to the Russians) the economic collapse and by treating them as vanquished enemies.

[GMantis]

Russia is doing one of these Greatest people competitions and the results (for now) are rather predictable:
http://www.nameofrussia.ru/rating.html?all=1
1.Stalin
2.Visotsky
3.Lenin
4.Nicholas II (especially considering who's above him!)
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14.Yeltsin

[GMantis]

1.Stalin

I need a drink

And he's quite ahead, too.

[GMantis]

Living people are excluded, otherwise Putin would probably lead.

[GMantis]

The usual ignorant rubbish about Russia, with even more foolish comments to fit it.
1. Putin was a KGB officer for a short time, spent most of it in an insignificant position in East Germany, before quitting in 1991.
2. Expecting Russia to be conciliatory in the face of NATO aggression should be too much for most journalists, but when they write about Russia, many journalists seem to forget what objectivity is.
3. Most self respecting countries don't deport their own citizens, especially to a hostile country. Maybe the British could show some goodwill by deporting the Chechen criminals they're hiding.
4. Putin really wasted his time if he intended to reopen the Gulags by waiting for 8 years and making no attempt to retain the presidency, though they were many proposals. Why should imprison democratic activists considering their unpopularity and ineffectiveness is another matter altogether.

[GMantis]

I'm going to be charitable to the Russian people and assume that the folks who picked option three and the folks who picked option four are completely different groups of people.  The idea of someone liking both Czar Nicholas II and VI Lenin is incomprehensible.

Also, why is Ivan IV the Terrible ranked higher than Peter I the Great?
[/quote]
More importantly, why is Nicholas II, the worst of all the Russian Tsars, not only ahead of Peter I, but in second place (according to the current ranking) and ahead of Vysotski, one off the few on the list enjoing universal popularity?!

[GMantis]

After taking another look at the list of the Great Russians, thanks to Google Translator, I must admit I am surprised that famous Russian civil rights activist Andrei Sakharov is only placed 18th on the list of Great Russians. I would have thought that he would have been atleast in the top 10, though that's wishful thinking on my behalf. However, I am surprised that fellow Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is not on the list, now Solzhenitsyn I would have thought would have been on the list.

There was a previous round, where there were about 450 people and all but those 50 were eliminated.
What I'm surprised is that there are so many religious figures on the list.

[GMantis]

What, Putin isn't in the Top 10?

Living people are not allowed.

[GMantis]

Anyway, Vysotsky has taken the lead for now. He at least is someone who is loved by all Russians, though Stalin is close behind.