At the Very Least, We Can Help Make the World More Safely Inclusive of Diversity
Modern Russia has produced many outstanding artists, writers, and scientists throughout human history. Could this mean that the inner world of the Russian people is deeper and more complex than most outsiders understand?
Author: GUDORDI | 2024-09-25
If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.
──John F. Kennedy
Previously, the author discussed how the history of the past several centuries can be understood as a story of how different cultures have confronted and adapted to modern society, and how the experiences of Russia and the Slavic peoples offer valuable insights in this regard.
Fundamentally, Russia represents a particularly unique case. The Slavic peoples have been grappling with these issues not for merely a century or two, but for several hundred years—perhaps even longer.
Religion, Society, and Other Factors Made Russia’s Situation Highly Complex
Although, from an Asian perspective, Russia is clearly part of Europe, from a European perspective, whether Russia truly belongs to Europe has long been open to debate. Likewise, whether Russians themselves see Western Europe as part of their own cultural community is also a question. One fundamental reason may be religion.
One consequence of the decline of the Roman Empire was the division of both political and religious authority. The political and religious center of the Western Roman Empire was Rome, while that of the Eastern Roman Empire was Constantinople. The Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople consistently regarded itself as more orthodox than the Church in Rome.
More importantly, after Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Tsars proclaimed Moscow to be the center of Eastern Orthodoxy. As a result, at least in religious terms, both Moscow and Rome long regarded themselves as the true guardians of religious orthodoxy.
These religious differences may have been one of the key reasons why Russia never fully integrated with Europe. In fact, although the policy of Peter the Great’s Russia was to “look westward,” the depth of its commitment to Westernization may not have been significantly greater than that of the Self-Strengthening Movement in Qing China.
As a result, Russian society developed into something of a hybrid. To some extent, it followed the trajectory of Western European development, yet it failed to cultivate a substantial middle class, a strong merchant class, or a solid industrial foundation. At the same time, the country retained many features of a feudal society, including large landowners, aristocrats, serfs, widespread illiteracy, poverty, and unemployment.
In essence, Russian society under the Tsars was filled with various contradictions. However, under the Tsarist regime’s authoritarian rule, these tensions were either suppressed or left unaddressed. The First World War severely weakened the authority of the monarchy, and once the Tsar’s repressive control could no longer be effectively maintained, many long-standing social problems began to surface.
It was in this environment that the October Revolution broke out in Russia in 1917.
What Have Been the Results of a Century-Long Social Experiment Pursued Without Hesitation?
It is worth noting that, much like China’s Xinhai Revolution, the outbreak of Russia’s October Revolution involved an element of chance. When the Xinhai Revolution began, both Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing were outside China. Likewise, when the October Revolution broke out, Lenin was in Switzerland, while Trotsky was in North America. However, as the Tsarist regime rapidly collapsed, the revolution succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy, establishing a new government, and launching a vast social experiment.
Looking back, this social experiment—pursued with remarkable determination—has now been underway in various parts of the world for more than a century. What have its results ultimately been? Generation after generation of Russians sacrificed so much for industrialization, social development, wars of national survival, and numerous social movements. What, in the end, did they gain in return?
These questions can leave one with a sense of reflection and uncertainty, evoking a mixture of emotions that is difficult to describe. Perhaps many of these experiences can only be fully understood by Russians themselves. From this perspective, the works of modern Russian artists and writers may serve as valuable points of reference and deserve careful consideration.
Regardless of how we evaluate Russia as a nation, we must acknowledge that modern Russia has produced many of the most outstanding artists, writers, and scientists in human history. Could this suggest that the inner world of the Russian people is deeper and more complex than most outsiders are able to appreciate?
President Kennedy’s Peace Speech Is Thought-Provoking
Perhaps, once we understand this point, we may better appreciate why John F. Kennedy was such a distinctive American president. His vision, breadth of mind, and insight clearly set him apart from the average politician, making him one of the few leaders who could truly be described as a statesman.
The passage quoted at the beginning of this article comes from Kennedy’s speech titled Strategy for Peace, delivered at American University in June 1963. The speech addressed, among other things, how the United States should coexist with the Soviet Union. It was delivered only a few months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, an event widely regarded as the closest humanity has ever come to nuclear war and possible destruction.
Some have described this speech as the most ambitious presidential address of the twentieth century, since it dealt with the challenge of pursuing world peace. Yet beyond its far-reaching vision, another important aspect of the speech was Kennedy’s attitude toward the Soviet Union.
The author will explore this topic further in the next article.