What is the spiritual culture?
What is spiritual values? Spiritual culture? Ancient Greeks formed the classic triad of spiritual culture of humanity: the truth - the good - beauty. Spiritual culture involves activities aimed at spiritual development of man and society, as well as presents the results of this activity. Spiritual culture arises from the need to interpret and figuratively-sensory exploration of reality. In real life, is implemented in a number of specialized forms: morality, art, religion, philosophy and science.
All of these forms of human life are interrelated and influence each other. The concept of "spiritual culture" has a complex and complicated story. In the early 19th century spiritual culture was viewed as church-religious concept. In the early twentieth century understanding of the spiritual culture becomes much broader, including not only a religion, but morality, politics, and art. At the present time, still, the concept of "spiritual culture" is not defined clearly enough and not developed.
Is the concept of "physical culture", which is closely associated with notions of physical strength and physical health. So, I think the concept of spiritual values, spiritual culture is associated with the concepts of mental health, spiritual strength, and fortitude.
The whole history of the formation of the Russian nation - is the process of building spiritual and proof of the superiority of spiritual power over the material. Stand out in a statement DS Likhachev two, I think, the key concepts of "historical path" and "spiritual values" and try to understand the issues:
What are the historical conditions of formation of the spiritual values of the Russian people;
What are the main, fundamental values of Russian spiritual culture.
It should be especially thoughtful approach to these issues in order to understand ourselves. Of course, much has been written about this and artistic, and journalistic, and scientific works, but after all this variety of scientific and literary heritage held one thought: we still have not really studied our country and its culture, but because too trusting of others', often incompetence opinion. We come to our history with the "common yardstick", often borrowed in the West, look at yourself through other people's glasses and therefore "our attitudes, beliefs derived not from us ourselves and not from our history, and made entirely from other nations - wrote outstanding Russian thinker of the XIX century. KD Cavelin. - Because we do not know how to link the past with the present, and all that is neither speak nor think so fruitlessly in such flagrant odds with the facts and not made through the course of our history. " "For us, - says KD Kavelin other brightest scientist Berdyaev - Russia remains an unsolved mystery, since Russia Russia overshadowed imaginary reality. " In general, Russia is "always invent, invent and now." In general, the result is sad: "Russia is too little known Russian ..."
These words can be added poetic quatrain of the great Russian poet of the XIX century. Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev:
The mind can not understand Russia,
Common yardstick can not be measured:
She has become very special -
In Russia one can only believe ...
According to FI Tyutchev, Russia can not be understood only one mind, which means that more and irrational, we can intuitively perceive our country and its cultural heritage. Of course, we can say that in this case we are dealing with an obvious exaggeration problems, and hence - the category of "faith" as a method of knowledge, put forward in the first place ... Scientists same, and, different historical periods and ideological orientations, sought to determine a rational basis in the understanding of Russian culture, Russian character. But every time you try to do one or the other clear conclusion is that Russian culture is a kind of "double vision", showing that one researcher, the other person: "pagan" and "Christian", "settled" and "nomadic", "religious" and "secular", "European" and "Asian", "community-collectivist" and "private property."
The first attempts at understanding the specifics of Russia goes back to the pagan period and appear in written literature in the initial phase of the Christianization of the Eastern Slavs. Already in the "Tale of Bygone Years" (the beginning of the XII century), was formulated by the original question "How has gone, how did the Russian land." Prominent thinkers Kiev and Moscow Russia Nestor, Hilarion, Vladimir Monomakh, Maxim the Greek, priest Habakkuk, Simeon of Polotsk and many other ancient scientists, writers, religious leaders in one form or another, and highlights issues raised about the features, traditions, historical destinies of Russia and its culture.
Folklore - a rich source of study of spiritual culture of the people at different stages of its existence. Folklore genres in all their diversity - mythopoeic creativity, epic, magic and household tales, historical legends and historical songs, byvalschiny, ballads, folk poetry, religious poems, proverbs and sayings demonstrate the progressive development of Russian spiritual culture. In the folklore of Russia, as none of the other people express the most intimate, the most acute and "fearless" theme: Ancient (Kiev) gave Russia the national culture images of epic heroes, led by Ilya Muromets, fearlessly dispute on an equal footing with Prince Vladimir the Red Sun, reprove "kosobryuhih boyars" and famously knocks domes of churches. In Russian folklore favorite character was strong hindsight Ivan the Fool, running his finger around the imbecile, the king and the powers that be.
Along with a written philosophy in Russian cultural tradition has a long historical formation and unwritten, that is oral. Especially widely in Russia verbal philosophical work was presented in the Middle Ages. Teachings and preaching of the time are not devoid of philosophical, moral and ethical mostly content. During the Middle Ages interest to philosophize show not only thinkers single. Going to "debater" and around the sides of prominent intellectuals of the time - Abraham of Smolensk, St. Sergius of Radonezh. It addresses not only the problem of knowledge, "good soul", but also the spiritual path that is designed to keep people.
It was in those days laid the foundation of domestic material and spiritual culture. Gradually, allocated from the common Slavic ethnic group, Russian, interacting with other people, not only created a great state, but also a great culture, and in the XIX-XX centuries. largely had a decisive impact on the development of human civilization.
Spiritual values of the Russian people
Historical conditions of formation of Russian Spiritual Culture
In what historical conditions formed Russian spiritual culture?
First of all, the features of our culture, both material and spiritual, to a large extent determined by the climatic conditions of life of the people. The impact of climatic factors is so great that it is clearly seen not only in the features of production methods and techniques of labor, equipment, but also in the organization of the whole social life, the spiritual image, the national character of the people. Human-business executive can not be separated from that of physical and geographical environment where it operates (Marx). The Russian people have created their farms in extremely difficult conditions.
Dzhils Englishman Fletcher, at the end of the XVI century visited Russia, wrote in the 1591g. in the paper "On the Russian State": "Different times of the year here, everything changes, and it is impossible not to wonder, looking at the Russian winter and summer ... From a glance at the winter in Russia can feel cold at this time frosts are so great that the water is poured dropwise, ... becomes ice is not yet reaching the ground. In the biggest cold, if you take into the hands of tin or other metal dish or jar (of course, not in the room where the furnace arranged) immediately freeze your fingers, and taking them, you sderete skin. When you get out of a warm room into the cold, your breath spiral, cold air is choking you. Not some traveling, but also people in the markets and streets in cities experiencing over a frost action: some quite freeze, others fall in the streets; many brought to the city sitting in a sleigh and frozen in that position; other sedee frostbitten nose, ears, cheeks, fingers and stuff. It often happens that bears and wolves (when the winter is very severe), driven by hunger, flocks out of the forest, attacking villages and devastate them, then the people are forced to flee. "
Russian people, despite the hard work and endurance, could not secure a comfortable existence. Even in 1907, it was noted that completely in the power of people to prevent crop failures. Hunger strike - a constant companion of the Russian people. Not by chance, since Yaroslav the Wise, people have learned to say, "Hunger is God's punishment." For ten centuries, Russia has experienced more than 350 years of famine.
In addition to the harsh climatic conditions of the people had to overcome low bioclimatic potential (grain yield was 6-9 times lower than in Western Europe), vast distances and the inaccessibility of much of the territory (which is several times the cost of the products obtained), challenging mountain climatic conditions mineral deposits (which also devalued people living labor). People often stood on the brink of death. His life is often dependent on chance or on the environment.
In these circumstances, and was born a specific socio-economic and spiritual-cultural organization of life of the Russian people - the community. It existed in Russia more than a thousand years, and has played in the life of the Russian people a huge role. All economic activity is regulated by the community, for the land did not belong to individuals and to the community - it is divided by the number of souls into equal parts. Each member of the community was endowed with equal land share, which he had no right to sell or pledge. In general, the use of the community were meadows, hayfields, pastures, woods. Certain types of work (mowing) carried out "the whole world", the results were divided by the number of excavation units. "Every farmer can not do with the land what he wants, and what the world says. The peasants wound order: start working together, plow, manure carry, mowing, harvesting, so that one does not give some work to do ... ".
Together, mastering various techniques and types of chores Russian people learned together to create the appropriate tools, the technology of their application.
Thus, for more than a thousand years of history Russian, interacting with other people, have created unique in many ways the economic culture. What is this uniqueness?
Firstly, the work and talent of many generations mastered economically biggest part of the globe.
Secondly, friendly and made acceptable to the life of farming in the most unfavorable natural and climatically part of the Earth: more than 70% of its accounts for the North and the zone of risky agriculture. Russia - this is largely a circumpolar country with all its attendant economic consequences. In Canada, at the latitude of the Russian Nechernozemie agriculture at all. In the US, natural-climatic potential of agricultural production 2.4 times higher than in Russia (Horev BS).
Third, the efforts of the people was established diversified economy world level.
Another fundamental factor that historically determine the features of the formation and the Russian people, and its culture, was an endless struggle for survival with various invaders. Already our ancestors - Slavs fought a lot, fighting off numerous enemies. In the I millennium it was necessary to repulse the Sarmatians, Huns, Goths, Alans, Byzantines, Polovtzy Varangians, the Khazars, the Poles, the Wends. Head of external danger was so strong and constant, the Eastern Slavs erected a huge "Serpent's Wall" with a total length of 2.5 thousand kilometers.
In the II millennium been easier: the war against the Commonwealth, the Livonian Order, Sweden; in the XIX century. There were three wars with the Turks, one - with the Persians, Caucasian, Central Asian; repulsed the invasion of Napoleon; in Crimea - Anglo-Franco-Turkish aggression. In the XX century. - Continuous war alternated with short respite: two - with the Japanese; two - the world; the war in Afghanistan; "Cold War" nuclear blackmail the United States.
What does it mean? This means that our people have lived and continue to live in an atmosphere of incessant wars that shaped our attitude, our national character, our cultural heritage.
First, it explains our concentration and centralization in a single state, Russian special care to preserve national independence. All our spiritual culture (songs, art, cinema) fully reflect iron indomitable will of the Russian people, manifested in the construction and defense of the state.
Second, the historical memory of the external threat to Russia permanently settled in the Russian soul. Not casually Russian willing to endure any hardship, bear incredible hardships, "but there was no war."
Third, the endless invasion, conquest, raids against Russian forces exhausted Russian and other peoples of our multinational country, destroyed with incredible labor creates cultural layer of domestic civilization.
Westerners, especially Americans, declare their wealth attribute this solely to their hard work, talent and organization. "Nothing in the history of mankind has not been as successful as America, and every American knew it ... All together, the Americans never knew defeat, and thought that these troubles - a special feature of the Old World ... - wrote American historian Henry Komeydzher . - They had a small degree a sense of the past, it does not concern them. Their culture and materialistic: they took for granted and conflict with condescension looked at the people who could not attain to the level of their living standards. "
Yes, Americans are talented and hardworking people. But what would be their material comfort, if they had not benefited from the labor of tens of other nations, if not hundreds of thousands of slaves taken from Africa and forced them to die in the cotton and other plantations!?. Well, if they swept area only (!) Fascist armada, the condescending arrogance mentality changed to respect for other people, but to the Russian - in the first place.
Russia, donating millions and millions of lives of their sons and daughters, losing wars in their cultural heritage, as a shield, closed all the way to the conquerors: she saved Europe from the invasion of the Golden Horde; the whole world - from the Nazi hordes. Only Russian nobody defended and not sacrificed for the good of the Russian people - he had to think about his own fate. Not accidentally, Emperor Alexander III said: "Russia has only two allies: the army and navy."
Without knowledge and understanding of this aspect of national history can hardly understand the phenomenon of Russian spirituality and features of the Russian national character.
Features of Russian national culture
The most important feature of Russian national culture as civilization itself, is that it is developed not within the continent, and at the crossroads of continents: East-West, North-South. Historically, Russia has formed and developed as a multi-ethnic, multi-ethnic empire. On its territory lived many nations, differing from one another language, way of life, religion, cultural traditions, level of originality and the socio-economic development.
As a result of a long historical interaction of Russian and other peoples of Russia was formed as a complex system of multi-ethnic civilization with a unique multi-ethnic in its depth of content of culture. In contrast to the colonial policy of Western civilization, which led to the disappearance of a number of ethnic groups in different continents and their respective cultures, Russia survived all the people who lived here since ancient times, with preserved and their language, and their traditions.
Viewpoint I. Ilyin (1882-1954) - a famous Russian religious philosopher: "... Let no one say that" national minorities "Russia was under the yoke of the Russian majority ... It is absurd and false imagination. Imperial Russia never denationalized their small nations - in contrast to the Germans, at least in Western Europe.
Give yourself a glimpse into the work of the historical map of Europe era of Charlemagne and the Carolingian first (768-843 AD). You will find that almost from Denmark itself, the Elbe and the Elbe - were Slavic tribes: abodrity, Lutici, Lyon, Hevelius, redarii, ukry, Pomors, sorbitol, and many others. Where are they? What was left of them? They were subjected to conquest, or complete eradication of denationalization by the Germans. Tactics conqueror was as follows: after the military victory, the Germans summoned to the camp leading layer conquered people; This aristocracy was cut on the spot; then decapitated people have been subjected to forced baptism in Catholicism, kill thousands of dissenters;
What is spiritual values? Spiritual culture? Ancient Greeks formed the classic triad of spiritual culture of humanity: the truth - the good - beauty. Spiritual culture involves activities aimed at spiritual development of man and society, as well as presents the results of this activity. Spiritual culture arises from the need to interpret and figuratively-sensory exploration of reality. In real life, is implemented in a number of specialized forms: morality, art, religion, philosophy and science.
All of these forms of human life are interrelated and influence each other. The concept of "spiritual culture" has a complex and complicated story. In the early 19th century spiritual culture was viewed as church-religious concept. In the early twentieth century understanding of the spiritual culture becomes much broader, including not only a religion, but morality, politics, and art. At the present time, still, the concept of "spiritual culture" is not defined clearly enough and not developed.
Is the concept of "physical culture", which is closely associated with notions of physical strength and physical health. So, I think the concept of spiritual values, spiritual culture is associated with the concepts of mental health, spiritual strength, and fortitude.
The whole history of the formation of the Russian nation - is the process of building spiritual and proof of the superiority of spiritual power over the material. Stand out in a statement DS Likhachev two, I think, the key concepts of "historical path" and "spiritual values" and try to understand the issues:
What are the historical conditions of formation of the spiritual values of the Russian people;
What are the main, fundamental values of Russian spiritual culture.
It should be especially thoughtful approach to these issues in order to understand ourselves. Of course, much has been written about this and artistic, and journalistic, and scientific works, but after all this variety of scientific and literary heritage held one thought: we still have not really studied our country and its culture, but because too trusting of others', often incompetence opinion. We come to our history with the "common yardstick", often borrowed in the West, look at yourself through other people's glasses and therefore "our attitudes, beliefs derived not from us ourselves and not from our history, and made entirely from other nations - wrote outstanding Russian thinker of the XIX century. KD Cavelin. - Because we do not know how to link the past with the present, and all that is neither speak nor think so fruitlessly in such flagrant odds with the facts and not made through the course of our history. " "For us, - says KD Kavelin other brightest scientist Berdyaev - Russia remains an unsolved mystery, since Russia Russia overshadowed imaginary reality. " In general, Russia is "always invent, invent and now." In general, the result is sad: "Russia is too little known Russian ..."
These words can be added poetic quatrain of the great Russian poet of the XIX century. Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev:
The mind can not understand Russia,
Common yardstick can not be measured:
She has become very special -
In Russia one can only believe ...
According to FI Tyutchev, Russia can not be understood only one mind, which means that more and irrational, we can intuitively perceive our country and its cultural heritage. Of course, we can say that in this case we are dealing with an obvious exaggeration problems, and hence - the category of "faith" as a method of knowledge, put forward in the first place ... Scientists same, and, different historical periods and ideological orientations, sought to determine a rational basis in the understanding of Russian culture, Russian character. But every time you try to do one or the other clear conclusion is that Russian culture is a kind of "double vision", showing that one researcher, the other person: "pagan" and "Christian", "settled" and "nomadic", "religious" and "secular", "European" and "Asian", "community-collectivist" and "private property."
The first attempts at understanding the specifics of Russia goes back to the pagan period and appear in written literature in the initial phase of the Christianization of the Eastern Slavs. Already in the "Tale of Bygone Years" (the beginning of the XII century), was formulated by the original question "How has gone, how did the Russian land." Prominent thinkers Kiev and Moscow Russia Nestor, Hilarion, Vladimir Monomakh, Maxim the Greek, priest Habakkuk, Simeon of Polotsk and many other ancient scientists, writers, religious leaders in one form or another, and highlights issues raised about the features, traditions, historical destinies of Russia and its culture.
Folklore - a rich source of study of spiritual culture of the people at different stages of its existence. Folklore genres in all their diversity - mythopoeic creativity, epic, magic and household tales, historical legends and historical songs, byvalschiny, ballads, folk poetry, religious poems, proverbs and sayings demonstrate the progressive development of Russian spiritual culture. In the folklore of Russia, as none of the other people express the most intimate, the most acute and "fearless" theme: Ancient (Kiev) gave Russia the national culture images of epic heroes, led by Ilya Muromets, fearlessly dispute on an equal footing with Prince Vladimir the Red Sun, reprove "kosobryuhih boyars" and famously knocks domes of churches. In Russian folklore favorite character was strong hindsight Ivan the Fool, running his finger around the imbecile, the king and the powers that be.
Along with a written philosophy in Russian cultural tradition has a long historical formation and unwritten, that is oral. Especially widely in Russia verbal philosophical work was presented in the Middle Ages. Teachings and preaching of the time are not devoid of philosophical, moral and ethical mostly content. During the Middle Ages interest to philosophize show not only thinkers single. Going to "debater" and around the sides of prominent intellectuals of the time - Abraham of Smolensk, St. Sergius of Radonezh. It addresses not only the problem of knowledge, "good soul", but also the spiritual path that is designed to keep people.
It was in those days laid the foundation of domestic material and spiritual culture. Gradually, allocated from the common Slavic ethnic group, Russian, interacting with other people, not only created a great state, but also a great culture, and in the XIX-XX centuries. largely had a decisive impact on the development of human civilization.
Spiritual values of the Russian people
Historical conditions of formation of Russian Spiritual Culture
In what historical conditions formed Russian spiritual culture?
First of all, the features of our culture, both material and spiritual, to a large extent determined by the climatic conditions of life of the people. The impact of climatic factors is so great that it is clearly seen not only in the features of production methods and techniques of labor, equipment, but also in the organization of the whole social life, the spiritual image, the national character of the people. Human-business executive can not be separated from that of physical and geographical environment where it operates (Marx). The Russian people have created their farms in extremely difficult conditions.
Dzhils Englishman Fletcher, at the end of the XVI century visited Russia, wrote in the 1591g. in the paper "On the Russian State": "Different times of the year here, everything changes, and it is impossible not to wonder, looking at the Russian winter and summer ... From a glance at the winter in Russia can feel cold at this time frosts are so great that the water is poured dropwise, ... becomes ice is not yet reaching the ground. In the biggest cold, if you take into the hands of tin or other metal dish or jar (of course, not in the room where the furnace arranged) immediately freeze your fingers, and taking them, you sderete skin. When you get out of a warm room into the cold, your breath spiral, cold air is choking you. Not some traveling, but also people in the markets and streets in cities experiencing over a frost action: some quite freeze, others fall in the streets; many brought to the city sitting in a sleigh and frozen in that position; other sedee frostbitten nose, ears, cheeks, fingers and stuff. It often happens that bears and wolves (when the winter is very severe), driven by hunger, flocks out of the forest, attacking villages and devastate them, then the people are forced to flee. "
Russian people, despite the hard work and endurance, could not secure a comfortable existence. Even in 1907, it was noted that completely in the power of people to prevent crop failures. Hunger strike - a constant companion of the Russian people. Not by chance, since Yaroslav the Wise, people have learned to say, "Hunger is God's punishment." For ten centuries, Russia has experienced more than 350 years of famine.
In addition to the harsh climatic conditions of the people had to overcome low bioclimatic potential (grain yield was 6-9 times lower than in Western Europe), vast distances and the inaccessibility of much of the territory (which is several times the cost of the products obtained), challenging mountain climatic conditions mineral deposits (which also devalued people living labor). People often stood on the brink of death. His life is often dependent on chance or on the environment.
In these circumstances, and was born a specific socio-economic and spiritual-cultural organization of life of the Russian people - the community. It existed in Russia more than a thousand years, and has played in the life of the Russian people a huge role. All economic activity is regulated by the community, for the land did not belong to individuals and to the community - it is divided by the number of souls into equal parts. Each member of the community was endowed with equal land share, which he had no right to sell or pledge. In general, the use of the community were meadows, hayfields, pastures, woods. Certain types of work (mowing) carried out "the whole world", the results were divided by the number of excavation units. "Every farmer can not do with the land what he wants, and what the world says. The peasants wound order: start working together, plow, manure carry, mowing, harvesting, so that one does not give some work to do ... ".
Together, mastering various techniques and types of chores Russian people learned together to create the appropriate tools, the technology of their application.
Thus, for more than a thousand years of history Russian, interacting with other people, have created unique in many ways the economic culture. What is this uniqueness?
Firstly, the work and talent of many generations mastered economically biggest part of the globe.
Secondly, friendly and made acceptable to the life of farming in the most unfavorable natural and climatically part of the Earth: more than 70% of its accounts for the North and the zone of risky agriculture. Russia - this is largely a circumpolar country with all its attendant economic consequences. In Canada, at the latitude of the Russian Nechernozemie agriculture at all. In the US, natural-climatic potential of agricultural production 2.4 times higher than in Russia (Horev BS).
Third, the efforts of the people was established diversified economy world level.
Another fundamental factor that historically determine the features of the formation and the Russian people, and its culture, was an endless struggle for survival with various invaders. Already our ancestors - Slavs fought a lot, fighting off numerous enemies. In the I millennium it was necessary to repulse the Sarmatians, Huns, Goths, Alans, Byzantines, Polovtzy Varangians, the Khazars, the Poles, the Wends. Head of external danger was so strong and constant, the Eastern Slavs erected a huge "Serpent's Wall" with a total length of 2.5 thousand kilometers.
In the II millennium been easier: the war against the Commonwealth, the Livonian Order, Sweden; in the XIX century. There were three wars with the Turks, one - with the Persians, Caucasian, Central Asian; repulsed the invasion of Napoleon; in Crimea - Anglo-Franco-Turkish aggression. In the XX century. - Continuous war alternated with short respite: two - with the Japanese; two - the world; the war in Afghanistan; "Cold War" nuclear blackmail the United States.
What does it mean? This means that our people have lived and continue to live in an atmosphere of incessant wars that shaped our attitude, our national character, our cultural heritage.
First, it explains our concentration and centralization in a single state, Russian special care to preserve national independence. All our spiritual culture (songs, art, cinema) fully reflect iron indomitable will of the Russian people, manifested in the construction and defense of the state.
Second, the historical memory of the external threat to Russia permanently settled in the Russian soul. Not casually Russian willing to endure any hardship, bear incredible hardships, "but there was no war."
Third, the endless invasion, conquest, raids against Russian forces exhausted Russian and other peoples of our multinational country, destroyed with incredible labor creates cultural layer of domestic civilization.
Westerners, especially Americans, declare their wealth attribute this solely to their hard work, talent and organization. "Nothing in the history of mankind has not been as successful as America, and every American knew it ... All together, the Americans never knew defeat, and thought that these troubles - a special feature of the Old World ... - wrote American historian Henry Komeydzher . - They had a small degree a sense of the past, it does not concern them. Their culture and materialistic: they took for granted and conflict with condescension looked at the people who could not attain to the level of their living standards. "
Yes, Americans are talented and hardworking people. But what would be their material comfort, if they had not benefited from the labor of tens of other nations, if not hundreds of thousands of slaves taken from Africa and forced them to die in the cotton and other plantations!?. Well, if they swept area only (!) Fascist armada, the condescending arrogance mentality changed to respect for other people, but to the Russian - in the first place.
Russia, donating millions and millions of lives of their sons and daughters, losing wars in their cultural heritage, as a shield, closed all the way to the conquerors: she saved Europe from the invasion of the Golden Horde; the whole world - from the Nazi hordes. Only Russian nobody defended and not sacrificed for the good of the Russian people - he had to think about his own fate. Not accidentally, Emperor Alexander III said: "Russia has only two allies: the army and navy."
Without knowledge and understanding of this aspect of national history can hardly understand the phenomenon of Russian spirituality and features of the Russian national character.
Features of Russian national culture
The most important feature of Russian national culture as civilization itself, is that it is developed not within the continent, and at the crossroads of continents: East-West, North-South. Historically, Russia has formed and developed as a multi-ethnic, multi-ethnic empire. On its territory lived many nations, differing from one another language, way of life, religion, cultural traditions, level of originality and the socio-economic development.
As a result of a long historical interaction of Russian and other peoples of Russia was formed as a complex system of multi-ethnic civilization with a unique multi-ethnic in its depth of content of culture. In contrast to the colonial policy of Western civilization, which led to the disappearance of a number of ethnic groups in different continents and their respective cultures, Russia survived all the people who lived here since ancient times, with preserved and their language, and their traditions.
Viewpoint I. Ilyin (1882-1954) - a famous Russian religious philosopher: "... Let no one say that" national minorities "Russia was under the yoke of the Russian majority ... It is absurd and false imagination. Imperial Russia never denationalized their small nations - in contrast to the Germans, at least in Western Europe.
Give yourself a glimpse into the work of the historical map of Europe era of Charlemagne and the Carolingian first (768-843 AD). You will find that almost from Denmark itself, the Elbe and the Elbe - were Slavic tribes: abodrity, Lutici, Lyon, Hevelius, redarii, ukry, Pomors, sorbitol, and many others. Where are they? What was left of them? They were subjected to conquest, or complete eradication of denationalization by the Germans. Tactics conqueror was as follows: after the military victory, the Germans summoned to the camp leading layer conquered people; This aristocracy was cut on the spot; then decapitated people have been subjected to forced baptism in Catholicism, kill thousands of dissenters;
