Chapter 8: The Cultures of Europe and Russia

Section 3: The Culture of Russia

Introduction

• Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia’s churches were owned by the communist government and people were forbidden to practice religion– Soviet Union was a number of countries in Eastern

Europe and Russia formed and run by the government of Russia

– Churches were used for business, such as printing shops

– After the collapse of the Soviet Union, people were allowed to return to their religion

Russia’s Ethnic Mix

• Many Russians practice Russian Orthodox religion, which is a branch of Christianity

• It is part of their heritage (the customs and practices that are passed from one generation to the next)

• The major ethnic group of the Russian people is the Russian Slavs (80% of the Russian Population)– Speak Russian– Live mostly in the western (European) part

Russia’s Ethnic Mix

• Other Ethnic Groups– More than 75 different ethnic groups live in Russia– They make up the other 20% of the population

• Finns and Turks live in regions of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains

• Armenians and Mongolians live along• The southern edges of Russia• Yakuts live in Siberia

– These groups speak languages other than Russian– They also follow other religions (their two major

religions are Muslim and Buddhism)

United or Divided?

• After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the new Russian government gave ethnic groups the right to rule themselves to try to keep the country united– Some ethnic group shave tried to fight for

complete independence over the last 20 years. They were stopped by the Russian military.

– Repress: to put down the independence movement

Russian Culture and Education

• Russian has produced many great artists, thinkers, and writers– Leo Tolstoy – novelist• Wrote War and Peace (1869)• Work still influences today for idea of nonviolent

movements (like the Civil Rights movements)– Peter Tchaikovsky – Composer• Composed the ballet’s Swan Lake and the Nutcracker

– Vasily Kandinsky – painter• Abstract painter of the early 1900s

Russian Culture and Education

• Russia’s artistic heritage include architecture, religious paintings, plays , and art objects (like Faberge’ eggs)

• Communism stopped the creation of new works of art– The govt. banned any art it did not like and

jailed the artists

– Propaganda: the spread of ideas designed to support some cause• Used to spread ideas of communism and to get people to support

it

Russian Culture and Education

• Elegant St. Petersburg– Mixture of European and Slavic cultures – Western influences• Peter the Great founded it in 1703, with his goal to

make as beautiful as any Western European city.– Neva River runs through it– Home to the Hermitage Museum• One of the world’s finest art collections• Located within Winter Palace, which was the home of

the czars ( former leaders of Russia, like a monarch)

Russian Culture and Education

• Education– Free public schooling for children between the

ages of 6 and 17.– Schools have updated their courses to include

more non-communist topics like business management.

– Some schools are run by the Orthodox Church, which offers both traditional topics and religious instruction.