Russia: The Eternal Tyranny

Many are viewing recent power grabs by Vladimir Putin as a sign that Russian is turning from democracy. To anyone with an understanding of history this should come as no surprise. Historical Russia has traditionally undergone idealistic revolutions in its long history, only to swiftly return to form as a tyranny run by strongmen.

After the fall of the last Greco/Roman outpost of Byzantium to the Turks in 1453, the Russians declared themselves the heirs to the Caesars, having already adopted the Greek religion, thus giving us the Czars. Yet the society itself changed little from a corrupt medieval fiefdom. Later, envious of the growing power of the European monarchies, Peter the Great brutally forced through reforms upon his citizenry, and created the Russian Empire. 200 more years and the Emperor Czars were swept away by revolt led by Lenin, and Marxist Communism was created. Lenin's "one -party utopia" vanished soon after his death with the rise of the most brutal of the new strongmen, Joseph Stalin. In Peter the Great style he forced through reform after reform upon his long-suffering populace that resulted in the death of millions.

The Russian military too, has reached the heights of greatness, only to go through periods of corruption and ineffectiveness. In Peter's reign, the Army managed to defeat the European superpower of the day, Sweden, after its king Charles invaded Russian territory during the winter. Napoleon and Hitler would all make the same mistake, giving the Russian Army an over-blown reputation. Usually the truth comes out when another country is invaded, such as happened in Finland in 1940, Afghanistan in the 1980's, and Chechnya today.

While proclaiming his country a democracy, Putin is putting down capitalism, censoring the media, and weakening its Legislature, all the institutions that make a true republic. Don’t be alarmed however, this is just Russia showing its true form.