Social and Economic Factors of Development

Russian statehood has more than a thousand-year history and traditions. It is obvious that the social, economic, and political development of the country had its direct or indirect influence on the Russian state and statehood itself. Therefore, in this chapter we separately single out the social factors of the development of Russian statehood and the economic factors of the development of Russian statehood, which stand apart from each other. Social factors in the development of Russian statehood are factors in the development of society as a single and complex organism and its social institutions. Social factors are, in essence, domestic political, because they represent the political and spiritual state of the elite and the people, the established system of social relations, internal social contradictions, and social conflicts. The economic factors of the development of Russian statehood are divided into external and internal ones. External economic factors are the proximity or remoteness from the trade routes, and the qualitative and quantitative composition of the country's exports and imports. Internal economic factors are the achieved material state of society, the availability of natural resources and their involvement in the economy, the availability of transport and production infrastructure and its development, and economic crises.

Soviet Culture in the Years of the Great Patriotic War and the Post-War Period

Soviet culture during the Great Patriotic War and the postwar period is conventionally divided into two periods: Soviet culture during the war years 1941-1945; and Soviet culture in the postwar period 1946-1950s. Of course, these stages of the evolution of Soviet culture differ from each other in many respects, as well as in the most important, that is, in their substantive relation. What suffered during the war during the first stage was either restored or rebuilt after the end of the war. Soviet culture during the Great Patriotic War suffered greatly in material and organizational terms. However, at the same time, the culture of the USSR in the years of the war acquired a great deal spiritually and morally. Previously unprecedented patriotism raised the whole country, the entire multinational Soviet people, to fight against the common worst enemy of all progressive humanity - fascism. Soviet culture reflected this rise in patriotism in music, painting, theater and cinema, on stage, in sculpture and architecture, etc. This time was the heyday of the multinational character of the Soviet people, the time of the epochal upsurge of folk culture, folk art, and the consciousness of the masses of the Soviet people.

Socio-Economic Situation in Russia in the 19th-Early 20th Centuries

This chapter discusses the processes of capitalization of Russia in the 19th century. It is shown that during the period of imperialism, quantitative and qualitative changes occurred in the composition and position of the Russian bourgeoisie. The economic face of the Russian bourgeoisie, as well as the bourgeoisie of other developed capitalist countries, revealed the most advanced forms of capital organization. But the structure of the upper strata of the Russian bourgeoisie was different from the Western European segment. Before the First World War, two types of Russian capitalists were distinguished, both in origin and in the form of exploitation and organization of capital. During the period of imperialism, Moscow gradually became monopolistic. The Moscow capitalist elite has not yet become a financial oligarchy, it has not created large corporations, and financial and industrial groups.

Factors of Political Development of Russia From the 10th to the 18th Centuries

The chapter deals with the formation and development of Russian statehood from the 10th to the 18th centuries. It was at this time that domestic statehood was formed in very peculiar conditions. The following factors greatly influenced the specifics of Russian statehood: peasant, national, geopolitical, modernization. Throughout its history, Russia has gone through five major periods of state development: the Old Russian state, Muscovy, the Russian Empire, the Soviet state, and the Russian Federation. The process of Russian statehood was birthed in the ancient Russian state, which arose in the middle of the 9th century with its center in Kiev and existed until the middle of the 15th century. This period was marked by the approval of the basic principles of statehood in Russia, the merging of its northern and southern centers, and the growth of the military-political and international influence of the state.

New Trends in Cultural Life in the Post-Soviet Period

Modern Russian culture is very different from Soviet culture, but they have many similarities, too. In essence, this is the same country, only without national margins and the former allied national republics. But within the country, multinationality remains since Russia is a federal state with many peoples of diverse cultures. Russian culture is the culture of a multinational country. Modern Russian culture has lost the features of ideological and party (communist) dependence, but retains the influence of the state, like any other culture of any country in the world. True, the influence of the state on the culture in each country goes to a greater or lesser extent. In Russia, this state influence on culture is very large up to the present day, and it has a pronounced dualistic character. On one hand, Russian culture is provided with financial assistance “from above”, and on the other hand, some kind of framework is created that cannot be crossed, almost as it was in Soviet times, when the state order in the cultural sphere dominated.

The Socio-Cultural Process in the USSR in 1950-1980

These four decades gave the USSR new discoveries in the sphere of cultural creativity and the growth of the military and economic power of the country, including the Soviet Union republics of the USSR. The social and cultural process in the USSR in 1950-1980 proceeded under the strong influence of ideology and the ideological and political conjuncture. Nevertheless, creative thought in the sphere of culture and art in the USSR was alive and even fruitfully developed. The peculiarities of the culture of the USSR of this period consisted in the struggle of the government against deviations from the “tasks of social construction”. The pressure and control from the party were so great that they oppressed the freedom of artists and science. Mass discussions in various branches of science of this time had a negative effect on their participants. The development of culture in the 1960-80s was extremely controversial. Despite the fact that the funds for the development of culture constantly increased, the achievements in culture did not correspond to the financial costs. During this period, the leadership of the USSR began to pay great attention to public education and science.

The Development of Russia in the Early Years of Soviet Power

This chapter discusses the reasons for the victory of the Russian revolution of 1917, as well as the first steps of the Soviet government to reform the country. It is shown that the revolution had a bourgeois-democratic nature. Different opinions of scientists on recognition and non-recognition of the Russian revolution of 1917 are revealed. Historical analysis has shown that Russia reached “a certain height” of capitalism in large-scale industry, in transport, and in the economy, where, as in the West, capitalist monopolies and large banks dominated. As for the village, it was still on the eve of the bourgeois-democratic revolution, and there could be no question of any preconditions for socialism.

Revolutionary Upheavals in Russia in the Early 20th Century

This chapter examines the social contradictions and the inability of the government to solve the main political problems that led to the deep socio-political crisis of Russia in the early 20th century. This was expressed in the struggle of the workers against the autocratic police system, in the creation of radical, left-wing political parties and liberal opposition unions, in disputes within the ruling elite, and fluctuations in the government's course. All these sociopolitical contradictions and problems were aggravated in the conditions of the deep economic crisis that Russia, like all other European powers, experienced in the early 20th century. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that in the late 19th to early 20th centuries in Russia, as in other capitalist countries, monopolistic associations in industry, commerce, and transport became widespread.