Ivan IV of Russia

The proponents of absolutism in western Europe have reason to believe that their form of monarchical rule was fundamentally different although superior to what they saw as the “despotism” of Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The basis of this belief might sprout from the core differences of western Europe and eastern Europe. Western Europe seemed to be made up of mainly centralized monarchies who had the ability to control their territory and successfully employ and tax their populations to benefit…

Muslim Ajuran Empire, allied with the Ottomans, defied the Portuguese economic monopoly in the Indian Ocean by employing a new coinage which followed the Ottoman pattern, which gave the Ajuran economic independence in regard to the Portuguese. Under Ivan IV, the Tsardom…

passage stating that Ivan ordered the massacre of Kazan’s population and over emphasizing the accomplishments of Ivan and Peter. Moreover, these tsars weren’t glorified only in the textbook; throughout the Communist propaganda system, Stalin ensured that Ivan IV and Peter the Great were portrayed exclusively in a very positive light, despite Soviet historian’s, Militsa Nechkina, critique that honouring Ivan the Terrible as such was reminiscent of ‘bourgeois historiography’. However, Ivan the…

I believe, is a quite relevant question, which opens up room for further debate. However, in my view, one thing is certain, namely that on the one hand the demarcation between West and East is increasingly exacerbated, and on the other hand that Russia has yet to find the leader who will be willing to critically re-evaluate the different images and the historical…

4.1.4 Doing Business in Russia (i) General The official name of Russia is Russian Federation. The official language is Russian with other co-official languages in various regions. The capital city is Moscow also the largest city. The population is estimated at 143 million people. (ii) Greetings Russians appreciate to shake hands tightly and uphold direct eye contact. They avoid shaking hands and giving things across an entrance, a house or room. It is better to cross the entrance completely…

on European ruling for the noble classes and the Roman Catholic Church. The power previously held by the two upper groups decreased as their support and authority declined. The centralization of European states such as France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia also contributed to the decline of the two former powers, and to the rise of stable monarchies. These monarchies were able to gain full control over the regions they ruled through different successful techniques, such as eliminating the power…

in trade just like the British. China was forced to sign yet another document, the Boxer Protocol. The Protocol demanded China to pay the Japanese and Europeans reparations. They also owed them an apology. The Russo-Japanese broke out in 1904 and Russia was kicked out of Manchuria. They established a sphere of influence and became elevated, now seen as a world power and imperial…

Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt- Zerbst became the portrait of Russian enlightenment and subsequently immortalized in Russian history as Catherine the Great. Following a coup and the murder of her husband Peter III, Catherine reigned as empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. Her reign was simultaneously supported by the enlightenment era whose ideas began to spread throughout Europe. Supported by philosophes like John Locke, Montesquieu and Voltaire, the enlightenment era contested previous…

Have you ever wondered why American movies and TV shows often feature a Russian villain? This is not a new concept; these biases have been strengthened through writing for millennia. In Ancient Greece, Sophocles, an Athenian writer wrote of the struggle between law and morality in his play Antigone. Antigone takes place in the conflict ridden city-state of Thebes, where Creon, the king, declaims that his nephew Polyneices is a traitor and anyone who tries to bury him shall die. Antigone,…

“Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood” became the slogan and idea of liberalism. This idea that grew tremendously throughout the century was influenced by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars (1789-1814). Countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Austria, Turkey, Czech Republic, Poland and many more were affected by the political unrest that sparked nationalism. Composers such as Bedrich Smetana, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, Jean Sibelius, Edward Grieg,…