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Russia
2007 |
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Impressions of Russia Russia is a country going through a major transition, as you can probably imagine. Of course, we only saw the two largest cities, so I have no idea what's happening anywhere else. But in the cities, there is a great deal of development going on. Capitalism—at least in its outward manifestations—is visible everywhere. Giant advertisements loom everywhere in Moscow and there are shopping opportunities at every turn. It is clear, however, that Russia has a long way to go. St. Petersburg has an amazing setting, with fantastic architecture, canals, islands, and literary and musical history. Given the country's ordeals during the 20th century, the city has suffered from neglect. There is a lot of renovation going on, but it will be a long process to get the city up to its potential. Moscow, at least the downtown center, seems to be a bit healthier. The highlight of Moscow is without question the fabulous Kremlin and Red Square. Beyond the city center, Moscow struggles with the same development issues as St. Petersburg. Given that communism's demise was only sixteen years ago, none of this should be surprising. In fact, I was impressed by how far they have come. It is impossible to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg without realizing the monumental effect of government on the Russian people. In my opinion, they have endured just about the worst leadership of any country on the planet. Whatever one's opinions about the goals of Leninist Marxism, there can be little question that Russia's experiment with communism was a disaster. And before that, the czars were little better, if at all. The palaces they built are indeed spectacular, but at what cost? As in the history of our own country, much of the prosperity of the rich few was built upon the backs of the impoverished and enslaved many. Finally, one of the highlights was learning more about Russia's rich artistic traditions. We went to two ballets, visited the theater where Stanislavsky helped develop modern acting, saw the burial places of Russian greats such as Dostoyevsky, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Chekhov, and toured several art museums chronicling the history of Russian art over the last thousand years. We can hope that Russia's future will be worthy of the beauty of its artistic traditions and the remarkable perseverence of its people. |