Friday, March 5, 2010
Why is it that Russia always seems to have an Authoritarian Ruler, is it good or bad?
In Russia the rulers in the past seem to have one big thing in common and that would be that they are Authoritarian rulers from the early Czars to recent rulers like Stalin and many others in between. Russia is a country that is very large and from the start they have had Authoritarian rulers like Peter the Great but that was when everyone had complete rule in their countries. As the years past many countries converted into many different types of rule ranging Democracy to a Constitutional Monarchy. Authoritarian rulers can be great but at the same time terrible, they hold all of the power of the country in their hands and if they are a good ruler it can be beneficial to the country but then most of the time they let the power go to their head. A classic example of power going to someone’s head would be Stalin, he became so obsessed with power he even tried to play god and anyone who questioned his authority was killed. The people of Russia can also benefit from an all powerful ruler if that person knows how to rule a country and knows a good decision from a bad one, many good things can come from it but when you get someone who is more focused on staying in power and gaining more power that is when the system seems to fall apart. Although Stalin is portrayed as a monster in many eyes he is one of the main reasons why Russia is where it is today, he looked at Russia and knew there needed to be some major changes and they had to happen quickly because he saw that war was coming. Stalin industrialized Russia in a record time and because of that Russia in now one of the leading powers of the world. Why is it that no matter what the people of Russia want they end up with a dictator like ruler? Is it strictly because it is what the people of Russia like and deserve or is it just a tradition in Russia. The government of Russia has hardly changed in the last two hundred years, the people of Russia have now started to use a more democratic rule but even though they vote on the ruler he seems to rule well but sooner or later he becomes an authoritarian figure in their government. Do the people of Russia deserve this type of rule? The people of Russia have been through depressions, famine, inflation and many other crippling problems but on top of that the people have a harsh and cruel ruler, what did the Russians do to deserve this? It seems that the Russians seem to not want to do with their own government so they almost always want someone else that they like to rule the country but little do they know what that man is capable of. In Russia the early Czars were not so beneficial to their country most of them were weak and incapable of ruling the country except for a select few. Peter the Great was a great leader accomplishing many good things for Russia early on like westernizing Russia. He also created the Scorched-Earth Policy, which saved Russia from being conquered numerous times. So all in all Russia has had many great Authoritarian rulers but many horrible leaders to, when will Russia ever learn to come up with a better way to rule their country because sooner or later there will be another militant dictator and may cause many deaths and harm to Russia.
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great work
ReplyDeleteI am confused...you never answered your introductory question. You said that authouritatian rulers are both good AND bad. Wich side are you choosing?
ReplyDeleteWell Mr. Giddings,
ReplyDeleteI do think that Stalin was in deed made many good decisions for Russia. On the other hand, he was the worst ruler anyone has every seen. He sent people to work camps to punish them for their decisions or just their race. Ultimately, Stalin should be looked at in only one way. A horrible and uncivilized man.
Josh,
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you showed both sides of the Russian peoples' arguments and thoughts. I agree that Stalin was an evil person but he did a lot for the country of Russia. As for the Russians deserving their type government, I think it is just tradition because the country was brought up with authoritarian leaders. All countries go through depressions and famines but an authoritarian government can still get them out of it.
I think we need to explore why the Russians end up with this type of leadership. Is it such an expansive country that swift authority is the only thing keeping it together? Our government was formed when the country was small and manageable, now many think it is too big to get anything accomplished. I think the issue of being organized is an important element of this debate.
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