The Russian Idea at Work

Russians have a messianic concept of themselves as the only true Christians, people who have sacrificed repeatedly, without due appreciation from the rest of the world, in order to save humanity. First, they fended off the Mongol hordes, then they fended off the Nazis. This is called the Russian Idea.

I think this Jesus-concept is very important to understanding them, and I also find there to be more than a kernel of truth in the notion that they have not received sufficient respect for their role in defeating the Nazis in WWII. (My Cold War-era high school history textbook said that the US permitted the Russians to fight the battle of Berlin (which it described as a cakewalk) because we felt bad for them what with all the casualties they had suffered on the Russian front. Excuse me, but the Battle of Berlin was bloody urban warfare.)

You can see the Russian Idea at work in a press conference Putin gave the other day. Quoting here from February's 2nds Moscow Times (www.moscowtimes.com):

"Interestingly, when commenting on the factors that strengthened Russia's defense capabilities, Putin named Orthodox Christianity and the country's other 'traditional' faiths in the same breath as the national nuclear shield."