A Governmental and Historical Discussion of Russia and Great Britain - Essay Example

Section/# A Governmental and Historical Discussion of Russia and Great Britain Whereas it may be tempting to understand governments in terms of broad philosophical interpretation, the fact of the matter is that history plays a profound and relevant role with regard to the way in which governance within any nation is exhibited. As a function of defining this reality and relating it to to specific cases, the following analysis will engage the reader with a discussion that is concentric upon the historical identity and governmental structure that the United Kingdom and Russia exhibit. As such, the discussion will be broken down into two distinct compliments with respect to both nations. The first of these compliments will be with regards to the historical occurrences that took place in the second will be with regard to the manner through which these historical occurrences at impacted upon a sense of identity and purpose with respect to governance and the means through which power is evidenced. Beyond merely describing to culturally dissimilar nations, it is the hope of this author that the analysis will also provide a level of comparison with respect to the way in which similar historical experienced has coalesced to create a shared interpretation on many fronts that might otherwise not be exhibited. Firstly, taking the case of the Russian Federation, the analyst can see that this particular entity grew out of the members of the former Soviet Union. Tracing this back even further, the reader can determine that the Soviet Union was the results of economic and political pressures that the Russian Empire was unable to address. Accordingly, it would of course be possible to trace the historical impact of Russian governance back to the era of prehistory; however, for purposes of this analysis, the discussion will only go this far as the czarist era. The Russian Empire began to take shape as the Mongol Empire and its accordance of horsemen began to recede throughout Eurasia. For centuries, the Mongol horde had dominated Russian land and demanded Steve attributes each and every season. The level of complete and total control that the Mongols were able to wield over Russians created a unique Eastern identity that helps to separate Russians from the remainder of culturally and linguistically similar Europeans. Following the example of government and control that the Mongols had exhibited, the first czars utilized a very totalitarian approach to organizing the early Russian Empire. Furthermore, utilizing the power vacuum that was left by the Mongol Empire, the first czars took advantage of this retreating force and rapidly added to the lands and possessions that comprise the Russian Empire. As no power to speak of was able to stand in the way of Russian expansion, emperors such as Catherine the great were able to expand the Russian Empire at a rate of hundreds of square kilometers per day. The historical ramifications and implication that the rapid territorial gaining control of the czarist era was one that has had a profound impact with respect to the way in which the Russian Federation views its periphery. With little emphasis upon the rights of individuals, the Soviet Union, although claiming to champion the rights of the proletariat, commenced to slaughter tens of millions of people as a means of bringing about a socialist/communist utopia (Stremlin, 2005). Once again, the lack of emphasis upon democracy and the rights of individual human beings were placed secondary to the needs of the state. Similarly, the Soviet Empire was one that took a great deal of inspiration from the Russian Empire; expanding its influence and eventually incorporating the likes of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Georgia (Monahan, 2012). As a means of this direct focus upon territorial expansion and the need to control vast swaths of territory throughout the world, the Soviet empire also engaged in heated confrontations with the rest of the world over spheres of influence throughout Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. Moving forward into the current era, it can directly be seen that the Russian Federation, as it exists today, is a power that is uniquely interested in the assimilation and servitude of its former Empire even within the con strains of limited democratic society. Wars in Chechnya, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and most recently Ukraine, indicate the extreme level of importance that the Russian Federation and its politics places upon continuing the trend that had thus far historically been discussed. By means of analysis, the United Kingdom has been heavily influenced by its historical roots as well. For instance, even a brief discussion of the history of Great Britain and the United Kingdom revealed the fact that this power was ultimately borne out of a profoundly wealthy and influential maritime superpower. Since the defeat of the Spanish Armada in the 15th century, Britain came to form an Empire that spanned nearly the entire globe (Tomlinsson, 2008). Territories and holdings existed throughout Africa, Asia, North America, Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East. Countless wars and confrontations were continually fought with rival powers as a means of ensuring that the British Empire continue to wield a great deal of power with respect to the way in which it engaged in business and controlled vital populations throughout the world. However, somewhat dissimilar to the case that has been listed with regard to Russia, the British Empire came to feel the normalizing power of democracy as a transition from an autocratic monarchical system to more of a democracy. However, even as this change was evidenced, the British Empire continued to exist. For instance, British activities and control over the subcontinent of India was not something that changed for was shifted as a result of elections or levels of democracy on the home islands. The greatest change of course took place as a result of the first and second world wars; where Great Britain and the United Kingdom, as well as its Empire, were virtually bankrupted and forced apart. This was due not only to modernism and the forces of independence that were brewing all throughout the Empire, it was also the result of the fact that the current system was no longer effective in supporting and Empire. Once again, in comparison to the Russian Empire, the British Empire as heavily impacted upon the way in which decisions are currently made within the political system of United Kingdom. For instance, briefly looking back into recent history, the United Kingdom has often been will strategic partnerships with other European and Western powers as a means of preserving its sphere of influence and overall level of power within its former colonies. In much the same way that the Russian Federation engages with the former Soviet satellites, the United Kingdom is guilty of meddling in Africa, Asia, and parts of the Middle East (McCarthy, 2012). However, unlike the Russian Federation, democratic principles are perennially upheld within the United Kingdom as something of an ideal to the way in which governance should take place. Yet, the interesting component of this differential between the Russian Federation and United Kingdom has seemingly not impacted upon the manner through which both of these great powers continue to integrate with their former colonies/spheres of influence. Finally, Great Britain and the United Kingdom were fundamentally impacted with regard to the fact that they can be understood as the birthplace of mercantilism and capitalism; to dominant international political economic theories that heavily impacted the way in which economic history has come to be presented. By a similar stroke of fortune, Russia has been heavily impacted with respect to the fact that it was the birthplace of communism (Black, 2013). However, within the current era, it is the Russian Federation that is attempting to exhibit a more capitalist system and the United Kingdom and Great Britain that is attempting to create a more socialist one. The irony of this differential is not lost on many social historians that point to the seemingly incongruent nature of this political and social comparison. By the same token, the development of democracy and the democratic process within the United Kingdom is something that has taken shape over centuries; the formulation of the Magna Carta can be seen as a prime example of this. As a result, many scholar effectively argue for the fact that this historical impact has heavily molded the way in which the British system is exhibited within the current era and has responded to threats to democracy. By means of contrast and comparison, the Russian Federation did not fully test the concepts of democracy until the fall of the Soviet Union; lending the Russian Federation to be influenced by its authoritarian past and not have the existing history to learn from the mistakes of early democracy and its failures/triumphs. From the information that is thus far been presented, it is clear and apparent that a great degree of difference exists between the history of Russia and Great Britain. However, rather than discounting and dismissing this history as having no relevance to the current state of affairs, the reader should instead integrate with the realization that this history has had a profound impact with regards the way in which governance and political power is understood. Rather than pointing to the fact that the United Kingdom and Great Britain is somehow superior to Russia, the reader should instead come to the realization of the fact that the unique social dynamics and history of the British Isles, as well as its territorial holdings throughout the world, severely impacts upon the way in which governance is carried forth within the modern era. I much the same token, the joint history of the Russian Empire in tandem with the Soviet Union continues to have a profound impact upon the way in which democracy, power, and influences understood within the Kremlin; and indeed elsewhere throughout the Russian Federation within the current era. Bibliography Black, J 2013, Occupation and reconstruction: a historical perspective, Lancet, 381, 9870, pp. 898-899, MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 March 2014. McCarthy, H 2012, Whose Democracy? Histories of British Political Culture Between the Wars, Historical Journal, 55, 1, p. 221, MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 March 2014. Monahan, E 2012, Cossacks and the Russian Empire, 1598-1725: Manipulation, Rebellion, and Expansion into Siberia, Kritika-Explorations In Russian And Eurasian History, 14, 1, pp. 151-163, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 March 2014. Stremlin, B 2005, Russian-Soviet Empire, n.p.: Gale Virtual Reference Library, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 March 2014. Tomlinson, J 2008, A Failed Experiment? Public Ownership and the Narratives of Post-War Britain, Labour History Review (Maney Publishing), 73, 2, pp. 228-243, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 March 2014. Read More