Political Climate
Russia at the turn of the 20th Century was in the midst of a massive social and economic upheaval. Due to the flailing economy of the nation, the upper crust of the economic chain (the rich) cast away thousands unemployed and took great advantage of the working class. In response the working class rebelled against the entire structure of their nation and those who were benefitting by it. Power was changing hands and as the world recognizably grew and changed the upper class clung to the past in delusions of power, order, and status.
In the struggle to maintain the status quo, the upper class developed an increasingly materialistic dependency. There was security in tangible representation of wealth and status. The working class accused the upper class of being “excessive” above all else, and this is true in the sense that the upper class possessed non-perishable valuables due to their need to stifle the fear of losing power and to dress their environment to fit the mentality that nothing has changed (in regards to the class structure).
In the struggle to maintain the status quo, the upper class developed an increasingly materialistic dependency. There was security in tangible representation of wealth and status. The working class accused the upper class of being “excessive” above all else, and this is true in the sense that the upper class possessed non-perishable valuables due to their need to stifle the fear of losing power and to dress their environment to fit the mentality that nothing has changed (in regards to the class structure).
Russian Social Strata
According to the 1897 census:
Ruling class (tsar, court, government) 0.5%
Upper class (nobility, clergy, military) 12.0%
Commercial class (merchants, entrepreneurs, financiers) 1.5%;
Working class (factory workers, small traders) 4.0%
Peasants 82.0%.
Over 80% of the population were peasants. The ruling elite both feared and despised them, and denied them free expression.
Of Interest:
http://www.blacksacademy.net/content/3750.html
Ruling class (tsar, court, government) 0.5%
Upper class (nobility, clergy, military) 12.0%
Commercial class (merchants, entrepreneurs, financiers) 1.5%;
Working class (factory workers, small traders) 4.0%
Peasants 82.0%.
Over 80% of the population were peasants. The ruling elite both feared and despised them, and denied them free expression.
Of Interest:
http://www.blacksacademy.net/content/3750.html
Russians and Germans
Russian opinion in the late 1800’s of Germans was dismal as a result of high Russian nationalism. Popular Russian scholarly opinion criticized German academic progress for its lacking in making use of the Russian language. Russian citizens of German decent who did not speak Russian and were practicing orthodox were often rejected in society and thought of as foreigners. Mistrust of German Russians even went to far as to prevent their presence in diplomacy because it was thought that their allegiance would not be to Russia. By the early 1900’s anti-German sentiments mostly dissipated in contemporary society but the stigma upon those of German decent remained in old world households that clung to the Russian’s Russia- a time where everyone wanted to be Russian, look Russian, act Russian, and to truly be Russian was to take pride in a great and powerful nation. Unfortunately, at this time Russia was suffering from severe economic peril and with it a great need to change.
Source: Forest, Benjamin (2005). Religion and Identity in Modern Russia. Ashgate Publishing. pp. 45–47.
Source: Forest, Benjamin (2005). Religion and Identity in Modern Russia. Ashgate Publishing. pp. 45–47.
Samovars
For a samovar to be made out of silver was a very special occurrence.
Samovar – Very fancy tea kettle. The silver samovar complete with tray and cups (not pictured) is a highly elaborate gift often presented as a token of luck and good wishes for a bride in which to build a home around. Each samovar was hand made and no two were alike. Factories could only produce five or six each day. Production was very low and cost was very high. The samovar was the center of household society, drinking tea to ward off the bitter Russian winters was just a way of life.
Fun fact: during wartime samovars were melted down in order to build bullets and arms, but during times of peace weapons (bullets, swords, cannons, guns, etc) were melted down to make samovars. It could be said that arms and tea were equally important in Russian society.
Of interest:
http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/samovars.htm
http://www.russianlegacy.com/russian_culture/articles/russian-samovar.htm
http://www.russiansamovars.com/russian-imperial-samovars.php
Fun fact: during wartime samovars were melted down in order to build bullets and arms, but during times of peace weapons (bullets, swords, cannons, guns, etc) were melted down to make samovars. It could be said that arms and tea were equally important in Russian society.
Of interest:
http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/samovars.htm
http://www.russianlegacy.com/russian_culture/articles/russian-samovar.htm
http://www.russiansamovars.com/russian-imperial-samovars.php