Is Russia Europe? Eva Polonska Monash European and EU Centre

2 Russia today: Российская Федерация World’s largest political entity 11 time zones Twice as large as United States or China Population - 141,000,000 - much of land empty China billion, India - 900,000,000 Population concentrated in European Russia

3 Lecture outline Russia’s history: What in common with Europe in the past? Russia today: What in common with Europe now? Politics / Economy / Culture Is Russia Europe? Tereza Vorlova: Putin’s Russia

European ideas back in 18 th C ‘The laws should be made for everyone not for one person’ (Diderot, 1755) ‘I may not agree with your ideas but will defend with my life your right to express them’ (Voltaire) ‘I am a man first and I’m French only by accident’ (Montesquieu) 4 Widely spread ideas: Individualism Equal / Natural rights Universalism Reason

European ideas back in 18 th C Emergence of modern sciences / secular knowledge Industrial revolution Economic liberalism Political change / Democratic sovereignty Does Russia embark on the modern project? 5 Brought Europe into modern era

6 Russian Empire Российская Империя (1721 – 1917) Second largest contiguous empire: by 1866: eastern Europe, across Asia, into N. America British Empire its only rival One of the last absolute monarchies left in Europe One of the five major Great Powers of Europe

7 Russia and European Empires Russia as one of the Great Powers Alliances with Western Powers Cultural flow with Europe: Architecture Literature Music Peterhoff Palace, St. Petersburg Home to Russian Tsars

8 Russian input in European culture Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) The greatest Russian poet / founder of modern Russian literature Eugene Onegin Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881) Writer, one of the greatest psychologists in world literature Crime and Punishment Anton Chekhov ( ) Famous for his plays and short stories The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Novelist and philosopher War and Peace and Anna Karenina

9 Russian input in European culture ‘The Nutcracker’ by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) Amber Room Joint effort of Germany and Russia Looted by Nazis in WW2 What about the flow of political & economic ideas?

Russia and Europe in 18 th C Seeming contradiction:  The “Western” model of Enlightenment: Liberal implications of key Enlightenment ideas, e.g. Autonomous individual Human rights as essential qualities of human beings Linked to the rise of vibrant middle class Vs.:  The “Eastern” model of Enlightenment: Absolutist monarchical rule (“enlightened despotism”) 10

Enlightened despotism Scared of unintended consequences:  Broadening the base of education and expanding the service bureaucracy  Creation of new and self-confident educated elites  Capable of transformation into intelligentsias critical of absolutist power The rhetoric of Enlightenment:  Monarchs eager to be considered enlightened  Needed to legitimate their rule by claims to promote welfare of population  Sometimes supported by real reforms: serfdom abolished, dignity of labour, land to peasants, encouraged industry, promoted canal and highway construction 11

12 Russia and Europe Peter the Great ( ) Policy objective: emulation of Western Europe Symbolic westernisation (compulsory Western clothes; no beards) Moves capital to St. Petersburg (Petrograd) in the most western part of the country, accessible to the rest of Europe by sea

Russian enlightenment: scratch on the surface Emulation of French Enlightenment culture:  French became the language of polite society  Fashion for Voltaire and his style of freethinking scepticism Mikhail Lomonosov ( ):  Natural scientist, grammarian, poet  Helped set up Moscow University in 1755  The breadth of his contribution was a tribute to him, but also a symptom of the narrow base of Russian Enlightenment in the 18 th C 13

Russia and Europe Tsarina Catherine the Great (1762 – 1796) Personally knew Montesquieu, Voltaire, Jeremy Bentham, Diderot Claimed to rule for the greatest good, but:  Increased serfdom  Brutally crushed peasants rebellion  Left no legacy of reform 14

Opposition to despotism Alexander Radishchev, Journey from St Petersburg to Moscow (1790):  A critique of serfdom one year after the French Revolution  Catherine II ordered all copies of the text destroyed  Sentenced to death, a verdict commuted to exile in Siberia  Ultimately released in 1797 by Catherine’s successor, Paul 15

16 Russia and European Imperialism Aggressive competition for territories  To gain markets / resources  To gain space for home population  To prevent rival powers from expansion Russia NOT part of ‘Scramble for Africa’ Berlin Conference ( ) ‘Congo Conference’

17 Russia’s appetite for Asia

18 Russian Empire by 1914

19 Russian Empire and Europe Russia must be modernized at all costs Program of industrialization Russian empire had the technology of factories Increased economic advancement But also disillusionment with corruption Large landmass: Industrialization also needed railroads Trans-Siberian Railroad Failure of Tsarist Russia to keep up with the West

20 End of Russian Empire Nicholas Alexandrovich II Russia weakened by defeat with Japan (1905) & WWI Numerous groups oppose tsar and imperial Russia Bolshevik Revolution 1917 Tsar & family executed

21 Another Empire? Eventually Bolsheviks take over – October 1917 Russian civil war Josef Stalin – The "Red Tsar“ Soviet Union ( ) to transform Russia through: Collectivization Industrialization Famine Purges: 60 m dead (Stalin: ‘The Butcher’) Result: Politically & economically Russia moves away from Europe

22 Running the state under communism Dictatorial rules Undemocratic tools of coercion / manipulation Hostility towards pluralism No civil society / suppressed freedoms Corruption

23 Post World War II Soviet domination in CEE (1945 – 1989)

24 Change is coming… Throughout 1980s Mikhail Gorbachev: I have a dream: Common European Home  Glasnost  Perestroika  Demokratizatsiya

25 Losing control… Coup against Gorbachev (18 August 1991)  Gorbi held in Crimea  Boris Yeltsin confronts rebellion  Speech from the turret of a tank  Gorbachev restored but powers compromised  Elections to come: Yeltsin as first President of Russia (not Soviet Union)

Breakup of Soviet Union New name: Russian Federation

27 New challenges after 1991 Commitment to Democracy: Free elections / democratic institutions / democratic policy making Rule of law / human rights (e.g. freedom of speech / media freedoms) Commitment to economic reforms: Market economy / free competition Private ownership Economic growth Ban on communist party New convergence with Europe?

28 Political changes under Yeltsin Yeltsin’s conflicts with Parliament: Parliament dismissed in 1993 More powers to the President Legislature no control over government Failure of judiciary to oversee laws

29 ‘Shock therapy’ under Yeltsin Huge resources to privatize No experts / capital /tested body of law Communist elites as immediate beneficiaries No middle class (government officials as business sector) Oligarchy: high concentration of ownership Manipulation / corruption commonplace in new private sector Mafia & violence at work Small & medium businesses eliminated

Russia after reforms Oligarchs and politics: Unprecedented accumulation of wealth Corruption / ‘influences’ over policy-making Support for Yeltsin despite low popularity Results different from expected: Damaged political / economic life Yeltsin resigns in 2000

31 Russia under Putin (2000 – 2008) Order back on agenda Determined to reduce violence Security agents to handle economic & political life Harassment by police and tax authorities Further reduction of electoral competition Parties come and go Control over media No serious politician able to run against Putin Increased economic growth but state more interfering

32 Running the Russian state Transition to capitalist democracy possible when: Powers delegated from the centre to local agencies REALITY: Expansion of Moscow’s control over republics Consolidation of personal power Corruption rules Federation: Territorial administration concentrated in Moscow Autonomous republics with no regional powers Putin re-writes constitution to become PM

33 Who’s in charge? Dmitry Medvedev ( ) as President Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister

34 Russia: European or not? European Union: Post-national Multilateral / Non-state centric Focuses less on borders Overcoming of power politics by focusing on peace process Russia: Realpolitik (projection of power) Centrality of national interests (Using energy as a bargaining tool) Territorial demarcation Space for maximizing power

35 To sum up Historically huge contribution to European tradition (of what?) Russia still struggling to adapt to loss of Soviet empire / superpower status People consider themselves ‘European’ Drop in popular faith in democracy and market economy Economic growth under Putin but: Politics centres on the Kremlin Questionable parliamentary control or independent judiciary Corruption So: European or not?

The East Asia Forum Russia-US power play & the role of Russia in contemporary politics asia-pacific-posture/ 36