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Russia in 1994
Russia (Moscow)
Bec2004-09-20 17:56:44
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of fine jewellery, perfumes, cosmetics, designer clothes and other luxury goods had set-up shops to serve the new Russian capitalist class. All that you can possibly imagine was available but only a few privileged "new rich" could buy anything for galloping inflation had completely destroyed everyone else's purchasing power.
My friend Sasha, who is a professional translator, used to live rather well when I met her in 1971 but now she and her pensioned mother have a hard time making ends meet like everyone else in Russia (except the Mafia of course).
This lovely, and very Russian, Kazan Cathedral on the corner of Red Square between GUM and the History Museum was rebuilt in 1993 as an exact copy of the 1636 original which was demolished by Stalin in 1936. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Empire in 1990, there has been a remarkable revival of the Orthodox Church everywhere in Russia. On the other side of the Kremlin from here the State is spending 250 million dollars to rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour destroyed by Stalin to make room for a public swimming pool.
As I see it, Russians are just naturally believers. Absolute faith in Christ became the hallmark of the Russian identity during the first few centuries of the nation when Holy Russia was the bulwark of Christendom against the pagan hordes from the eastern steppes. Russian classical literature has constantly eulogised the value of blind faith, so much so that it has become an integral part of the Russian psyche.
Russians remained "Believers" during the 70 year Communist interlude. They just believed in something else and when the Communist experiment proved a failure, they naturally stampeded back to the Orthodox Church and to what they think is capitalism. I write "what they think is capitalism" because the form of capitalism being implemented in Russia is not tempered by the balances of power established through decades of labour struggles, hard nosed
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See photographs from:
Russia Gallery
