“Russian Culture” When we hear the term Russian culture, many Americans tend to have negative thoughts like the Cold War, their government ruling with an iron fist, and the Red Scare. These thoughts do not do justice to the Russian people or their long history as a people dating back to INSERT DATE. One of the major themes of Russian history and this course is the idea that the Russian people value intangible things more than tangible things. The Russian people have a long and rich heritage, are deeply rooted in the Christian faith, and take pride in their hospitality and value their community, their families and their fellow Russian citizens. They have learned to sacrifice themselves in the face of constant invasions and being forced deeper and deeper into the cold forests of the Arctic. They loved, respected and revered Mother Earth. But above all, Russians stayed true to themselves and let their culture survive and even thrive during even the most difficult times in their history. They kept their beliefs and continually created beautiful works of art and music. To Americans and the Western world, these things may not seem so important, but to Russia and its people, these beliefs are everything. Russian culture dates back to INSERT YEAR, at that time Russia was a geologically unformed country due to the lack of natural boundaries, and its history began with the formation of the northern trading and warrior cities (Billington, The Icon and the Axe, 3). At that time, the Russians were pagans of the gens religion, which consisted of considering the individual as a passing moment in the life of the clan. Seeing themselves as part of an entire family and not as an individual shows the beginning of Russians' view of themselves...... middle of paper ...... draw strength from their spiritual beliefs, and above all, they are a people who make the best of every situation and do not lose themselves in difficult times. As the Russian painter Ivanov expressed it, “to be Russian is happiness” (Massie 220). Although this is a seemingly simple quote, it has a profound effect because it shows that Russians need nothing but themselves to be happy. Suzanne. Land of the Firebird: the beauty of old Russia. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1980 Tolstoy, Leo. “The Master and the Man.” The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories. New York: New York American Library, 2003. 235-89. Aleksandr Afanasev, “Russian Fairy Tales,” (New York: Pantheon, 1949) Leonid Gakkel, “Rachmaninov's Loneliness,” Izvestiia, March 20, 1998. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, “Alyosha,” Brothers Karamazov, (New York: Norton, 1979)