George Pahomov
1. A.L. Kroeber, An Anthropologist Looks at History, University of California Press, 1963, p. v.
Glossary of Russian Terms
artel—a cooperative association of workers, craftsmen, or traders within a particular profession
borshch—a kind of vegetable soup usually made with a beef stock and with beets, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and occasionally other vegetables
brichka—a carriage, heavier than a drozhki, with a collapsible leather or canvas top
dacha—a summer home, frequently having a glass enclosed veranda
desiatina—a square measure equivalent to 2.7 acres or 1.09 hectares
drozhki—a light, open carriage usually drawn by one horse
gimnazium—a classical high school, featuring the classical and foreign languages and a liberal arts curriculum as opposed to real’noe uchilishche, a vocational high school; pronounced with a “hard” g as in gimlet
Gulag—the system of prison camps throughout the Soviet Union; the administrative body of those camps
izba—a rural, peasant house in central and northern Russia constructed of logs either round or square in cross-section
kolkhoz—collective farm; largely the product of forced collectivization in Soviet times
kolkhoznik—collective farm worker
kulebiaka—fish baked en croute; an open-face Beef Wellington filled with filet of sturgeon instead of beef tenderloin
kvas—a kind of beer made by fermenting rye bread or rye flour, yeast, malt and, sometimes, sugar; served chilled
muzhik—an adult male peasant; also a term of derision
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Glossary of Russian Terms
name(s)day—a holiday celebrating the patron saint bearing the same name as the celebrant, e.g., 23 April is St. George’s day
Okhrana—the secret police in tsarist times
papirosa (plural: papirosy)—a cigarette with a long cardboard mouthpiece, widely smoked before the advent of the modern cigarette during WWI
pirog (pluraclass="underline" pirogi)—a generic term for pies, usually deep-dish and rectangular, with fillings ranging from berries and fruit to mushroom and egg, sautéed cabbage, and ground beef. Pirozhok (pluraclass="underline" pirozhhki) is the palm-size version of a pirog, similar to a hot pocket or the English pastie
primus—a heating apparatus with a single flame similar to a Bunsen burner but with fuel pressurized by manual pumping; from Primus, the name of the Swedish manufacturer of the device; used for cooking when nothing else functioned
samizdat—underground publishing of materials forbidden by the Soviet government; a compounding of the Russian words “self” and “publishing”
sarafan—a full length, freely cut, sleeveless dress worn almost exclusively by peasant women
sazhen—a linear measure equivalent to seven feet, or 2.133 meters
shchi—a soup made of pickled cabbage (sauerkraut) usually on a beef stock
stanitsa—a large southern Russian/Cossack village; also an administrative unit
tachanka—a two-axle wagon drawn by two horses, similar to a buckboard
taiga—the unbroken forest belt of Siberia
tsarevich—crown prince
verst—a linear measure equal to .663 miles, or 1.06 km. (The proper form is versta, we use the anglicized variant.)
zemstvo—rural self-governing body established in the reign of Alexander II
A note on transliteration. The Library of Congress system is used in all bibliographical notation and throughout the text, except that in the text the designation for soft sign (’) has been dropped from the ends of words. Russian names which are widely known in English have been left in their popular spelling.
Part One
The Vanished Presence: Russia before 1914
On March 13, 1881, after numerous attempts, the terrorist group “Will of the People” finally succeeded in assassinating Alexander II, the “Tsar Liberator.” The hoped for collapse of the Russian government did not occur. And initially it was not fully clear what the outcome would be other than the belief among the realists that terrorism would not vanish from the Russian political landscape.
During the reign of Alexander III (1881–1894), there was a legitimate reason to believe that the nation would stabilize. Industry went into high gear, railroad construction soared, and the nation’s economy drew constant focus. These positive measures were countermanded by numerous policies aimed to lessen the impact of the Great Reforms, to further Russianize the nation, tighten the hold on minorities, and emphasize the role of the gentry. However, as Nicholas Riasanovsky correctly points out, this was precisely the class that was in decline. Political terror, as a result of severe government decrees issued in 1881, also declined.
Nicholas II (1894–1917), the last Russian tsar, has been much written about. The formalistic perceptions of him as a gracious and kind person in private, but a reactionary and limited ruler are safe to accept. Frequently vacillating, and not wishing to occupy the throne, Nicholas witnessed the demise of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian State. He was not a ruler capable of steering the nation through the turbulent years that lay ahead, particularly in that the belief in the efficacy of his autocracy continued to dominate his thought.
The Russian nation itself had frequently other agendas. Political parties and movements rose, demanding participation in government. A liberal coalition actually formed a “Union of Liberation.” Protests and strikes increased
2
Part One
almost yearly. And the Revolution of 1905 evolving out of these movements is not a misnomer. Shaken by these events, particularly that of Bloody Sunday (January 22, 1905), the loss to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, and the unparalleled nationwide strikes of October 1905, the Tsar buckled and issued the famous October Manifesto. This gave the Russian people civil rights and a Duma, which in effect made Russia a constitutional monarchy. But the credibility of the Tsar and his government was very weak. Nicholas’s desire to keep the Duma subordinate certainly did not help.