“Russian Culture”When we hear the term Russian culture, many Americans tend to have negative thoughts such as the Cold War, the government ruling with an iron hand, 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 ones. The Russian people have a long and rich heritage, are deeply rooted in the Christian faith and pride themselves on the hospitality and valor of Russian communities, families and fellow Russians. They learned to sacrifice themselves from constant invasions and from being forced further and further into the cold arctic forests. They adored, respected and venerated Mother Earth. However, the most important thing is that Russians remained true to themselves and let their culture survive and thrive even in the most difficult times in their history. They stood by their beliefs and continually made 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 featureless country due to the lack of natural borders, and its history began with the formation of cities of northern warrior-traders (Billington, The Icon and the Axe, 3). At that time the Russians were pagans of the gens religion, the gens religion regarded the individual as a transitory 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, are a people who make the best of every situation and do not get lost in difficult moments. As the Russian painter Ivanov said, “to be Russian is happiness” (Massie 220). Even though this is a seemingly simple quote, it has a profound effect because it shows that Russians don't need anything except themselves to be happy. Works Cited Massie, Susanna. The land of the firebird: the beauty of ancient Russia. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1980Tolstoy, Leone. "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, “Rachmaninoff's Loneiness,” Izvestiia, March 20, 1998Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Alyosha,” Brothers Karamazov, (New York: Norton, 1979)