Class 2: Village Life . Geography has an effect on history - the vastness of Russia, there is no natural border between Russia and Poland, Ukraine etc. (Just swamp or forest) Where does Russia end and begin? o 'Ethnic Russia' (vusskii) and 'Imperial Russia' (rossiiskii) o 'Ethnic Russia': Clear defined part of the geography, Eastern Slavs vs Western Slavs o 'Imperial Russia': Eastern Slavs · Different vegetation zones - Eurasian land zone - huge variety of climatic and vegetation zones o Few mountain ranges o Russian heartlands are relatively small North: Tundra, no trees, moss, shrubs, reindeers, nomadic peoples, rather tough region o South: more shrubs, Taiga zone, the biggest zone in terms of square miles, mixed forests e.g. Birch, pine trees etc. . The mentality of the peasants, the heart of the land/ nation are in the forest o Further south: most fertile, agriculture land, black soil region o Further south/ steppe zone: grassland, open to all invaders (absence of trees) · Role in romantic imagination of Russians · Homes of the people who wished to escape serfdom/ your landlord · Kossacks (runaway peasants) set up here and set up their own democratic organisations and they did not plough the field, but hunted/ fished, lent the land to adjacent empires e.g. Moscow Empire in exchange for grain (did not grow it themselves but received it for their services) o South: Black Sea coast, Mediterranean/ subtropical climate · Continental climate " Long, dry, really cold and snowy winters · Hot, dry summers · Spring and fall - transitional periods between the two harsh seasons are always rough - no roads, everything is muddy/ wet/ soggy (raputitsa) - translates to 'way-less' · Invaders have quite literally gotten stuck in the mud e.g. Hitler, Napoleon
· Makes more sense to invade in the winter · Russia has been a peasant population for the majority of its history o Peasant societies have a special structure, and a unique way of surviving o The four seasons provided heavy issues for peasant agriculture - Russia was always in a crisis · Russia has always had famines even as late as 1980-90s! · National calamities e.g. Floods Land is not always fertile, the ratio of yield on Russian land is much lower than in other nations · Agricultural technology was hardly developed, usually homemade ploughs (essentially they just scratch the surface) o Main crops in harvest were rye, barley, wheat and then rice (wheat also in the northern regions for the better-off vs rye for the lower classes) · Garlic, beetroot, and carrots also important o Horses and oxen were luxurious possessions to help with the plough - horse theft was particularly common · Milling grain was also a heavy preoccupation Subsistence of animals and for next years' harvest - part of the harvest was also given to the landlord · Payment: cash (obrok) or physical labor/ services (barschina) o Production of textiles, craft, wooden utensils etc. o Peasants also moved to the urban centres for