I really enjoyed Rachel’s post! I think it showed the agrarian life that I tried to touch on in a really great way that draws the audience in because they are actually able to see the people’s faces.
Month: January 2018
Comment on Kazakhs on the Move by A. Nelson
You will also want to cite the source of your image — turns out these people are Kyrgyz.
Comment on Christianity and the Church Before the Revolution by thensoviet
The relationship between church and state in Russia is so interesting; they don’t openly operate as a theocracy but to deny the massive influence the church has would be to deny the Russian governmental body a limb. It is so complex but the history is so deep and long-running. Great blog post!!
Comment on A shifting world captured in an industrial town by thensoviet
I really love this article! You’re writing style is really captivating. I chose the same photograph because I thought the shift was so unique. It’s like watching something change right before your eyes. The history of the arms plant and the role it played in Westernization of this area is so rich and complex but fascinating. It truly shows how even the tiniest kinds of sparks and ignite huge fires!
Comment on When Life Gives You Metal, Make A Lot of Swords by scmaclay
I think the swords are so cool and ornate! You did a good job mixing the history of the Zlatoust and histories of the swords and knives. I still find it fascinating that the sword and lance were used in the First World War.
Comment on The Russian Cowboy and the Murmansk Railroad by scmaclay
I like the guards’ uniforms that contrast with each other and with Prokudin-Gorskii. War is an incredible strain against any economy and transportation infrastructure. In the end, the Russian Empire was faced with a perfect storm that they did not have the resources to handle. Good first post!
Comment on 1st stop: The Emir of Bukhara by Spencer Maclay
Good job branching out of your comfort zone! Its really cool that you liked a blog from a previous year. In your research of Samarkand’s history did you find why the Russians were interested in Samarkand back in 1886?
Comment on Snapshot of The Empire: Life of the Peasantry in Russia by Eric Iredale
After having looked through some of the images it is interesting how the expressions and environment give off different auras. Such as your image here and the image I used of farmers where the workers seem more stoic and focused, yet other images of resting dogs or smiling railroad guards give off a contrasting feel. Looking in the past during times such as World War I it can be hard to imagine that despite the focus required in this time people could still be happy and comfortable.
Comment on Russia’s Great Divide by scmaclay
The emancipation of serfs is a great case of “good idea, bad execution”. Serfdom as an institution showed the backwardness in Russian compared to other European countries. However, the end of serfdom opened up avenues of exploitation of the peasantry. When we get to reforms, we will see how some are too little, too late in resolving issues from emancipation. Good post.
Comment on The Yakutian Laika Dog by Eric Iredale
Images like these that change the people’s outlooks of certain time periods when things like the execution and the first World War are just around the corner. The houses seem so modest yet the aura the dogs give off make it seem comfortable and relaxed.
