Claire, I really liked your post and your focus on the religious aspects of the empire. You point out how ingrained Orthodoxy was in the Russian empire, which is interesting when compared with the anti-religion policies of the Soviet Union. This relates to your point that understanding religion is understanding history, which I think is especially relevant in this context.
Author: cnritchey
Comment on Hut of a Settler by cnritchey
Great post! Your highlighting of the differences throughout the empire, even in terms of development, is interesting and continues to be a important throughout the Soviet Union. The size and diversity of the Russian empire are so great that it would be impossible for it to be uniform, yet the great differences are still sometimes shocking. I like how you used a second Prokudin-Gorskii photo to prove your point, and I think it makes it more meaningful.
Comment on Snapshot of The Empire: Life of the Peasantry in Russia by cnritchey
Hi, I really enjoyed your post! Due to Russia’s diversity and vastness, different technologies and ways of life distributed very unevenly across the empire. You showed this very well, both through the obvious diversity in the photo and your discussion of the industrial revolution. Why do you think that the industrial revolution had not yet hit that area as much as other places in Russia?
Comment on Portrait of Imperial Russia by cnritchey
Hi, I really enjoyed your post! I think the “identity crisis” you talked about is a really important theme, and the “non-Russian” feel of this photo emphasizes that perfectly. I also like how you addressed the complexity of Russia, and how this would continue to be relevant through the transition to the Soviet Union. Great work!
Comment on A shifting world captured in an industrial town by cnritchey
I like how you used the second Prokudin-Gorskii photo to give more context on the first one! I think both photos are really interesting, and show the tension that accompanied all the changes that were happening in Russia right before the revolution. I also like how you mentioned how political measures, such as reforms at the time, coexisted with the social changes at the time.
Comment on Who are you? by cnritchey
Grace, this post was really thought provoking! The life of the average and marginalized people tends to be left out of popular historical narratives. There are many rural areas in Russia, and I think it will be interesting to follow this peasant narrative through the revolution and see how life is different for them throughout the changes.
Comment on Christianity and the Church Before the Revolution by cnritchey
I found the picture you chose very interesting as well! I think it’s interesting how ingrained Orthodoxy was in Russian culture, especially when contrasted with the extremely anti-religious Soviet Union. I think a lot of similar contrasts exist with the transition into the Soviet Union, and I like how you looked at what smaller factors may have led to this.
