The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 925: Chapter 28: Historian Hastings_3

So ever since my visit to Russia this time, I stopped believing the nonsense about Russia in the newspapers. The Russian populace is not as the newspapers portray, all submissive and loyal honest folks; they, like the people of Britain, know how to express their opinions. In my view, it is simply inconceivable that such a national upheaval would occur over this matter; if the Tsar could really act arbitrarily, how could he fail to promote even a potato?”

Hearing this, Arthur suddenly brightened, seemingly finding a point of entry.

Arthur spoke: “Regarding this, I might have an answer. When I was in university, I specialized in Russian history.”

“Hmm?” asked the Earl of Dalmo: “Are you saying I’m wrong?”

Arthur replied with a smile: “What you said is naturally right, but what the newspapers say isn’t entirely wrong either. The Russian populace can be as compliant as described in the newspapers, and they can also be like the people of Britain who know how to strive for freedom. The difference between compliance and freedom mainly lies in their understanding of obligations and rights. In the Russian mindset, their acceptance of reasonable taxation and military service is very high.

For example, there are two types of taxes that are easily levied in Russia. One is the military tax, and the other is ransom money. Because in Russian history, they have been at war abroad for years, and often suffered raids from nomadic tribes like the Tatar Khanate and the Crimean Khanate, so Russians often face the possibility of being captured and sold.

Precisely for this reason, in the generations-long mindset of Russians, paying military funds and gathering ransom is considered rightful. Moreover, ordinary families often cannot afford high ransom, so the Tsar’s government has to provide ransom subsidies for them. In the 16th to 18th centuries, the annual ransom expenditure of the Russian government could account for up to a quarter of the annual fiscal budget. Therefore, Russian peasants sometimes refer to the Tsar as ‘Little Dad’.

In most cases, these Russian peasants are undoubtedly monarchists, true Royalists. In Russian traditional culture, they regard the Tsar as God’s agent in the mortal world, created by God to manage and care for the peasants as the head of all Russia. They cannot envision any secular authority besides the Tsar, and habitually attribute all good to the Tsar, and all bad to God’s will or landlords and officials.

This is a very peculiar sentiment; many Russian peasants believe the Tsar knows them, and if they knock on the Winter Palace’s door, they will receive the warmest welcome, their sufferings not only heard by the Tsar but understood, even to the smallest detail. Because of this paternalistic notion, peasants feel closeness to their monarch, a type of closeness rarely existing in Britain or France.

A history book I read in university mentions that during Earl De Segur’s travels with Catherine II in Russia, he was surprised to find that the local village residents conversed with the Empress in an unaffected manner, completely naturally.

Although unsure why, these peasants seem to firmly believe the Tsar wishes them to own all the land, but this wish is hindered by the malicious landlords and corrupt officials; however, one day the Tsar will overcome all obstacles.”

The Earl of Dalmo furrowed his brow in confusion: “If that’s the case, isn’t the promotion of potatoes in Russia very straightforward? This was a direct order from the Tsar.”

“No, you’ve misunderstood.”

Arthur replied with a smile: “What’s important isn’t what orders the Tsar gives, but whether those orders fit within the farmers’ traditional practices; if they can’t understand the Tsar’s orders from a traditional perspective, they’ll soon become filled with rage. The reason the Decemberists’ uprising didn’t cause as much stir as the potato issue, I guess, is because of this.

The farmers likely don’t understand what the Decemberists are; to them, it might just be a group of rebels with bizarre slogans. But, they’re very clear on what crops to plant; they’ve never planted potatoes generation after generation, so even if the Tsar’s attitude is tough, they wouldn’t agree. Serving and paying taxes is rightful, but planting potatoes is absolutely not.”

Upon hearing this, the Earl of Dalmo couldn’t help but laugh: “If what you’re saying is true, then Russia’s situation does make sense. But knowing the reasons behind it just makes the matter seem more ridiculous to me.”

At this point, Arthur just chuckled quietly and then turned to Elliot with a gentle reminder: “Although I haven’t studied China in detail, I believe the situation there might be somewhat similar to Russia’s. After you take office, you might want to refer to what I’ve just said, and try not to violate matters beyond their understanding, moving progressively, which might assist in your work.”