In modern times the differences between various cultures are diminishing, particularly with globalization and all its influences through modern day media and technology. There are more similarities in the modern lifestyles of people, especially with the Internet and its impact on all spheres of everyday living, but also many more differences than there were in the past. Today the old traditions fuse with modern trends and create new cultures, certainly not less different than they were in the past. In my paper I will discuss the contrast between the American and Russian cultures, historically and through a modern perspective.
Modern day Russia is a mixture of many ethnicities that comprise its culture with all its diversities. Despite its many different ethnic groups, the most dominant are the ethnic Russians, who have a rich history and a tradition of excellence in many fields throughout the ages. Russians originate from the Eastern Slavic group of peoples, and today Russian is a language spoken across two continents, Europe and Asia. Although rooted in the pagan traditions, their recorded history started with the earliest writings in Cyrillic, back in the 10th century, after which Russia became the second biggest Orthodox Empire, maintaining strong links with Byzantium. After its fall under the Ottomans, Russia took the lead in dominating the Orthodox world, claiming the Byzantine legacy. During different epochs in history, there were European influences, and particularly after Peter the Great and his reformation, the Russian culture shifted towards the Western trends. During the 20th century, the monarchy was abolished and communism was installed, which created a whole new culture of socialist ideology with centralized power and uniformity, without respect for the individual freedoms, and intolerance towards alternative views.
No matter who ruled these people, the Russians are very proud of their folklore, a legacy that predates all systems of...