The other aspect is age. Russia in 1917 had half of population younger than 18, while modern Russia has median age of 39, with all implications about political stability and conservatism.
Yeah I was reading the other day about the Treaty of Versailles and surrounding periods and saw a quote from a German minister about how an overseas empire would be good merely as an outlet for young men to find something productive to do. A totally different social and political environment when you have a young and growing population versus an aging and shrinking population. And Russia is still relatively young: Italy, Germany, Greece, Portugal, and Austria all have median ages of 45 or higher.
The other aspect is age. Russia in 1917 had half of population younger than 18, while modern Russia has median age of 39, with all implications about political stability and conservatism.
Yeah I was reading the other day about the Treaty of Versailles and surrounding periods and saw a quote from a German minister about how an overseas empire would be good merely as an outlet for young men to find something productive to do. A totally different social and political environment when you have a young and growing population versus an aging and shrinking population. And Russia is still relatively young: Italy, Germany, Greece, Portugal, and Austria all have median ages of 45 or higher.