THE WEEK NOVEMBER 12, 2017^55the periphery because of the strong
presence and strict principles of
the Russian Orthodox Church.”
The Church is increasingly
involving itself in the life of the
faithful and the government, and
the people are loving it. A 2016 survey
done by the Levada Center found that 56
per cent of people approved of the role
played by the Church and religious NGOs
in state politics. The figure was up from
42 per cent in a 2014 survey. A majority
of respondents also wanted the Church
to be more involved in public moral-
ity, especially in the light of the femi-
nist rock band Pussy Riot performing
songs against President Valdimir Putin
near the altar of the Christ the Saviour
Cathedral in 2012. Three members of the
band were found guilty of “hooliganism”
triggered by religious hatred (the group
had gone on record saying they opposed
the church’s support for Putin), and a
court sentenced them to two years in jail.
While the west criticised the arrest and
trial, most of Russia did not agree with
what the band did.
“The Church was the anchor when
Russia went through testing times after
the breakup,” said Dr Cherian Eapen,
president of the Moscow-based firm
Roy International Consultancy. “It was
the glue that held the country togeth-
er.” It was not a position new to the
Church. Before the series of revolutions
that culminated in the decisive October
Revolution that saw the Bolsheviks led
by Vladimir Lenin come to power, Russia
ruled by the Romanovs from St Petersburg
was a Christian empire. Church and the
Tsars controlled lives in the vast empire.
However, by early 1900, things started
to change. The lame-brained decisions
of Tsar Nicholas II led the empire from
one crisis to another leading to a series
of revolutions which saw the Tsar finally
stepping down on March 2, 1917.
The Mensheviks, or the liberals, took
over but the Bolsheviks, or the hardliners,
were not happy with the partial change.
Their quarrel with the Mensheviks led
to the October revolution of 1917, which
saw Lenin taking power with the help of
the factory workers and peasants who
RESEARCH: NEERAJ KRISHNAN; GRAPHICS: DENI LALlaid siege to the capital, Petrograd.STALIN
Succeeded Lenin
as head of the
Communist Party
and created a
totalitarian state
by purging all
opposition.NICHOLAS II
Last tsar of Russia
who went to the
front-lines in WWI.
Forced to abdicate.RASPUTIN
Self-proclaimed holy
man who wielded a lot
of political influence.
He was murdered on
December 30, 1916,
by conspirators who
believed that his
political influence was
adversely affecting
Russia.