In the 1920s and 1930s hundreds of American socialists, blacks seeking a society free from racism, Jews who had fled the tsarist pogroms, Russian immigrants and their children, ordinary workers and recent college graduates were fascinated by the Soviet experiment. Between 1920 and 1925 nearly 22,000 American and Canadian men, women and families moved to Russia intending to remain there (Paula Garb, “They Came to Stay: North Americans in the USSR”). These idealistic Americans who went off to the USSR to build the world of the future were quickly introduced to Russian reality – and to Russian romance.

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Before the revolution Bolsheviks had no define policy in regard to sexuality. The “sex issue” was for them mainly economic and sociopolitical and essentially boiled down to the problem of emancipating women and overcoming gender inequality. Sexuality was mentioned only in passing, especially in relation to the family.

Soviet legislation and social policy on issues of marriage and procreation in the 1920s were the most daringly progressive in the world. As early as 1918, women were accorded full equal rights with men in all and privet areas, including marriage and family relations. Women had the right…

Unfortunately, the realities of life that confronted the Bolsheviks immediately after revolution  were much more difficult than they had anticipated…

And the costs associated with the subsequent breakdown in marriage and family patterns – unwanted pregnancies, fatherless children, prostitution, the spread of venereal diseases – were great and provoked mounting concern…

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The modelling business, like no other business, has a Russian face. In more ways than one, the beauty of Russian women has conquered the world.

Beauty in Exile

The world’s first models appeared at fashion boutiques in the late 19th century. The owners of these shops started inviting pretty, well mannered girls to demonstrate the latest fashions to rich patrons. A fashion model at that time was not a walking doll: she had to communicate with visitors, telling them (oftentimes in several languages) about the apparel that she was displaying.

In the early 20th century, Russian aristocratic women who became emigrés – the princesses, baronesses and countesses who found themselves in dire straits and had to make a living – set a new standard. Strikingly beautiful and well educated, they were in great demand in Europe’s most famous fashion houses. By 1930, about one-third of Paris models were Russian.

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Why do some international marriages end on divorce and what are causes of it? Probably somebody will point on the cultural difference, language problems and so on that produce misunderstanding between people. But all that problems are not uncommon in the marriages between people of the same nation, who speaking same language can not understand each other (or are not able, or just simple do not want).

Even reading through the articles about divorces, that are written by Russian and Western specialists, I have not noticed so big difference in causes (only in rating of causes) between international divorce and “same nation” divorce. And we all know the reasons of divorce very often involve a combination of factors and can be quite complicated.

Why I have started this thread? I remember a Russian documentary about International dating and marriage “The American tears of Russian wives”. I have found the documentary in the Internet and watched it again.

In spite of the fact that the documentary is three years old it can be a good warning for a people who are involved in international dating (and even not international), the warning about the most guileful enemy of people (men and women) in the dating process – delusions (fantasy and self-deception), that can cause not only divorce but more terrible tragedy in the future.

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National Altai holiday El-Oiyn -”national games, national celebration” – sprang up at the end of 1980s in a wave of the revival of national culture as a direct heir of the meetings of ancient Altai tribes. Absorbed the best elements of ancient national traditions the El-Oiyn is a young holiday at the same time, that meets modern conception about a national festival.

Initially the El-Oiyn was intended not only as a peculiar local “Olympic games”, a championship for national sport games, but as a national festival that contributes to revival of cultural-historic traditions.

The first El-Oiyn took its place in 1988 near a village Elo of Omgudai region, and it included such national sport games as “kuresh” (sash wrestling), “shatra” (national Altai checkers), “kodurger tash” (rock lifting), archery, equestrian sport, theatrical show, and performance of national singing and dancing bands.

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The State Hermitage is one of the world biggest art and culture museum.
Founded in 1764, the Hermitage comprises eight departments: the Primitive Culture, the Culture of Antiquity, the Culture of the East, the History of Russian Culture, the Numismatics, the West European Culture, the Department of Science and Education, and the Restoration Department.
There are over 350 halls in Hermitage. The museum keeps about 3 million monuments of culture and art. Empress Catherine II initiated the collection of the Hermitage. In the end of the 19th century the museum was opened to public.
Paintings of such great masters as Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, Rembrandt, Poussain, Manet, Renoir are in the ownership of the Hermitage. The Hermitage is famous its collection of Scythian golden articles.

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St Petersburg has been the cradle of three revolutions: one in 1905 and two in 1917 (in February and October)

In the Soviet period November was considered to be the month of the Revolution, and 7 November (25 October old style) was a red-letter day in the calendar. Hundreds of thousands of people joined in demonstrations, meetings and parades in honor of the Great October Socialist Revolution…

These days 7 November has been renamed the Day of Harmony and Reconcilation, and causes few palpitations. However the memory of those revolutionary days is preserved.

7 November Parade in 1984

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The Russian sociologists after their researches came to a conclusion that the ideal husband in the Russian women’s conception must to be smart, strong and family prosperity provider. A happy family for a Russian woman is a family where she feels protection and support of her man, as we say in Russia to be as behind a stone wall. Read more

Women’s Day is this Saturday, of course; so here is a walk that celebrates a few of the many talented women who have called Moscow home. Our journey ends at the striking Novode­vichy Convent, which was a refuge or prison for many influential noblewomen in the 18th century while the cemetery next door remembers women from every field (If you wish to take a trip just to Novodevichy, take the number 15 trolley – tickets are 25 rubles from the driver – passing close to the houses of a number of Moscow’s famous females). Read more and view photos

Today the town’s name is Volgograd – Uncle Joe’s namesake disappeared in the late 1950s when the anti-Stalin campaign was in full swing. However, the town itself, built after the Master Plan of the late 1940s, still remains Stalingrad – the influence of the dictator can be discovered in every architectural ensemble. Read more