The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-13
Ruined by Internal Struggle.


wars.
Ruined by Internal Struggle.
During these interminable struggles
of rival princes. Kiev, which had been
50 long the residence of the grand
prince. was repeatedly taken by storm,
and ruthlessly pillaged. Finally the
whole valley of the Dnieper fell a prey
TO the marching tribes of the steppe.
Thereupon Russian colonization and
political influence retreated north
ward, and from that time the contin-
sous stream of Russian history is
to be sought in the land where the
Vikings first settled. and in the adjoin-
ing basin of the upper Volga. Here
new municipalities were founded, some
Of them having a grand prince. who
no longer professed allegiance TO Kiev
Thus appeared the grand princes Of
SuZdal. of Tver, of RyaZan and of
Moscow-alI irrecOncilable rivals with
little or no feelings of blood relation
ship. The more ambitious and power
full among Them aspired not TO sue
coed, but to Subdue the others and
take possession Of their territory, and
the armed retainers, who were won't
formerly to wander about as free
lances. gave up their rowing mode of
life, settled down permanently, be-
came landed proprietors and sought
to share as boyars the princes au-
thority.
The greatest of these principalities
was Novgorod. Since the days when
Pnrily ho n 60 "a
quarters the little capital on the Vol
know had grown into great CONNER
cial city and brought under subsection
vast expanse of territory, stretch
Ing from the shores of the Baltic to
the Ural mountains. Unlike the other
Russian principalities it had a dem
pcratfc. rather than a mOnaFchiaf form
of government. The republic Of Nov
gorod was the first and only flicker
of freedom in the long night of Rus
STA, and it glowed but for a short
moment.
Novgorod had prince, but he was
engaged by formal contract. He was
merely the commander of the troops.
All the political power remained in the
hands of the civil officials. They had
popular assembly which was called
I together in the market place as occa-
sion required, by the tolling of the
great bell. The maxim of the state
was: eff the prince is bad, into the
mud with him.
In Moscow different state Of af-
fairs obtained. There the supreme law
! was the will and within of an autocrat.
| Democratic Novgorod and autoeratic
| Moscow became bitter rivals. The flu
| ture of Russia was In balance. The
| question was light or darkness. day
| or night, freedom or slavery for the
/ future Russians. Had NOvgorod won
i out in the thirteenth century we
might not have the problem of boil
| shevism in Russia today. But 1t was
| to be otherwise, and with the success
| of Moscow, autocracy was enthroned.
| The Russian night came on.
| Tatar Eruption.
| Then came the Tatar yoke. The
Golden Horde" conquered Russia. The
conquerors built their. capita1a at Sari
| on the lower Volga. The Mongols pill
| LACED and robbed. Tax gatherers kept
] the peoples backs bent in toll. The
| first trail to Siberia was blazed, the
cruel road that was to play such an
| important part in the horrors OF Rus
sian history. Oddly enough the first
wayfarers who journeyed on this road
were Russian autocrats, the degener-
ate and corrupt descendants OF Rur1k.
| The grand khan, the chief Of the Mon
| gol empire, lived with the "Great
Horde In the valley of the Amur In
| Siberia. Russian princes were puppets
| in the eyes of this autocrat OF auto
Gratis. He commanded them to appear
before him. Before making the peril
Gus trip the prince made his last will
and testament and gave direction for
the guidance of his children. Few ever
came back The road to Siberia then.
as later. was a journey into the shad-
ow of death. Some died on the trip
others found execution the reception
at it's end. The few who returned es-
capped the wrath of the great khan by
sycophancy and bribery.
The princes of Moscow were the
most willing and plant tools of the
| great khan. They outraged and robbed
their own subjects to satisfy the Mon
gol court Muscovy grew strong under
the Mongol empire. The betrayal of
the Russians was the price. This is
the faint in the blood Of the cZardom
of Muscovy; out of this line the czars
came. When the Russian princes be-
came strong enough they turned on
the Mongol empire. 1t was weakening
At the battle of Kulikovo, 1880. the
Mongol yoke was broken.
Three czars, Ivan III, known as the
Great, his son Basil, and his grandson
Ivan ", called Ivan the Terrible
whose united reigns cover a period OF
one hundred and twenty-five years
1852 to 1884, forged and fixed the
shackles on the people of Russia,
shackles which clanked until the exc,
cution of the last ROmanoff, Nicholas
1t was Ivan III who snuffed out the
last spark of liberty in Russia, the
| democracy of Novgorod. Ivan ~ I'm
ished the job; popular assemblies