Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-04-22
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction
in Europe Follow the Great
World War?
RUSSIA ALWAYS UNDER YOKE
Easy to Understand Why the Unhappy
People Have Turned to Bolshe-
vism in Their Cropping for
Freedom.
Article XVI.
BY FRANK COMERFORD.

the mother of Russian cities. In the
ninth century Slavs and Films lived in
tribal state in the forest region near
Lake linen, between Lake LadOga and
the upper waters of the Dnieper river.
Bands of military adventures from
the land of Rus, which is supposed to
have been part of Sweden, exacted
tribute from the tribes. In the year
$50 the tribes threw off the yoke of
the Norsemen and drove them out of
the country. It was Russia's first revo-
luton, SO the old chronicler relates,
and it was successful. Freed from the
tyranny of the tribute takers the tribes
Their land was large and fertile, but
civil war destroyed order. Then as
now, order was the first essential to
peace and happiness. 1t is told that
after three years of tribal war they
confessed their inability to manage
their own affairs and they sent mis-
sion to Rus to invite their old masters
to come and rule over them.
According to the legend, three broth
ers, princes Of Rus, Rurik, Sineus and
Truvor. accepted the call and founded
dynasty, from which many of the
Russian princes of the present day
claim descent.
While much discussion has been pro-
voked as to the identity of the war
riors from the land of Rus, the found
ers of the Russian empire, it is gen.
orally believed that they were the
hardy Norsemen, who in the ninth cen
fury roamed through various countries
! of Europe. These rowing bands in
vaded and conquered territory and
lived as the dominant military caste
until they were gradually absorbed by
the native population.
Novgorod First Capital.
Prince Rurik built his capital on the
banks of the River Volkhov, which
with Lake linen formed part of the
great waterway connecting the Baltic
and Black seas. By this route, the
tall, blonde Norsemen, who composed
the famous Varangian bodyguard of
the Byzantine emperOrs, Travelled from
Scandinavia to COnstantinople. Rus
sia's first capital was NOvgorod.
These new rulers from the land of
Rus brought with them the spirit of
adventure Of the Norsemen. They
were not contented to rule the tribes
who had invited them. They set out
to conquer the surrounding country in
all directions. and before two hundred
years had passed they had invaded
Byzantine territory, established them
selves at Kiev, threatened Constanti-
nople with fleet, secured as a consOrt
for Vladimir l, one of their princes a
sister of the Byzantine emperor,
adopted Christianity for themselves
and their subjects, learned to hold in
check the nomadic hordes of the
steppe and formed matrimonial al
liances with the reigning families of
Poland, Hungary, Norway and France.
They became a great power in eastern
Europe.
They had great appetite for con-
quest, but they lacked the power to
organize the territory they conquered.
The political future Of the new state
was destroyed when the princes of the
Rurik dynasty divided the state into
number of independent principalities
For a time these were weakly and
loosely held together by the patri
archal authority of the senior mem
Der Of the family, the grand prince,
who ruled in Kiev. Family quarrels
became frequent. These princes were
strong men. They wanted power. They
strOve to enlarge their territories at
the expense Of their rivals. The tradi-
tional authority of the grand prince
declined. Yaroslav the Great was the
last of the grand princes. With his
death in 1854 family feuds multiplied
and disintegration set in. During the
next ITO years, from 1854 to 1924,
Russia was split into over sixty prin-
cipalities. Disputes over the question
of succession led to eighty-three civil
wars
Ruined by Internal Struggle.
During these interminable struggles
of rival princes, Kiev, which had been
so long the residence of the grand
prince, was repeatedly taken by storm,
and ruthlessly pillaged. Finally the
whole valley of the Dnieper fell prey
to the marching tribes of the steppe.
Thereupon Russian colonization and
political influence retreated north
ward, and from that time the contin-
uous 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 principalities 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-all irreconcilable rivals with
little or no feelings of blood relation
ship The more ambitions and mower