"Cossacks!" Topic

There has always been something gloriously barbaric about the Russians. The largest nation in Europe (and, land-wise, in the world) they were also the last great feudal autocracy, and the last to field tribal warriors in battle – as late as WWI. Love 'em or hate 'em, their appeal is undeniable.

Submitted for your enjoyment and approval

link

This is a great collection of music. Not all of the songs are military (though many are) or even Cossack (other Slavic nations are also represented), it is nonetheless great background music, whether you are harrying the Corsican Antichrist out of the Motherland, or sweeping your Cossacks and Tartars across England in a great VSF invasion.

As ever, enjoy!

I wish we could preview that ..it's not on iTunes either …

Oh dear! The (apparently) exotic eastern view of Russia strikes again!

the last great feudal autocracy

Er, no. Not unless you define "feudal" as meaning only European. My guess would be Tibet, until the Communists moved in. (It was feudal in the true medieval sense, with a tiny autocracy who owned all the land.)

and the last to field tribal warriors in battle

Now you are being silly. There are still tribal warriors being fielded today: mostly in Africa.

The WWI Cossacks were no more "tribal" than you or I. If you mean the last European army units to be fielded on racial/tribal lines in distinct units, then I suggest the Ghurkas are no different.

Don't forget about the Kuban Cossacks, who were actually Ukrainian

"Er, no. Not unless you define "feudal" as meaning only European. My guess would be Tibet, until the Communists moved in. (It was feudal in the true medieval sense, with a tiny autocracy who owned all the land.)"

Er, yes. Did you miss the word "Europe" in there somehow, dude?

"and the last to field tribal warriors in battle Now you are being silly. There are still tribal warriors being fielded today: mostly in Africa."

Again, there's that word "Europe", kinda looming…

"The WWI Cossacks were no more "tribal" than you or I. If you mean the last European army units to be fielded on racial/tribal lines in distinct units, then I suggest the Ghurkas are no different."

Okay, have you ever cracked a book on the Cossacks? To this day, they are organized in tribal hosts. This was suppressed in the Soviet period, but never wholly successfully.

Er, yes. Did you miss the word "Europe" in there somehow, dude?

I imagine he read your sentence as you wrote it rather than as you meant it.

Yo, Mephisto. The 'dude'(*) appears to be 'rightous' on this one!

(*) FKA Mark Plant

If my memory serves me right, the Austro-Hungarian and German "feudal autocracies" (I wonder if you meant absolute monarchies?) lasted about the same time as the Russian one, and collapsed at about the same time… The Bulgarian one outlived it.

Now, this "tribal" thing is just silly and I would not push it if I were you – it sounds extremely ignorant. There is nothing "tribal" about the cossacks. Scottish Highlanders are more "tribal" than the cossacks.

Cossacks have always been a social class in Russia, not the ethnic category. If by "tribal" you meant ethnically exclusive (not allowing Jews, for example), then the Nazis were more "tribal" again…

No, I mean "tribal" as in "tribal society". There is nothing specifically racial nor even technological that can keep you from having a tribal society. Cossack "hetmen" are called that for a reason.

However, as this was meant as a favor to you guys generally, and is consumately not worth arguing over, I won't. Nothin' but love for ya.