Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T07:34:24.789Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

In Search of the Fourth Rome: Visions of a New Russian Capital City

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Vadim Rossman
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Over the last twenty years Russia has experienced significant fluctuations in sentiments regarding the prospects and urgency of relocating the Russian capital city. In this article, Vadim Rossman examines the public debates on this topic, which have involved important Russian politicians, intellectuals, and members of various expert communities. In these debates, one can recognize several distinct new visions of society that emerged in the post-Soviet period. This article provides an overview and a critique of these debates and suggests that they should be viewed in the context of nation building, the slow emergence of the nation that was historically suppressed under the weight of the imperial ambitions of Russian statehood. In the background of these debates, the concept of self-identity looms large. National capitals can serve as catalysts for nation building and an instrument of the nation as it constitutes and constructs itself.

Type
Moscow: A Global City?
Information
Slavic Review , Volume 72 , Issue 3 , Fall 2013 , pp. 505 - 527
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. More detailed analysis can be found in my book V poiskakh Chetvertogo Rima: Rossiiskie debaty o perenose stolitsy (Moscow, 2013)Google Scholar.

2. Twickel, Nikolaus von, “Miserable Moscow Ranks Low,” St. Petersburg Times 1381 (45), 12 June 2008 Google Scholar.

3. “IBM Global Commuter Pain Study Reveals Traffic Crisis in Key International Cities,” Press Release, 30 June 2010, at http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/32017. wss (last accessed 31 May 2013).

4. “Bad Weather, Bad-Tempered People Scare Foreigners away from Moscow,” Kommersant, 30 January 2007; “What the Russian Papers Say,” RIA Novosti, 14 June 2007, at http://www.n.rian.ru/analysis/20070614/67235589.html (last accessed 31 May 2013); WCIOM Survey, “Gorodupuschennykhvozmozhnostei,“21April2005, http://www.atwciom.ru/index.php?id=269&uid=1203 (last accessed 31 May 2013).

5. Nemtsov, B., Nezavisimyi ekspertnyi doklad “Luzhkov. Itogi” (Moscow, 2009)Google Scholar; Bowring, Bill, “Moscow: Third Rome, Model Communist City, Eurasian Antagonist—and Power as No-Power?” London Metropolitan University Human Rights and Social Justice Research Institute, Polis, 2005/2006Google Scholar.

6. Shvydkoi, M., “Rukopisi v virtual'nom mire,” Rossiiskaia gazeta, 13 October 2010 Google Scholar.

7. Rossman, V., “Perenos stolitsy: Skhema analiza,” Predstavitel'naia vlast': Zhurnal gosudarstvennoi Dumi (March 2010)Google Scholar.

8. Many people living in Siberia have never been to their capital city and cannot afford to go there; during the recent population census many of them referred to this fact to explain their choice of identity as Siberians rather than Russians. V. Antipin, “Grazhdanin Sibiri,” Russkii reporter, 22 February 2011.

9. “Moskvichei v Rossii nenavidiat uzhe dve treti sograzhdan,” Newsland, 18 February 2009 Google Scholar.

10. “Kuda by stolitsu perenesti?” Kommersant vlast', no. 17 (4 May 1999)Google Scholar; “Chetvertii Rim,” Itogi, no. 1 (10 January 2011).

11. Dugin, A., “Tret'ia stolitsa Evrazii,” in Kirabaev, N., Semushkin, A., and Nizhnikov, S., eds., Evraziiskaia ideia i sovremennost’ (Moscow, 2002), 228–44Google Scholar.

12. Since its discovery, Arkaim has attracted significant public and media attention. It is said to be the most enigmatic archaeological site within the territory of Russia, and, as with many archaeological discoveries, many conflicting interpretations have emerged. In order to gain publicity, the early investigators described Arkaim as “Swastika City,” “Mandate City,” and the ancient capital of early Aryan civilization, as described in the Avesra and Vedas. For more details on the myth of Arkaim in Russian nationalist ideology, see Shnirelman, V., “Strasti po Arkaimu: Ariiskaia ideia i natsionalizm,” in Olkott, M. B. [01- cott] and Il'ia Semenov, eds., Iazyk i etnicheskii konflikt (Moscow, 2001), 58–85 Google Scholar.

13. Both cited in “Ekspert: V sluchae perenosa stolitsy Rossii Kazakhstan pridetsia prisoedinit',” Rosbalt, 26 February 2009 Google Scholar.

14. Tsymburskii, V., “Zaural'skii Peterburg: Al'ternativa dlia rossiiskoi tsivilizatsii,” Biznes ipolitika, 1995, no. 1:57Google Scholar.

15. Tret'iakov, V., “Nuzhno li, a esli nuzhno, to kuda perenosit’ stolitsu Rossii?” Chto delat'? on the TV channel Kultura), 24 June 2007 Google Scholar. The guests on the program included Dianov, Maksim, Andreev, Dmitrii, Krupnov, Iurii, lurovitskii, Vladimir, and Mikhail Deliagin. V., lurovitskii, Rossii nuzhna novaia stolitsa (Moscow, 2005)Google Scholar.

16. Iurovitskii, , Rossii nuzhna novaia stolitsa, 67 Google Scholar.

17. Korableva, S., “Eduard Limonov: ‘Rossii nuzhen novyi natsproekt—perenos stolitsy strany v Omsk,'” Novyi region, 21 January 2008 Google Scholar.

18. “Zhirinovskii: Sdelaem iz Orenburga Washington,” Novyi region, 28 September 2010, at http://www.nr2.ru/moskow/302349.html (last accessed 31 May 2013).

19. “V poiskakh imperskoi perspektivy: Suzhdeno li Kievu stat tsentrom postvizantiiskoi tsivilizatsii,” Nezavisimaia gazeta, 25 October 2000 Google Scholar.

20. Tretiakov, V., “Rossia: Poslednii pryzhok v budushchee,” Nezavisimaia gazeta, 24 February 2000 Google Scholar.

21. Krupnov, I., Solntse v Rossii voskhodit s Vostoka (Moscow, 2006)Google Scholar.

22. “Chetvertii Rim.“

23. V. Milov, interview, Moscow, February 2011.

24. Shiropaev, A., Ot Rossii k Rusi: Stat'i, ocherki, esse (Moscow, 2003)Google Scholar; Mozhegov, Vladimir, “O novoi gardarike i moskovskikh pirogakh,” APN, 17 August 2006 Google Scholar.

25. Mozhegov, “O novoi gardarike i moskovskikh pirogakh.“

26. Shiropaev, A., Tiurma naroda: Russkii vzgliad na Rossiiu (Moscow, 2001)Google Scholar.

27. S. Kornev and V. Shtepa, “Posle Tret'ego Rima—Kitezh (Otryvok iz futurologicheskogo proekta ‘Evropa ot Kitezha do Aliaski’),” Zavtra, no. 1-2 (18 January 2000).

28. Mozhegov, “0 novoi gardarike i moskovskikh pirogakh.”

29. Bychkova, E., “Gavriil Popov: Korruptsiiu v rossiisskoi stolitse mozhno pobedit',” Argumenty ifakti, no. 40 (6 October 2010)Google Scholar.

30. Lezhava, I. and Shubenkov, M., “Kontseptsiia lineinoi sistemy rasseleniia Rossii v 21 veke,” IV Rome (online journal), 14 April 2010 Google Scholar, at http://www.ivrome.ru/2010/04/koncepciyalinejnoj-sistemy-rasseleniya-rossii-v-21-veke/ (last accessed 31 May 2013).

31. Ibid.

32. Trifonov, A., “Perenos stolitsy neobkhodim, ia eshche v 1986-m predlagal stroit’ gorod mezhdu Moskvoi i Piterom',” Izvestiia, 30 June 2011 Google Scholar.

33. Belkovskii, S., “Dorogaia moia stolitsa, zolotaia moia N'iu-Moskva…: Komu vygoden perenos federal ‘noi vlasti v gorod-sputnik na pustyre?” Moskovskii komsomolets, no. 25686 (7 July 2011).Google Scholar

34. Ibid.

35. “Mikhail Deliagin: Stolitsu nuzhno perenosit’ v zakholust'e,” 19 April 2012, on Priamaia rech, Mir TV, at http://www.mirtv.ru/programms/4390776/episode/4886262 (last accessed 31 May 2013).

36. “Perenos stolytsy,” 22 January 2011, on Pravo golosa, hosted by Roman Babaian, Channel 3. The participants included Iurii Krupnov, Sergei Stankevich, Aleksandr Tsypko, Marat Gel'man, losif Diskin, Igor’ Volgin, Evgenii Minchenko, and Boris Mezhuev.

37. O. Wite, “Stolitsa versus okraina: Cherez 10 let Moskva perestanet byt’ edinstvennym gorodom v strane,” Interview with Petr Miroshnik,” IVRome (online journal), 24 August 2010, at http://www.ivrome.ru/2010/08/stolica-vs-okraina/ (last accessed 31 May 2013).

38. “Perenos stolytsy“; Kurennoi, V., “Tiagotenie k tsentru: Razvitie makroregional'- nykh stolits,” Politicheskii zhurnal, no. 43 (19 December 2005)Google Scholar.

39. “Perenos stolytsy.”

40. P. Prianikov, “Poka rossiiane bedny, demokratii v strane ne budet,” Tolkovatel', 3 March 2012, at http://www.ttolk.ru/?p=9884 (last accessed 31 May 2013).

41. Irina Hakamada cited in “Kuda by stolitsu perenesti?“

42. Rakhmatullin, R., Dve Moskvi, Hi Metafizika stolitsi (Moscow 2008), 15–16 Google Scholar.

43. Many capitals of the medieval European kingdoms modeled themselves on Rome or Jerusalem. Nuremberg, one of the capitals of the Holy Roman Empire, was considered the reincarnation of Jerusalem and had topological similarities to Jerusalem (e.g., Olive Hill and the like). The same holds for the medieval Russian capitals Moscow and Kiev. See Stupperrich, R., “Kiev—das zweite Jerusalem,” Zeitschrift fiir slavische Philologie 12 (1935)Google Scholar. Rakhmatullin is primarily interested in the parallel landscape features of Moscow and Rome (seven hills and the like).

44. A. Maler, “Otstupaf nekuda—pozadi Moskva!” Russkiizhurnal, 25 January 2007.

45. Turner, S. and Turner, R., “Capital Cities: A Special Case in Urban Development,” Annals of Regional Science 46, no. 1 (February 2011): 19–35 CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Moomaw, Ronald L. and Alwosabi, Mohammad A., “An Empirical Analysis of Competing Explanations of Urban Primacy: Evidence from Asia and the Americas,” Annals of Regional Science 38, no. 1 (March 2004)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Zimmermann, Horst, “Do Different Types of Capital Cities Make a Difference for Eco nomic Dynamism?” Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 28, no. 5 (2010): 761–67CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

46. Gottman, Jean, “Capital Cities,” in Gottman, Jean and Harper, Robert, eds., Since Megapolis: The Urban Writings of Jean Gottman (Baltimore, 1990), 63–82 Google Scholar; Gordon, David L. A. and Seasons, Mark L., “Administrative and Financial Strategies for Implementing Plans in Political Capitals,” Canadian Journal of Urban Research 18, no. 1 (Summer 2009)Google Scholar; Hall, Peter, “The Changing Role of Capital Cities: Six Types of Capital City,” in Taylor, John H., Lengelle, Jean G., and Andrew, C., eds., Capital Cities International Perspectives/Les Capitales Perspectives Internationales (Ottawa, 1993)Google Scholar.

47. On the dynamic systems approach, see Lee, Man-Hyung, Choi, Nam-Hee, and Park, Moonseo, “A Systems Thinking Approach to the New Administrative Capital in Korea: Balanced Development or Not?” System Dynamics Review 21, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 69–85 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed.

48. One curious example will suffice. V. P. Patrakov produced a whole book, where he proposed a numerological way to study the genealogy of new capital cities and their relocation based on the poetic metaphors of Velimir Khlebnikov, a Russian avant-garde poet. See Patrakov, V. P., Rozhdenie stolits: Otproshlogo k budushchemu (Kharkov, 2008)Google Scholar.

49. Hosking, Geoffrey, Russia and the Russians: A History from Rus to the Russian Federation (London, 2001)Google Scholar.

50. Kas'ianova, Ksenia, “Rossiia perezhivaet period perekhoda k natsional'nomu gosudarstvu,” in Kas'ianova, O russkom natsional'nom kharaktere (Moscow 1994), 16 Google Scholar.

51. Potts, Deborah, “Capital Relocation in Africa: The Case of Lilongwe in Malawi,” Geographical Journal 151, no. 2 (July 1985): 182–96CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

52. Schatz, Edward, “What Capital Cities Say about State and Nation Building,” Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 9, no. 4 (2004): 111–40CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

53. Murphey, Rhoads, “New Capitals of Asia,” Economic Development and Cultural Change, 5 no. 3 (April 1957): 216–43; (1957)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Nwafor, J. C., “The Relocation of Nigeria's Federal Capital: A Device for Greater Territorial Integration and National Unity,” Geojournal 4, no. 4 (1980): 359–66CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Potts, , “Capital Relocation in Africa,” 182–96Google Scholar

54. “The Pros and Cons of Capital Flight,” The Economist, 13 August 2004 Google Scholar; Akam, Simon, “Not Such a Capital Idea after All,” Independent, 24 February 2011 Google Scholar.

55. Richardson, Harry W., “The Location and Relocation of National and State Capitals in North America and the Rest of the World,” in Korea Planners Association, A Planning Policy for Korea's New Capital City (Seoul, 2003), 119–30Google Scholar.

56. Karamzin, N., Zapiska o drevnei i novoi Rossii v ee politicheskom i grazhdanskom otnosheniiakh (Moscow, 1991), 159 Google Scholar.

57. Corey, Kenneth E., “Relocation of National Capitals: Implication for Korea,” International Symposium on the Capital Relocation (Seoul, 2004), 42–127 Google Scholar.