I believe it was Alexander Nevsky:- "He who comes to us with the sword, shall die by the sword" I was just thinking how the Russian soldier of WW2 carried this in their minds when fighting back at the Hitlerite hordes, and it really demonstartes the mentality of the Russian people to persevere.
AS well one of the "better choices" by Stalin was to name the battle for "fight for Motherland". If it had been fight for communism that would have not been too good a choice, I think. Stalin as well let the Church and priests do their work again, and knowing how religious people they are, another point for Stalin here... [ 12. March 2003, 06:34 AM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]
It was a very good quote. If you go to Volgograd and Kiev you will see why the motherland and sword were popular during Soviet times. In MOHAA Spearhead Multiplayer when you play a Russian solder and say (You mess with the best you'll die like the rest) In reality it means Who comes with a sword in Russia dies with the sword. I would not be surprised of Czar used it during World War I to get his troops into battles.
yes you are right my friend and i agree with you ,i love those past times..i must say this is nice and interesting.. and i am loving my first visit on this forum .. keep it up friends
Stalin sure took it out on those who didnt take on this Fight for the motherland cause, even those who had to surrender for no fault of there own came to a sticky end when the allies handed them back over to Stalin IN 1945.
This is applicable to any kind of fight from a simple game to a fight for surviving. What is realy important is the moral, the will to fight, the faith to victory, the acceptance of sacrifice. Otherwise before the fight begins, only a count of the equipment and the men and a show of the training will be enough. in my country we say the tongue has no bones but it can break bones. The words have power. A tale can start a revolution or can change the result of a war. Al. Nevski or Stalin or anyone important man knows this and try to inspire the men under his commands or the people he leads. From the ancient years (remember the speech of Leonidas at Thermopylae) till Al. Nevski, Napoleon, Koutouzov, Patton, McArthur (I Shall return) and hudreds other leader of men, used the power of the words as a critical 'push' in order to make their men to believe and achieve what themselves had planed. Al. Nevski unify the Russians of his time and the result was victorious against the Teuton Knights. In the Orthodox East we consider the History not as a straight line which goes to future but as a circle; the same historical events continously happens. Stalin used the example of Al. Nevski and tried to inspire Russians using this kind of motives. He succeeded.
I seen alot of propaganda posters in my time, but the Russian ones have a way of stiring the nations blood into fighting against the German invader in a very stark and simple way, sometimes with only three colours, red, white & black, very patriotic.
