Before the Revolution | The Extravagant Lives of Russia’s Nobility

Before the revolution, the Russian elite lived decadent lives. This video details the lifestyle of Russia’s aristocracy, who are now known as Russia’s former people.

[@lavishhistory9751]

Thank you for watching! Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe for more videos!

[@annak.9054]

I recently finished Tolstoy’s novel, Anna Karenina. All the parties, dinners, and extravagance was so beautifully illustrated throughout the story. I’d be surprised if you hadn’t read Anna K. because you nailed the aristocratic culture on the head.

[@michaelodhiambo8375]

I read Anna Karenina some times back. Tolstoy explicitly illustrate the lifestyle of Russian nobility, but he acknowledged that the system was unfair. He was wondering how the peasants could in the farms of the nobility with their children, sometimes for the whole night but all they could make in a year was equivalent to what the nobility could make in a day.

[@zainabsyedahmed5194]

Omg! I am here on the same account....Anna karenina...

[@clawcross]

​@@michaelodhiambo8375he knew what was coming and laid low. His family survived and a descendant of his is now a good toady of Putin.

[@RANDOMraspberry1]

These paintings and stories resemble so much of what my great grandma used to talk about when she’d be speaking about her childhood. They left St. Petersburg when the revolution happened, changed names and never came back - I hope I can discover their noble name.

[@PavelAVasilevich]

Распутина???

[@zhulyi]

People's kids were poisoned and that's after the revolution and far from Russia.

[@premodernprejudices3027]

In other words, the country was tragically ripe for the horror of communist revolution. We would do well to pay attention to the plight of the working or out of work middle class here in America, rather than scapwgoating them as "deplorables," or "racists," or "bigots," and so on.

[@Warcrimeenthusiast]

Spot on

[@zonilo1]

"rather than scapegoating them as "deplorables," or "racists," or "bigots," and so on." Because they are much like yourself more than likely.

[@sergikoms9611]

there was no Revolution in Russia, - in 1917 Russia was transitioning to a Republic, and in October a small gang of Terrorists attacked - Lenin, Trotsky, - 50% in Russia were for the S-Rov - capitalism like in Sweden, - Communists were 5%, and within the Party a small group of Terrorists - to take power by Terror and Bayonets.

[@Danleesixoneonetwofive]

Right on. What communism did to culture and the Church was horrible, but like, how can you blame them when you have these spoiled aholes up there speaking French and eating Western European cake meanwhile their own Slavic working class lives like trash. Like, are these people blind?

[@ksmith610]

Your voice is lovely. I could listen to it for a long time. Please note, though, that the word is pronounced “air-is-TOCK-ruh-see. Please do make more videos!

[@lavishhistory9751]

You’re very sweet! And thank you for the correction, I honestly had no idea I was pronouncing it wrong.

[@mediocremaiden8883]

Actually it depends on the region. New Wnglander Americans pronounce it that way, but I wouldn't say that's the "correct" way. It's just how we pronounce it because of Regional Dialect.

[@stevenwillard8436]

This video was precisely what I hoped it would be. I didn’t expect it to be so hypnotic, though.

[@moritzwilhelme.1333]

Your videos are incredibly professional, thank you so much! The information you provide, combined with the choice of paintings, gives a really vivid and extensive insight into the lives of Russia's nobility. I am looking forward to your future videos! Are you planning to limit your content to depicting particular lifestyles and persons? Or are you also interested in portraying broader historical developments regarding the aristocracy?

[@nicolasuribestanko]

The video is OK, but the narration is.... kinda like a mosquito in my ear.

[@chrisoleary9876]

Aristocracy..air-iss-toc-rah-see.

[@NigelFowlerSutton]

There was no difference between the lives of the Russian nobility and those in Britain before the Revolution. The great aristocratic mansions and palaces of Britain of which there are still many were also lavish with many household servants. The "season" the traditional annual period runs from April to August when members of the upper classes hold balls, dinner parties and charity events. And remains to this day.

[@hazel2546]

British nobility are significant less lavish than the Russians were, just compare Sandringham house of the British royals with Catherine the Winter Palace of the Russian Royals... both were the winter residences!

[@NigelFowlerSutton]

@@hazel2546 You cannot compare Sandringham to the Winter Palace. Sandrigham is the equivalent of a Russia dacba or hunting lodge. And to be perfectly correct, the Winter Palace was not a winter residence. The palace was the official residence of the Tsars. One final and most important point I aluded to was a comparison to their lives, not their palaces.

[@prabowodjojominarso6151]

The british nobility lived less lavish life than their russian counterpart

[@zonilo1]

@@prabowodjojominarso6151That's because that's their Protestantism showing compared to the Russians and it's also the same reason why the United States is even less lavish than anywhere in Europe where the worst of the Protestants went to....

[@lenietrollip486]

Beautifully done, thank you. What a cultured society, vivid and many distinguished composers also.

[@singhsahab9874]

A saturday night john and stella....

[@ioan_jivan]

Great video :D

[@joelgustafson8283]

This deserves way more views, very well done!

[@kristenthomas3985]

Thanks 😊

[@kelvinsande]

The is no difference of the Russia nobility and french nobility

[@Danleesixoneonetwofive]

Let them eat cake!

[@tracyanne8616]

It was very nice but you do really need to seek out to say aristocracy correctly.

[@MorningGlory62]

Wow, this version, depicts them as if they had no invention or culture or fashion, etc.. of their own. As if they longed to be French! Insulting. Can't wait to see if the Saudi Arabian royals, African, Chinese, Japanese, etc.. are depicted as French whatabe's also.

[@MariiaDotsenko]

But it was so. In 17 century the rulers of Russian empire took everything from Europe.

[@ClanImprobable]

Thank you, what a lovely video.

[@whitneycloud9419]

Lovely and informative video--really gives a taste of Russian aristocratic life! New subscriber here.

[@sergikoms9611]

Since the 1860s, Capitalism has begun - Traders and Industrialists with Millions of money, - and the Nobles could not find an extra 10 thousand rubles to live.

[@emilklanczyk9020]

Ich habe hier einen Bild gefunden vom Oestereich~Ungarn: Hofbal in Wien Hofburg mit FranzJosef!!!

[@salwayassin]

😄🐭

[@saccharinesilk]

1:09 that's not a russian manor, that's mavisbank house, in scotland

[@saccharinesilk]

8:38 less eggregious, this is not a palace as the narration implies, it's stieglitz mansion

[@hyltonfalgate1789]

Yes, quite, so many of the representations are famous French paintings, not Russian at all.

[@piplebref4607]

@@hyltonfalgate1789 Or elsewhere. At 2 mins the painting is of the Heldenplatz, Vienna.

[@meeeka]

Not Annikov Palace, An-inich-kov (1st syllable emphasis) Palace. The irony of course is that the Russian court looked to France and the French courts, both Bourbon and Napoleonic, for style guidance, even tho the Russian nobility was closely intermarried with the German and Danish smaller courts, as well with some families of Austria Hungarian origin. Still, the Russian seemed to intermarry best with the German and Danish speaking courts.

[@Danleesixoneonetwofive]

Whew how do you have so much knowledge in manors? Pretty awesome

[@sleepthoughamostqruelandde1116]

Air-o-stock-ra-see

[@justinleemiller]

Many nannies from French speaking countries or Britain

[@АзизТургунов-ъ8ц]

Only utilisation

[@casperyusuf7784]

Tartarian empire

[@trineperstuen7011]

It would have been nice with real pictures😢..this was kinda boring😢.

[@gabrielmarceloecheverriadi2286]

My dear, the communist Nomenklatura and leadership act, behave and live in the same way that the nobility they hated meanwhile belch citations of Marx and the benefits of the revolution ( for them and not for the ones like you and me). Russian nobility was not different from the English, German nobility and French haute bourgeois...

[@grigol101]

It is not true. I am not a supporter of revolutions, but the nobles themselves brought to this situation. To be fair, communists didn't live like that. After Stalin's death, only a couple of military jackets remained from his personal property. The children of members of the Central Committee of the CPSU fought in the Great Patriotic War, like ordinary soldiers. Power was not inherited. The communists introduced the standards of free education, free medical care, an eight-hour working day, equal rights for women, and so on for the whole world. But the main thing is that the communists developed industrial production and science. Stalin managed to win all the wars and build a nuclear and space superpower out of a backward peasant country.

[@TERRANOVAofficial]

ok basically like every other monarchy only a little behind and leaning towards kitsch - that hasnt changed. this reminds me of the music in supermarkets

[@lightdarklightdarklightdark]

:)

[@zoyai]

Nice presentation but too focused on a 'feministic' pov.

[@faziletharezmsah7977]

Young talented historian