Russia lacked nearly all defining features of Western civilization

Evidence

Russia had no or little exposure to the defining historical phenomena of Western civilization: Roman Catholicism, feudalism, the Renaissance, the Reformation, overseas expansion and colonization, the Enlightenment, and the emergence of the nation state. Seven of the eight previously identified distinctive features of Western civilization—religion, languages, separation of church and state, rule of law, social pluralism, representative bodies, individualism—were almost totally absent from the Russian experience. The only possible exception is the Classical legacy, which, however, came to Russia via Byzantium and hence was quite different from that which came to the West directly from Rome. Russian civilization was a product of its indigenous roots in Kievan Rus and Moscovy, substantial Byzantine impact, and prolonged Mongol rule. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 381 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

By adopting Western ideology and using it to challenge the West, Russians in a sense became closer to and more intimately involved with the West than at any previous time in their history. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 387 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Russia developed outside every defining feature of Western civilization except a Byzantine-mediated classical legacy — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 381; Russia’s Orthodox civilization diverged from Western Europe through Byzantine and Tatar influences — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 125; Adopting Western ideology drew Russia closer to the West than ever — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 387 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Russia developed outside every defining feature of Western civilization except a Byzantine-mediated classical legacy #corroborates (0.95) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 381
• Adopting Western ideology drew Russia closer to the West than ever #complicates (0.82) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 387