[ajuc]

It's a simplification, obviously. But I do think there's a cultural factor in how society approaches the government and suffering in general that strongly influences what kind of government keeps developing in that society.

When you talk about politics with Russians - they always talk about it like it's a force of nature. Like the only choice is fatalistic acceptance.

[eyeundersand]

I agree with you on that point. This fatalistic attitude is also often mentioned when discussing how the Indian subcontinent remained colonized for so long. I do not know enough about Polish history to be able to compare their cultural stock to that of the 'East'.