CHEN Shulin

（№.1,2011）

Abstract: From the geographical and traditional and cultural recognition, Russia is a close neighbor to Western Europe who shares the same cultural heritage and most of the Russians feel honored to be a member of European world. Thus, the special characteristics of modernization that Russians hope to catch up with Western Europe seem to be more smooth and effi cient. However, the way to modernization has not always been that smooth. If modernization is seen as the transformation from agriculture to industrial stage, as change of cultural codes, as the re-modeling of human development and human self recognition, we will fi nd that there is still a long way to go and many deep cultural issues to face. The cultural conservative ideology and nationalism formed by Russian Orthodox are just samples that hinder the advancement to this modernization. The research into that deep cultural  indrance can reveal the real factors that obstruct the Russian modernization. At the time when the Russian are forming the modernization strategy in the fi rst 10 years of the 21st century, the research is certainly academically valuable.

KeyWords: Russia; modernization, Orthodox; cultural hindrance