Differences in mentality

Differences in mentality between Russians and Germans

There are some prejudices in Germany about Russians and their mentality. These are not as widespread as, for example, that of La Dolce Vita in Italy or like the resentment of the proud Spaniards. But especially in the New Federal States, many people still have past memories of the Russians. In the days of the GDR, they were officially called brothers. But friends they were basically never.

It is said the panacea of the Russians is in all situations of life the vodka, especially, but not exclusively with the men. Whether hard-drinking is a mentality is open to question. In surveys, however, the Germans see the Russian people primarily as hard-drinkers. But Russians are also considered hospitable, brave, generous and emotional. Russian melancholy is a metaphor from poetry. It says that Russians like to wallow in their own sorrow, that they suffer from the cold of Siberia and walk lonely through tundra and taiga. Which, of course, is true of very few people from this great nation. That the Russians, in spite of suffering and war and communism, are generally regarded as peace-loving, believers in the state, and educated, says much about the truth of these suppositions. Probably two attributes in particular are true. Russians are thoughtful and many of them like to drink vodka. Which should be avoided at all costs if you still have to get behind the wheel. Although it is considered impolite to refuse food and drink in Russia, in this case you should definitely be unfriendly and hope for understanding. Just imagine that you are driving a hire car and have an accident with it. The fault lies with the drunk driver. And even if no one is hurt, this incident could be very expensive.

You shouldn’t infer the Russian mentality from drinking, though. That would be unfair. But the Russians are certainly much more emotional than the Germans, and for these reasons more difficult to grasp rationally when dealing with them. You could say that they have internalised a certain attitude to a certain extent and approach situations with a “nevertheless”. This is probably explained by the past. Which also means that solutions are found when there are problems. For example, if someone gets stuck with their vehicle on a lonely road somewhere, they will be helped. A solution is found so that the journey can continue. This attitude undoubtedly comes from the times of the Soviet empire, when not everything was always available, but still many things had to work. Also the attitude “Who shows weakness, loses” is considered typical Russian. And whoever tolerates the least vodka perhaps also…

The Germans, it is said, are not too popular in parts of the Russian population. This, if true, is certainly due to the past, especially the Second World War. That the Germans are also regarded by the Russians as industrious, hard-working, reliable and punctual will come as little surprise. As will the fact that German cars also enjoy great popularity in Russia. They are also offered by some Russian hire car companies, but where mainly Russian cars are stocked. But the big companies are active worldwide and also offer internationally known vehicle brands. It is well known that Germans have the prejudice that they are quickly dissatisfied and also like to present what and who they think they are. This will not go down well in Russia. And just because something is not one hundred percent as the Germans would like it to be, no one should get too upset. After all, you are not in your homeland, but in a foreign country. As far as the service is concerned, there is surely a slightly different standard in Russia than in the Federal Republic. As a traveller, you should be prepared for this. Performance and quality should, for example, when booking a hire car, however, to some extent correspond to the international standard. So there is nothing against renting a vehicle in Russia if you are interested, but this will certainly be much easier in the big cities than, for example, in Siberia.