> And what makes you think that all those non-Russian peoples desired to be part of that empire?
Not all but many of them, somewhere majority, somewhere minority, dependending of time and region.
> Doesn't the very definition of "empire" imply something forceful?
I think the very definition of "state", "government" or "law" imply something forceful :)
And I think the USA, Germany, UK and any other large country is empire in the same meaning as USSR: their history contains some periods of expansion with various ways. Even Sweden :)
> Irrelevant to the point of it not being forceful
It's your idea to be focused on forceful or not forceful.
no subject
Not all but many of them, somewhere majority, somewhere minority, dependending of time and region.
> Doesn't the very definition of "empire" imply something forceful?
I think the very definition of "state", "government" or "law" imply something forceful :)
And I think the USA, Germany, UK and any other large country is empire in the same meaning as USSR: their history contains some periods of expansion with various ways. Even Sweden :)
> Irrelevant to the point of it not being forceful
It's your idea to be focused on forceful or not forceful.