Debunking the “Tatarian Empire” Conspiracy Theory

One of the many recent baseless conspiracy theories spread through the Internet lately that has become particularly popular is the easily debunked theory about a supposed Tatarian Empire. This fantastic theory posits that this mythical Eurasian empire, whose people were a technologically advanced race of giants, extended well into North America and was responsible for the buildings of the architectural styles in America before the late Nineteenth Century, but was destroyed by a “mud flood” of a few feet, leaving only these buildings behind, and that the existence of the Tartarians has been covered up ever since as Americans claimed credit for the Tartarians’ accomplishments. As with any false conspiracy theory, its adherents make false connections between events and assert speculation as fact. They then dismiss all evidence to the contrary as proof of the coverup that is always an essential element of the theory, thereby rendering themselves unable to engage in a rational analysis of their theory. The foundation of beliefs in false conspiracy theories is not rational skepticism of what is generally accepted as reality, but cynicism based on the psychological need to believe in an alternate explanation that they are always certain must exist, which leads vulnerable people to believe in false conspiracies to try to make sense of a lack of control over geopolitical developments and as an arrogant coping mechanism of believing that only they know the truth while they dismiss non-believers as sheep-like followers. The Tartarian Empire theory, which has been disproven in every aspect, is based on a conflation of the Tatars with a European pun used to describe them as “Tartars,” and a lack of understanding that the vast lands west of the European part of what is now the Russian Federation attributed centuries ago by Europeans to the Tatars were not ruled by Tatars, but simply unknown to Westerners and grouped by them under the European name for their lands until they were later conquered by the Russians from their various Siberian inhabitants. Indeed, there was no Tatarian Empire, the existence of which is disproven by the documented evidence of Eurasia. Although Eurasian peoples did migrate to North America millennia ago, they were not the Tatars of a much later time. The Tartarian Empire theory is based also on a misunderstanding of the well documented history of architecture and of building techniques that are traceable from the Classical era to the Neo-Classical styles of the Renaissance and the quintessential American style known as the “Federal style.” The conspiracy theory’s proponents cannot understand how more quickly and inexpensively buildings could be built of such styles in the past because of the availability of cheap skilled labor and less building regulations than today, or that government would spend money to build elaborate ornate structures even for small cities, even though we have the legislative records to substantiate it, which it did to promote public art. They also do not seem to realize that each of the skills for building such ornate buildings that are documented to have developed in the West have been conserved and are still used. It is also well documented why there was a trend toward the modern architectural style, which was because of the availability of cheaper building materials, increased labor costs and regulations, and changes in taste, and which not everyone agreed with, not a supposed catastrophic destruction of the Tartarian Empire. The Tartarian Empire theory also fails to explain why architectural styles developed in the West so differently from those in Russia. Moreover, it is absurd that a race of giants, which they theorize existed because the public first floors of public buildings had high ceilings, inexplicably in contrast to the scale of the rest of the buildings, who left no remains of their bodies, either as giants or of regular stature, were supposedly destroyed by a flood of mud of only a few feet, despite being taller and more technologically advanced. Furthermore, the mud flood theory, which left no geological evidence and which geologists doubt is even plausible over such an extensive area, is based on the misunderstanding by the proponents of the conspiracy theory of basements with windows that are below today’s often higher street levels, which have been raised for known documented reasons. The part of the Tartarian Empire theory that claims the Tatarians’ existence has been covered up by lies also strains credulity by failing to provide a convincing motive, let alone requiring a vast participation in the conspiracy. The coverup allegation is the part of the conspiracy theory that most reveals the anti-Western and anti-American dishonest heart of this theory that Western European Civilization’s accomplishments are really those of inhabitants of Russia that Westerners have claimed credit for. The Tartarian Empire theory is thus an example of Russian nationalism that claims credit for Western European accomplishments and is intended to undermine Americans and Western Europeans’ faith in Western European culture and thus to weaken America and Western Europe while the Russian Federation is trying to restore the Russian Empire through restoration of the Soviet Union, and possibly even to lay claim to North American territory. As I have posted repeatedly, Russia has successfully been spreading propaganda and disinformation in such ways, which is why it is necessary to debunk this baseless conspiracy theory.