Russian nationalism
Encyclopedia
Russian nationalism is a term referring to a Russian form of nationalism
. Russian nationalism has a long history dating from the days of Muscovy to Russian Empire
, and continued in some form in the Soviet Union
. It is closely related to Pan-Slavism
. There are a number of individuals and organizations in Russia consisting of both moderate and radical nationalists in Russia today.
Since the time of Rus', Russian leaders longed to establish their nation's position as one of the major nations of Europe. In 1469 Grand Prince Ivan III the Great of Russia married Sophia Palaiologina, a niece of the last Byzantine
emperor Constantine XI
. Upon this, Ivan adopted the concept of Moscow as the Third Rome
, the heir to Rome
and Constantinople
(the 'Second Rome') as capitals of the true Christian faith. Since then, Russia uses the Byzantine Double-headed eagle
as its coat of arms
.
His grandson Ivan IV adopted the more pretentious title of Tsar
(from Caesar), Russian equal to English 'Emperor'. He was styled "Tsar of All the Russias" (Царь всея Руси), thus nominally claiming the whole territory of medieval Kievan Rus. The key ideology of the time was that Moscow Russia, as the only self-governed part of what once was united Rus, and the only state ruled by monarchs of Rurikid dynasty, is the only legitimate successor to Kievan Rus.
In early 17th century Russia was conquered and occupied by Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
, a period known as the Time of Troubles
. Russian national uprising, led by prince Dmitry Pozharsky
, drove Poles away. Nevertheless, the Time of Troubles heavily affected Russian society for the next century, making both rulers and common people conservative and hostile to foreign influence and non-Orthodox beliefs. The new Romanov dynasty continued styling themselves "Tsars of All the Russias", and eventually, by conquest or union, they actually gathered most of the territory of Kievan Rus.
's reforms brought westernisation to Russia, and throughout the whole 18th century any Russian national sentiment, such as national costume, hairstyle, was unpopular and even discouraged in the Russian nobility class. For example, wearing a beard under Peter I was a subject to fine. The nobility preferred to speak French rather than Russian even in private until the mid-19th century.
The 19th century saw the revival in Russian nationalism. A formula of Russian motto, saying "Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality" was coined by Count Sergey Uvarov
and adopted by Emperor Nicholas I as official doctrine.
Three components of Uvarov's triad were:
Slavophilia movement became popular in the 19th-century Russia. Slavophiles were determined to protect what they believed were unique Russian traditions and culture and opposed influences of Western Europe on Russia. Aleksey Khomyakov
, Ivan Kireevsky
and Konstantin Aksakov
created the basis of the moevement.
Closely related to Slavophilia was notable folk revival in Russian art. Many works appeared concerning Russian history, mythology and fairy tales. Operas by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Mikhail Glinka
, Alexander Borodin
, as well as paintings by Victor Vasnetsov, Ivan Bilibin
, Ilya Repin, and poems by Nikolay Nekrasov, Aleksey K. Tolstoy, among others, are considered masterpieces of Russian romantic nationalism
. According to one of best Russian poets of 19th century Tutchev:
Pan-Slavism
, an idea of unity and friendship of all Slavic and Orthodox Christian nations, gained popularity in the mid to late 19th century. Among its major ideologists were Nikolai Danilevsky, Pan-Slavism was fueled and, in turn, was the fuel, in Russia's numerous wars against Ottoman Empire with the goal to liberate Orthodox nations, such as Bulgars, Serbs, and Greeks, from Muslim rule. The final goal was Constantinople, as the Russian Empire still considered itself the "Third Rome" and saw its duty in freeing the "Second Rome". Pan-Slavism had a key role in Russia's entry into World War I
as well, since it is the 1914 invasion of Serbia
by Austria-Hungary that triggered Russia's response.
As the 20th century was approaching, Russia was attempting to catch up to the Industrial Revolution
. The already vast gap of wealth between the rich elite and the mass poor had grown even more. This caused patriotic enthusiasm to decline. Revolutionary activities intensified, which culminated in the 1905 Russian Revolution.
Two results of Russian nationalism arose in early 20th century: chauvinism and anti-semitism. Lynching
of the Jews - pogroms - became quite regular under Nicholas II. They were inspired by blood libels and carried out by marginal groups like The Black Hundred and Union of the Russian People
. Their motto was 'Russia for Russians
'. Those parties remained monarchist and anti-semitic; they were organized by wealthy and powerful aristocrats such as Vladimir Purishkevich
and Nikolai Yevgenyevich Markov and enjoyed a lack of oversight by the Imperial authorities.
During World War I, the Empire made an attempt to revive the national spirit and enthusiasm. However, as the war effort failed on the eastern front, the popularity of Nicholas II declined to the level when he was overthrown by the Russian Revolution. In the subsequent civil war
, the loosely allied monarchist and anti-communist White Army continued to carry the banner of Russian nationalism and (some groups of them) anti-semitism, until they were eliminated by the communist revolutionaries.
The newborn communist republic under Vladimir Lenin
proclaimed internationalism
as its official ideology. Russian nationalism was officially discouraged, as were any remnants of Imperial patriotism, such as wearing military awards received before Civil War. Politics of nativization
was installed instead, that propagated culture and languages of Soviet ethnic minorities. Still, the 1930s inspired a wave of romantic nationalist art, most notably, historical epic films by Sergei Eizenshtein, such as Alexander Nevsky
. Moreover, the creation of the international Communist empire under control of the Soviet Union was perceived by many as accomplishment of Russian nationalistic dreams. Poet Pavel Kogan
described his feelings of the Soviet patriotism just before the World War II
:
According to Nikolai Berdyaev
:
Another aspect was revanchism
. In World War I, Russia had lost much of its Baltic territory to the new nations of Estonia
, Finland
, Latvia
, Lithuania
and Poland
, the latter also annexed significant portions of Belarus
sian and Ukrainian
territory. During World War II, the USSR reacquired most of its former territory.
The Soviet Union's war against Nazi Germany
became known as the Great Patriotic War, hearkening back to the previous use of the term in the Napoleonic Wars
. The Soviet state called for Soviet citizens to defend the 'Motherland', a matrilineal term used to describe Russia in the past. Stalin's quote "Not a step back!" was coined as Russia's resistance slogan.
At the same time, Nazi Germany organized collaborationist military units like Vlasov's army
and Krasnov's cossacks. The strong patriotism of Vlasov's liberation army presented Russian during the Second World War with a strong alternative to the state-centristic nationalism promoted by the Stalinist regime.
In 1944, the Soviet Union abandoned its communist anthem, The Internationale
, and adopted a new national anthem which citizens of the Soviet Union could identify with.
restored much of its pre-revolution influence on the society. The church became a common source of Russian pride and nationalism. Yet the official ideology did not turn completely to Imperial monarchist sentiment, but rather tried to maintain a balance between Soviet and Imperial ideals. The ruling United Russia
party insists its view of Russia is a multi-national republic and calls national tolerance one of its key platforms. In modern Russian media, the term "nationalist" is often used with negative connotation to describe far-right nationalists and neo-fascists, rather than in the word's original meaning.
Nevertheless, many nationalist movements, both radical and moderate, arose in modern Russia. One of the oldest and most popular is Vladimir Zhirinovsky
's right-wing populist party LDPR, which had been a member of the State Duma since its very creation in 1993. Rodina
was a popular moderate left-wing nationalist
party under Dmitry Rogozin
, which eventually abandoned nationalist ideology and merged with the larger socialist party Fair Russia
.
Of the more radical, ultranationalist movements, the most notorious is Russian National Unity
, a neo-Nazi group infamous for organizing paramilitary brigades of its younger members. Others include: neo-monarchist Pamyat
, and Movement Against Illegal Immigration
. This movements revived the 'Russia for Russians
' slogan, and usually attract young skinheads. These parties organize the annual rally called Russian March
.
A rise of radical nationalism in modern Russia is considered to be a result of several factors: the poverty and humiliation after the fall of Soviet Union; a response to the activity of ethnic criminal groups from the South Caucasus and Central Asia and ongoing illegal immigration from this regions; a reaction on Soviet and modern Russian enforced national tolerance. In modern Russia, the term "nationalist" bears negative connotation and is often used to describe far-right nationalists and neo-fascists, rather than in the word's original meaning. Some parties like United Russia use the word as a pejorative and synonymous to "chauvinist" regarding their right-wing opponents.
The financial crisis starting 2008-2009 saw anti-immigration sentiment become more accepted in Russia, due to increased concern that (particularly illegal) immigrants would compete with the domestic workforce over jobs - or, if not getting jobs, turn to crime.
Outside Russia, with the fall of Soviet ideology of enforced internationalism
, national clashes amongst the ethnic groups within its former borders erupted. Some post-Soviet states rejected anything Russian as a 'symbol of occupation', and embraced russophobia
(particularly in Baltic states and Georgia). At the same time, Russians and several other national minorities did not accept the split of their country and demanded re-union with Russia. These conflicting ideologies led to wars in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria. Russian minorities
in Baltic states created pro-Russian activist groups, as did Russian-speaking majority of Crimea
, Ukraine
.
In December, 2010 a wide spread of Russian nationalism became a major issue in the country's media following the series of rioting that came after the death of a Russian footbal fan
stabbed by migrants from the North Caucasus.
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
. Russian nationalism has a long history dating from the days of Muscovy to Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, and continued in some form in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. It is closely related to Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism was a movement in the mid-19th century aimed at unity of all the Slavic peoples. The main focus was in the Balkans where the South Slavs had been ruled for centuries by other empires, Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice...
. There are a number of individuals and organizations in Russia consisting of both moderate and radical nationalists in Russia today.
Pre-imperial Russian nationalism
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
emperor Constantine XI
Constantine XI
Constantine XI Palaiologos, latinized as Palaeologus , Kōnstantinos XI Dragasēs Palaiologos; February 8, 1404 – May 29, 1453) was the last reigning Byzantine Emperor from 1449 to his death as member of the Palaiologos dynasty...
. Upon this, Ivan adopted the concept of Moscow as the Third Rome
Third Rome
The term Third Rome describes the idea that some European city, state, or country is the successor to the legacy of the Roman Empire and its successor state, the Byzantine Empire ....
, the heir to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(the 'Second Rome') as capitals of the true Christian faith. Since then, Russia uses the Byzantine Double-headed eagle
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
as its coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
.
His grandson Ivan IV adopted the more pretentious title of Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
(from Caesar), Russian equal to English 'Emperor'. He was styled "Tsar of All the Russias" (Царь всея Руси), thus nominally claiming the whole territory of medieval Kievan Rus. The key ideology of the time was that Moscow Russia, as the only self-governed part of what once was united Rus, and the only state ruled by monarchs of Rurikid dynasty, is the only legitimate successor to Kievan Rus.
In early 17th century Russia was conquered and occupied by Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
, a period known as the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
. Russian national uprising, led by prince Dmitry Pozharsky
Dmitry Pozharsky
For the ship of the same name, see Sverdlov class cruiserDmitry Mikhaylovich Pozharsky was a Rurikid prince, who led Russia's struggle for independence against Polish-Lithuanian invasion known as the Time of Troubles...
, drove Poles away. Nevertheless, the Time of Troubles heavily affected Russian society for the next century, making both rulers and common people conservative and hostile to foreign influence and non-Orthodox beliefs. The new Romanov dynasty continued styling themselves "Tsars of All the Russias", and eventually, by conquest or union, they actually gathered most of the territory of Kievan Rus.
Imperial Russian nationalism
Peter IPeter I
Peter I may refer to:Religious hierarchs:*Pope Peter, papal name sometimes referring to the Apostle Peter *Patriarch Peter I of Alexandria Rulers:*Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria...
's reforms brought westernisation to Russia, and throughout the whole 18th century any Russian national sentiment, such as national costume, hairstyle, was unpopular and even discouraged in the Russian nobility class. For example, wearing a beard under Peter I was a subject to fine. The nobility preferred to speak French rather than Russian even in private until the mid-19th century.
The 19th century saw the revival in Russian nationalism. A formula of Russian motto, saying "Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality" was coined by Count Sergey Uvarov
Sergey Uvarov
Count Sergey Semionovich Uvarov was a Russian classical scholar best remembered as an influential imperial statesman....
and adopted by Emperor Nicholas I as official doctrine.
Three components of Uvarov's triad were:
- OrthodoxyOrthodoxyThe word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
- Orthodox Christianity and protection of Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox ChurchThe Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
. - AutocracyTsarist autocracyThe Tsarist autocracy |transcr.]] tsarskoye samoderzhaviye) refers to a form of autocracy specific to the Grand Duchy of Muscovy . In a tsarist autocracy, all power and wealth is controlled by the tsar...
- unconditional loyalty to House of Romanov in return for paternalistPaternalismPaternalism refers to attitudes or states of affairs that exemplify a traditional relationship between father and child. Two conditions of paternalism are usually identified: interference with liberty and a beneficent intention towards those whose liberty is interfered with...
protection for all social estatesSocial estates in the Russian EmpireSocial estates in the Russian Empire were denoted by the term soslovie , which approximately corresponds to the notion of the estate of the realm. The system of sosloviyes was a peculiar system of social groups in the history of the Russian Empire...
. - NationalityNationalityNationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
(Narodnost, has been also translated as national spirit,) - recognition of the state-founding role on the Russian nationality. (Compare to VolkstumVolkstumThe Volkstum is the entire utterances of a Volk or ethnic minority over its lifetime, expressing a "Volkscharakter" this unit had in common...
in Germany).
Slavophilia movement became popular in the 19th-century Russia. Slavophiles were determined to protect what they believed were unique Russian traditions and culture and opposed influences of Western Europe on Russia. Aleksey Khomyakov
Aleksey Khomyakov
Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov was a Russian religious poet who co-founded the Slavophile movement along with Ivan Kireyevsky, and became one of its most distinguished theoreticians....
, Ivan Kireevsky
Ivan Kireevsky
Ivan Vasilyevich Kireyevsky was a Russian literary critic and philosopher who, together with Aleksey Khomyakov, co-founded the Slavophile movement.-Early life and career:...
and Konstantin Aksakov
Konstantin Aksakov
Konstantin Sergeyevich Aksakov was a Russian critic and writer, one of the earliest and most notable Slavophiles. He wrote plays, social criticism, and histories of the ancient Russian social order...
created the basis of the moevement.
Closely related to Slavophilia was notable folk revival in Russian art. Many works appeared concerning Russian history, mythology and fairy tales. Operas by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
, Alexander Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
, as well as paintings by Victor Vasnetsov, Ivan Bilibin
Ivan Bilibin
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin was a 20th-century illustrator and stage designer who took part in the Mir iskusstva and contributed to the Ballets Russes. Throughout his career, he was inspired by Slavic folklore....
, Ilya Repin, and poems by Nikolay Nekrasov, Aleksey K. Tolstoy, among others, are considered masterpieces of Russian romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
. According to one of best Russian poets of 19th century Tutchev:
- Moscow and Peter's grad, the city of Constantine,
- these are the capitals of Russian kingdom.
- But where is their limit? And where are their frontiers
- to the north, the east, the south and the setting sun?
- The Fate will reveal this to future generations.
- Seven inland seas and seven great rivers
- from the Nile to the Neva, from the Elbe to China,
- from the Volga to the Euphrates, from Ganges to the Danube.
- That's the Russian Kingdom, and let it be forever,
- just as the Spirit foretold and Daniel prophesied.
Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism was a movement in the mid-19th century aimed at unity of all the Slavic peoples. The main focus was in the Balkans where the South Slavs had been ruled for centuries by other empires, Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice...
, an idea of unity and friendship of all Slavic and Orthodox Christian nations, gained popularity in the mid to late 19th century. Among its major ideologists were Nikolai Danilevsky, Pan-Slavism was fueled and, in turn, was the fuel, in Russia's numerous wars against Ottoman Empire with the goal to liberate Orthodox nations, such as Bulgars, Serbs, and Greeks, from Muslim rule. The final goal was Constantinople, as the Russian Empire still considered itself the "Third Rome" and saw its duty in freeing the "Second Rome". Pan-Slavism had a key role in Russia's entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as well, since it is the 1914 invasion of Serbia
Serbian Campaign (World War I)
The Serbian Campaign was fought from late July 1914, when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia at the outset of the First World War, until late 1915, when the Macedonian Front was formed...
by Austria-Hungary that triggered Russia's response.
As the 20th century was approaching, Russia was attempting to catch up to the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. The already vast gap of wealth between the rich elite and the mass poor had grown even more. This caused patriotic enthusiasm to decline. Revolutionary activities intensified, which culminated in the 1905 Russian Revolution.
Two results of Russian nationalism arose in early 20th century: chauvinism and anti-semitism. Lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
of the Jews - pogroms - became quite regular under Nicholas II. They were inspired by blood libels and carried out by marginal groups like The Black Hundred and Union of the Russian People
Union of the Russian People
The Union of Russian People — a loyalist right-wing nationalist party, the most important among Black-Hundredist monarchist and antisemitic political organizations in the Russian Empire of 1905–1917....
. Their motto was 'Russia for Russians
Russia for Russians
Russia for Russians is a political slogan and nationalist doctrine, encapsulating the range of ideas from bestowing the ethnic Russians with exclusive rights in the Russian state to expelling all non-Russians from the country. Originated in the Russian Empire in the latter half of the 19th...
'. Those parties remained monarchist and anti-semitic; they were organized by wealthy and powerful aristocrats such as Vladimir Purishkevich
Vladimir Purishkevich
Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich , was a Russian politician before the Bolshevik revolution, noted for his monarchist and antisemitic views...
and Nikolai Yevgenyevich Markov and enjoyed a lack of oversight by the Imperial authorities.
During World War I, the Empire made an attempt to revive the national spirit and enthusiasm. However, as the war effort failed on the eastern front, the popularity of Nicholas II declined to the level when he was overthrown by the Russian Revolution. In the subsequent civil war
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, the loosely allied monarchist and anti-communist White Army continued to carry the banner of Russian nationalism and (some groups of them) anti-semitism, until they were eliminated by the communist revolutionaries.
Nationalism in the Soviet Union
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
proclaimed internationalism
Internationalism (politics)
Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
as its official ideology. Russian nationalism was officially discouraged, as were any remnants of Imperial patriotism, such as wearing military awards received before Civil War. Politics of nativization
Korenizatsiya
Korenizatsiya sometimes also called korenization, meaning "nativization" or "indigenization", literally "putting down roots", was the early Soviet nationalities policy promoted mostly in the 1920s but with a continuing legacy in later years...
was installed instead, that propagated culture and languages of Soviet ethnic minorities. Still, the 1930s inspired a wave of romantic nationalist art, most notably, historical epic films by Sergei Eizenshtein, such as Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Nevsky (film)
Alexander Nevsky is a 1938 historical drama film directed by Sergei Eisenstein, in association with Dmitri Vasilyev and a script co-written with Pyotr Pavlenko, who were assigned to ensure Eisenstein did not stray into "formalism" and to facilitate shooting on a reasonable timetable...
. Moreover, the creation of the international Communist empire under control of the Soviet Union was perceived by many as accomplishment of Russian nationalistic dreams. Poet Pavel Kogan
Pavel Kogan
-Biography:Though born in Kiev, Pavel and his family moved to Moscow in 1922. He studied at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute and at the Moscow Institute of History, Philosophy and Literature....
described his feelings of the Soviet patriotism just before the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
:
- I am a patriot. I love Russian air and Russian soil.
- But we will reach the Ganges River,
- and we will die in fights,
- to make our Motherland shine
- from Japan to England
According to Nikolai Berdyaev
Nikolai Berdyaev
Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev was a Russian religious and political philosopher.-Early life and education:Berdyaev was born in Kiev into an aristocratic military family. He spent a solitary childhood at home, where his father's library allowed him to read widely...
:
Another aspect was revanchism
Revanchism
Revanchism is a term used since the 1870s to describe a political manifestation of the will to reverse territorial losses incurred by a country, often following a war or social movement. Revanchism draws its strength from patriotic and retributionist thought and is often motivated by economic or...
. In World War I, Russia had lost much of its Baltic territory to the new nations of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the latter also annexed significant portions of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
sian and Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
territory. During World War II, the USSR reacquired most of its former territory.
The Soviet Union's war against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
became known as the Great Patriotic War, hearkening back to the previous use of the term in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The Soviet state called for Soviet citizens to defend the 'Motherland', a matrilineal term used to describe Russia in the past. Stalin's quote "Not a step back!" was coined as Russia's resistance slogan.
At the same time, Nazi Germany organized collaborationist military units like Vlasov's army
Russian Liberation Army
Russian Liberation Army was a group of predominantly Russian forces subordinated to the Nazi German high command during World War II....
and Krasnov's cossacks. The strong patriotism of Vlasov's liberation army presented Russian during the Second World War with a strong alternative to the state-centristic nationalism promoted by the Stalinist regime.
In 1944, the Soviet Union abandoned its communist anthem, The Internationale
The Internationale
The Internationale is a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist anthem.The Internationale became the anthem of international socialism, and gained particular fame under the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1944, when it was that communist state's de facto central anthem...
, and adopted a new national anthem which citizens of the Soviet Union could identify with.
Modern Russian Nationalism
With the fall of Soviet Union, Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
restored much of its pre-revolution influence on the society. The church became a common source of Russian pride and nationalism. Yet the official ideology did not turn completely to Imperial monarchist sentiment, but rather tried to maintain a balance between Soviet and Imperial ideals. The ruling United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
party insists its view of Russia is a multi-national republic and calls national tolerance one of its key platforms. In modern Russian media, the term "nationalist" is often used with negative connotation to describe far-right nationalists and neo-fascists, rather than in the word's original meaning.
Nevertheless, many nationalist movements, both radical and moderate, arose in modern Russia. One of the oldest and most popular is Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky is a Russian politician, colonel of the Russian Army, founder and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia , Vice-Chairman of the State Duma, and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe....
's right-wing populist party LDPR, which had been a member of the State Duma since its very creation in 1993. Rodina
Rodina
Rodina or Motherland-National Patriotic Union was one of the four parties that controlled seats in the Russian legislature in 2003-2007...
was a popular moderate left-wing nationalist
Left-wing nationalism
Left-wing nationalism describes a form of nationalism officially based upon equality, popular sovereignty, and national self-determination. It has its origins in the Jacobinism of the French Revolution. Left-wing nationalism typically espouses anti-imperialism...
party under Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Rogozin
Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin is a well-known Russian diplomat and popular politician, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia. In January, 2008, he became Russia's ambassador to NATO. He was a leader of the Rodina party until it merged with other similar Russian parties to form the...
, which eventually abandoned nationalist ideology and merged with the larger socialist party Fair Russia
Fair Russia
A Just Russia, , also translated as Fair Russia, is a social democratic political party in Russia currently holding 38 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. It was formed on October 28, 2006, as a merger of Rodina, the Russian Party of Life and the Russian Pensioners' Party. Later, 6 further minor...
.
Of the more radical, ultranationalist movements, the most notorious is Russian National Unity
Russian National Unity
Russian National Unity or All-Russian civic patriotic movement "Russian National Unity" , is a far right, fascist political party and paramilitary organization based in Russia and operating in states with Russian-speaking populations. It was founded by the ultra-nationalist Alexander Barkashov...
, a neo-Nazi group infamous for organizing paramilitary brigades of its younger members. Others include: neo-monarchist Pamyat
Pamyat
Pamyat is a Russian nationalist organization identifying itself as the "People's National-patriotic Orthodox Christian movement." The group's stated focus is preserving Russian culture.- History :...
, and Movement Against Illegal Immigration
Movement Against Illegal Immigration
The Movement Against Illegal Immigration is a Russian nationalist and anti-Illegal immigration organization. The organization is led by Aleksandr Belov a former member of ultra-nationalist Pamyat...
. This movements revived the 'Russia for Russians
Russia for Russians
Russia for Russians is a political slogan and nationalist doctrine, encapsulating the range of ideas from bestowing the ethnic Russians with exclusive rights in the Russian state to expelling all non-Russians from the country. Originated in the Russian Empire in the latter half of the 19th...
' slogan, and usually attract young skinheads. These parties organize the annual rally called Russian March
Russian March
Russian March is an annual nationalist mass demonstration in several major Russian cities and in other ex-USSR countries. Russian marches usually take place on or around November 4, on the Day of National Unity celebrated in Russia...
.
A rise of radical nationalism in modern Russia is considered to be a result of several factors: the poverty and humiliation after the fall of Soviet Union; a response to the activity of ethnic criminal groups from the South Caucasus and Central Asia and ongoing illegal immigration from this regions; a reaction on Soviet and modern Russian enforced national tolerance. In modern Russia, the term "nationalist" bears negative connotation and is often used to describe far-right nationalists and neo-fascists, rather than in the word's original meaning. Some parties like United Russia use the word as a pejorative and synonymous to "chauvinist" regarding their right-wing opponents.
The financial crisis starting 2008-2009 saw anti-immigration sentiment become more accepted in Russia, due to increased concern that (particularly illegal) immigrants would compete with the domestic workforce over jobs - or, if not getting jobs, turn to crime.
Outside Russia, with the fall of Soviet ideology of enforced internationalism
Internationalism (politics)
Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
, national clashes amongst the ethnic groups within its former borders erupted. Some post-Soviet states rejected anything Russian as a 'symbol of occupation', and embraced russophobia
Russophobia
Russophobia refers to a diverse spectrum of prejudices, dislikes or fears of Russia, Russians, or Russian culture. Its opposite is Russophilia....
(particularly in Baltic states and Georgia). At the same time, Russians and several other national minorities did not accept the split of their country and demanded re-union with Russia. These conflicting ideologies led to wars in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria. Russian minorities
Russian diaspora
The term Russian diaspora refers to the global community of ethnic Russians, usually more specifically those who maintain some kind of connection, even if ephemeral, to the land of their ancestors and maintain their feeling of Russian national identity within a local community.The term "Russian...
in Baltic states created pro-Russian activist groups, as did Russian-speaking majority of Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
In December, 2010 a wide spread of Russian nationalism became a major issue in the country's media following the series of rioting that came after the death of a Russian footbal fan
Murder of Egor Sviridov
Murder of Egor Sviridov refers to FC Spartak Moscow fan's death in a clash between two groups of youth, one of which was composed of recent migrants from Russia's North Caucasus republics. The affair took place on December 6, 2010, at Kronstadt boulevard in the north of Moscow...
stabbed by migrants from the North Caucasus.
See also
- Black HundredBlack HundredThe Black Hundreds , also known as the black-hundredists was an ultra-nationalist movement in Russia in the early 20th century. They were a supporter of the House of Romanov and opposed any retreat from the autocracy of the reigning monarch...
- MladorossiMladorossiThe Union of Mladorossi was a political group of Russian émigré monarchists who advocated a hybrid of Russian monarchy and the Soviet system, best evidenced by their motto "Tsar and the Soviets"....
- Russia for RussiansRussia for RussiansRussia for Russians is a political slogan and nationalist doctrine, encapsulating the range of ideas from bestowing the ethnic Russians with exclusive rights in the Russian state to expelling all non-Russians from the country. Originated in the Russian Empire in the latter half of the 19th...