Modern Russia: Nostalgia for Empire and Attempts at Political and Cultural Revenge

Author

Danylenko Viktor

corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine, a Doctor of History, professor, a head of the Department of History of Ukraine in the Second Half of the 20th century of the Institute of

History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5317-3381

Modern Russia: Nostalgia for Empire
and Attempts at Political and Cultural Revenge

Abstract

The article analyzes causes and consequences of Russian great-power chauvinism, revanchism and cultural colonialism, as well as their ideological basis. The ideology and practice of the dominant Russian nation led to the fact that already by the late 20th century, half of the peoples of Russia had lost their national languages due to assimilation. Only 18 ethnic groups have retained their native languages as a language of education in the Russian Federation, and by international standards it is a mono-ethnic country. Russia’s after-1917 and after-1991 attempts at democratic development failed. With the adoption of a new constitution in 1993, the restoration of a model of managed elections led to the establishment of autocratic power since 1999. Control of the market and the so-called elites, neutralization of opposition and democratic initiatives, unification of history to align it with the vision of Russia's leader were gradual steps of Putin, who declared his mission of the collector of “Russian” lands. The loss in the global competition in the field of modern technology, archaic economy, low life quality and expectancy gave rise to the desire of the Russian ruling elite to take revenge for lost positions. The transformation of chauvinistic ideas, framed into the formula Autocracy – Orthodoxy – Nationality, gave rise to Russia’s claims to world leadership in the realm of spiritual values. this trends have emerged in other countries, particularly in Hungary, where there are certain forces striving to restore Great Hungary. Among reasons for the Russian-Ukrainian war, analysts call historical reasons as well. Granting of Tomos to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as of both the visa free regime and European perspective have nullified Russia, depriving it of its historical past and panoramic future. So, history has become a weapon. Russian imperialist culture, built on stolen values, history, appropriated names and on the glorification of war, cannot be the foundation of statehood. For Ukraine, the current war is existential. For our comprehensive victory, apart from de-communization and de-Russification, there is also a need to decolonise Ukraine’s economic, political, and cultural life.

Keywords

Russian revanchism, cultural policy, decolonization.

References

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