Leo Tolstoy

writer

The article by Leo Tolstoy “Christianity and Patriotism” was written in 1893, but since then its relevance has not become less for Russia. The Insider publishes excerpts from this topical work of the great Russian classic.

The Russians steadily suggested the necessity, legality, profitability and even the valor of war.

“We are not thinking about the war. We only care about the world. "

I would like to ask: qui, Diable, Trompe-T-on ICI? If it was still necessary to ask this and it was not too clear who this unhappy deceived.

This deceived, all the same ever -deceived, stupid working people, the one who, with his corpus callosum, built all these ships, and arsenals, and the barracks, and the guns, the ships, the pier, and all these palaces, halls and pops, and the triumphal arches, and typed and printed all these newspapers and brought all those and brought all those. Phazanov, and Ortolans, and oysters, and wine, who eat and drink all these nourished, well -mannered and contained people who, deceiving him, prepare the most terrible disasters to him; All the same kind, stupid people who, grinning their healthy white teeth, yawned, childishly naively rejoicing at all sorts of dressed up admirals and presidents, at the flags fluttering over them and on fireworks, rattling music, and who will not have time to look around, as there will no longer be admirals, presidents, nor flags, nor music, but only a wet field, cold, cold. Hunger, longing, in front, killing the enemy, in the back of an unavailable authorities, blood, wounds, suffering, rotting corpses and meaningless, in vain death.

And people, the same as those who now celebrate the festivities in Toulon and Paris, will sit after a good dinner, with unfinished glasses of good wine, with a cigar in their teeth, in a dark cloth tent and pins on the map those places where you need to leave so many more and so many cannon meat from this people for the possession acquisition of one or another ribbon or rank.

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They will be raised into the bells, long -haired people will dress in gold bags and begin to pray for the murder. And again the old, long -known, terrible thing will begin. They will sit down, inciting people under the guise of patriotism to hatred and murder, newspapers, rejoicing that they will receive double income. The breeders, merchants, suppliers of military supplies will joyfully stick, waiting for double lambs. All kinds of officials will be stuck, anticipating the opportunity to steal more than they usually steal. Military authorities will be stuck, receiving double salary and diets and hoping to receive for the murder of people various priests highly evaluating - ribbons, crosses, galloons, stars. The idle gentlemen and ladies will be stuck, enrolling in the Red Cross, preparing to bandage those that their husbands and brothers will kill, and imagining that they are doing the most Christian business.

And, drowning in their soul, despair with songs, debauchery and vodka, they will shake the peaceful labor, from their wives, children, people, hundreds of thousands of simple, kind people with guns of murder in their hands where they are driven, where they will be driven. They will walk, chill, starve, hurt, die from illnesses, and finally come to the place where they will begin to kill them in thousands, and they will kill them in thousands, not knowing why, people that they have never seen, who did not do anything and do not make it bad.

And when so many patients, wounded and killed, that there will no longer be selected, and when the air is already so infected with this rotting cannon fodder, which will even be unpleasant to the authorities, then they will stop for a while, somehow pick up the wounded, dumped in heaps where the patients will get, and the dead will be inflated, and again they will lead the whole crowd of deceived even further, and will be further farther and further. To drive them so until it is bored with those who started all this, or so far those who needed it would not receive all that they needed.

And again they are drunk, they are obstructed, people will be brutalized, and love will decrease in the world, and the already outbreak of humanity will move back to tens, hundreds of years. And again, those people who are beneficial, with confidence, will say that if there was a war, then this means that it is necessary, and again the future generations will prepare for this, corrupting them from childhood.

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Usually, to prove the existence of patriotism, manifestations of patriotic feelings are among the people during various celebrations, such as, for example, in Russia during the coronation or meeting of the tsar after the collapse of October 17, either in France during the declaration of Prussia’s war, or in Germany during the triumph of victory, or during the Franco-Russian festivities.

But you need to know how these manifestations are prepared. In Russia, for example, at each passage of the sovereign, people dress up from peasant societies and from factories for meetings and greetings of the king.

The enthusiasm of the crowd mostly is artificially prepared by those who need them, and the degree of delight expressed by the crowd shows only the degree of art of the founders of these enthusiasm. This business has been practiced for a long time and therefore the experts of the founders of these enthusiasm reached their preparations to high virtuosity. When Alexander II was still the heir and commanded, as he was usually done by the Preobrazhensky regiment, he arrived in the regiment in the camp once after lunch. His stroller just appeared, the soldiers, as they were in shirts, ran out to meet him and met with such enthusiasm, as it was written, their August commander that all the clues fled after the stroller and many of them were baptized at the heir, looking at the heir. All those who saw this meeting were touched by this naive devotion and love of the Russian soldier to the king and his heir and the unbearable religious and obviously unprepared enthusiasm, which was expressed in the faces, in movements and especially in the signs of soldiers. Meanwhile, all this was done artificially and was prepared as follows: after the review, the heir told the brigade commander that he would drop by tomorrow.

- When to expect your Imperial Majesty?

- It must be in the evening. Just please, so that there are no preparations. - As soon as the heir left, the brigade commander convened company commanders and ordered that on tomorrow all the soldiers were in clean shirts, and as soon as they envy the carriage of the heir, who should wait for the Mahalny, so that everyone would run, to meet and shouts “Hurray” would run behind the carriage, so that every ten people in the company would run and be baptized. Fielddobela lined the companies and, counting one at a time, stopped at the tenth: “One, two, three ... eight, nine, ten, Sidorenko was baptized; Once, two, three, four ... Ivanov is baptized ... ”And everything was executed by order, and the impression of delight was made full of both the heir, and on all those present, and even for soldiers and officers, and even on the brigade commander who himself invented all this. In the same way, although less rudely, this is done wherever there are patriotic manifestations. So, the Francorus festivities, which seem to us as arbitrary expressions of the sense of the people, did not happen by themselves, but were, on the contrary, very artificially and quite clearly prepared and caused by the French government.

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What is called patriotism in our time is only, on the one hand, a well -known mood, constantly produced and supported in the peoples by the school, religion, brilliant press in the direction necessary for the government, on the other, temporary, produced by exceptional means of the ruling classes, the excitement of the lower people in moral and mental, which is then given a constant expression of the will of the whole nation. The patriotism of oppressed nationalities is not an exception. It is just as unusual for working masses, and is artificially vaccinated with the highest classes.

“But if the people of the people do not feel the feelings of patriotism, then this happens because they have not grown up even before that a high and characteristic of every educated person. If they do not experience this high feeling, then it is necessary to educate him in them. This is the most and the government does. ”

So they usually say people of the ruling classes with such complete confidence that patriotism is a high feeling that naive people from the people who do not feel this feeling plead to guilty that they do not experience this feeling, try to assure themselves that they experience it or although they pretend to be in this.

But what is this high feeling, which, according to the ruling classes, should be educated in the peoples?

This feeling is, in the most accurate definition of its own, nothing more than the preference of its state or people to any other state and people, a feeling that is completely expressed by a German patriotic song: “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles”, which is worth only instead of Deutschland, frankreich, frankreich Italien or NN, that is, any other state, and there will be the most clear formula for a high sense of patriotism. It may very well be that this feeling is very desirable and useful for governments and for the integrity of the state, but one cannot help but see that the feeling is not at all high, but, on the contrary, very stupid and very immoral; Stupid because if each state will consider itself better than all others, it is obvious that they will all be wrong, and is immoral because it inevitably entails any person who experiences him to gain benefits for his state and people to the detriment of other states and peoples - the attraction directly opposite to the main, recognized by all the moral law: not to do other and other, so that we would not walk, so that we do not go. They did us.

Patriotism could be a virtue in the ancient world, when he demanded from a person the ministry of the highest - an accessible person of that time - the ideal of the Fatherland. But how can patriotism be a virtue in our time, when it requires people directly opposite to what makes up the ideal of our religion and morality, not recognizing the equality and brotherhood of all people, but the recognition of one state and nationality prevailing over all the others. But not only is the feeling in our time not only not to eat virtue, but an undoubted vice; The feelings of this, that is, patriotism in its true sense, in our time cannot be, because there are no material or moral grounds for him.

Patriotism could make sense in the ancient world when each nation is more or less uniform in composition, professing the same state religion and obeying one unlimited power of his supreme, enriched by the Vladyka, seemed to himself as if the island among the constantly striving to fill his ocean barbarians.

It is clear that in this position, patriotism, that is, the desire to defend the barbarians from the attack, not only ready to destroy social order, but threatening the plunders and universal killings, and captivity, and the appeal of men into slavery, and the rape of women, was natural, and it is clear that a person, to rid himself and his compatriots, could prefer his people to all other and experience a hostile sense of life. The barbarians surrounding him and kill them in order to protect their people.

But what significance can this feeling have in our Christian time? On what basis and what can a person of our time, Russian go and kill the French, Germans, or the Frenchman, when he knows very well, no matter how little is formed, that the people of another state and the people, to which his patriotic hostility is excited, not barbarians, but exactly the same people, Christians, like him, often even with him of his faith and confession, just like him, who want only peace and peaceful exchange. labor and, in addition, even mostly associated with it or the interests of general labor, or trade, or spiritual interests, or those and others together. So very often for people of one state - people of another state are closer and more necessary than their compatriots, as it takes place for workers associated with employers of other people's people, for trading people, and especially for scientists and artists.

Patriotism in the simplest, most clear and undoubted meaning is nothing more for the rulers, as an instrument for achieving power -loving and selfish goals, and for managed - renunciation of human dignity, reason, conscience and slave subordination of themselves to those who are in power. So it is preached wherever patriotism is preached.

Patriotism is nothing else for the rulers, as an instrument for achieving power -loving and selfish goals

Patriotism is slavery.

The preachers of the world through arbitration argue as follows: two animals cannot share the prey otherwise than when they are in accordance with, children, barbarians and barbaric peoples also act. But the rational people decide their disagreement with reasoning, conviction, and the transfer of the resolution of the issue to disinterested, reasonable persons. So the peoples of our time should do so. These reasoning seem quite correct. The peoples of our time survived to the period of reasonableness, have no hostility to each other and could solve their disagreement by peaceful. But this reasoning is true only regarding the peoples, some peoples, if they were not under the rule of government. The peoples who obey the governments cannot be reasonable, because subordination to the governments already has a sign of the greatest unreason.

What is the question of the rationality of people who promise to fulfill all that (including the murder of people here) that the government will subscribe, that is, famous people who accidentally fell into this situation.

People who can accept such an improper submission obligation to everything that people unknown to them from St. Petersburg, Vienna, Berlin, Paris cannot be reasonable, and governments, that is, people who have such power, may even less reasonable and cannot but abuse it, cannot but cure such insanely terrible power. Therefore, the world of peoples cannot be achieved by a reasonable way, conventions, arbitration until the subordination of peoples exist, which is always unreasonable and always pernicious.

The submission of people to the governments will always be, while there will be patriotism, because all power is based on patriotism, that is, on the readiness of people, to protect their people, the Fatherland, that is, the state, from the imaginary dangers, to obey.

The power of the French kings over their people before the revolution was based on this patriotism; The power of the public security committee after the revolution was based on the same patriotism; On the same patriotism, the power of Napoleon (both the consul and the emperor) was erected; And at the same patriotism, the power of the Bourbons was established according to the overthrow of Napoleon, and then the republic, and Louis-Philippa, and again the republic, and again Bonaparte, and again the republic, and the power of Mr. Bulanzhe was almost established on the same patriotism.

It is scary to say, but there was no such combined violence of some people over others, which would not be produced in the name of patriotism. In the name of patriotism, Russians with the French fought, the French with the Russians, and in the name of patriotism, Russians are now preparing to fight against the Germans, and in the name of patriotism the Germans are now preparing - to fight on two fronts. But not only war, - in the name of patriotism, Russians whimper Poles and Germans of the Slavs; In the name of patriotism, Kommunars killed the Versailles and Versaltians - Kommunarov.

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Before, one small bunch of rulers dominated: emperors, kings, dukes, their officials and warriors; Now, not only officials and clergy were the participants in this power and the benefits, but the capitalists, large and even small, and landowners, and bankers, and members of the chambers, and teachers, and rural officials, and scientists, and even artists, and especially writers, journalists. And all these faces consciously and unconsciously spread the deception of the patriotism that they need to keep their advantageous position. And the deception, due to the fact that the means of deceit have become stronger and that an increasing number of people are now involved in it, is produced so successfully that, despite the great difficulty in deception, the degree of deceit of the people remains the same.

For 100 years ago, an illiterate people who had no idea about whom his government consists of, and about what peoples surround him, blindly obeyed those local officials and nobles in whom he was in slavery. And it was enough to keep the government brigade and awards in its power to these officials and nobles, so that the people dutifully fulfill what was required of it. Now, when the people can for the most part can read, he knows more or less of whom his government consists of, what peoples surround him; когда люди из народа постоянно и легко передвигаются с места на место, принося ему сведения о том, что делается на свете, уже недостаточно простого требования исполнения приказаний правительств; нужно еще затемнить те правдивые понятия, которые имеет народ о жизни, и внушить ему несвойственные представления об условиях его жизни и об отношении к нему других народов.

И вот, благодаря распространению печати, грамотности и легкости сообщений, правительства, везде имея своих агентов, через указы, церковные проповеди, школы, газеты внушают народу самые дикие и превратные понятия об его выгодах, об отношениях народов между собой, об их свойствах и намерениях, и народ, настолько задавленный трудом, что не имеет ни времени, ни возможности понять значение и проверить справедливость тех понятий, которые внушаются ему, и тех требований, которые во имя его блага предъявляются ему, безропотно покоряется им.

Люди же из народа, освобождающиеся от неустанного труда и образовывающиеся и потому, казалось бы, могущие понять обман, производимый над ними, подвергаются такому усиленному воздействию угроз, подкупа и гипнотизации правительств, что почти без исключения тотчас переходят на сторону правительств и, поступая в выгодные и хорошо оплачиваемые должности учителей, священников, офицеров, чиновников, становятся участниками распространения того обмана, который губит их собратий. Как будто в дверях образования стоят тенета, в которые, неизбежно попадаются все те, которые теми или другими способами выходят из массы поглощенного трудом народа.

Сначала, когда поймешь всю жестокость этого обмана, невольно поднимается негодование против тех, которые из-за своих личных, корыстолюбивых, тщеславных выгод, производят этот жестокий, губящий не только тело, но и душу людей, обман, хочется обличить этих жестоких обманщиков. Но дело в том, что обманывающие обманывают не потому, что они хотят обманывать, но потому, что они почти не могут поступать иначе. И обманывают они не макиавелически, не с сознанием производимого ими обмана, но большей частью с наивной уверенностью, что они делают что-то доброе и возвышенное, в чем их постоянно поддерживает сочувствие и одобрение всех окружающих их. Правда, что, смутно чувствуя то, что на этом обмане держится их власть и выгодное положение, они невольно влекутся к нему, но действуют они не потому, что они хотят обмануть народ, а потому, что думают, что делаемое ими дело полезно для народа.

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Уже давно власть правительств над народами держится не на силе, как она держалась в те времена, когда одна народность покоряла другую и силой оружия держала ее в покорности, или когда у властителей среди безоружного народа были отдельные вооруженные полчища янычар, опричников, гвардейцев. Власть правительств держится теперь уже давно только на том, что называется общественным мнением.

Существует общественное мнение, что патриотизм есть великое нравственное чувство и что хорошо и должно считать свой народ, свое государство самым лучшим в мире, и устанавливается естественно вытекающее из этого общественное мнение о том, что хорошо и должно признавать над собой власть правительств и подчиняться ей, что хорошо и должно служить в военной службе и подчиняться дисциплине, хорошо и должно в виде подати отдавать свои сбережения правительству, хорошо и должно подчиняться решениям судов, хорошо и должно бесконтрольно верить тому, что выдается правительственными лицами за божественную истину.

А раз существует такое общественное мнение, то и устанавливается могущественная власть, обладающая в наше время миллиардами денег, организованным механизмом управления, почтами, телеграфами, телефонами, дисциплинированными войсками, судами, полицией, покорным духовенством, школой, даже прессой, и власть эта поддерживает в народах то общественное мнение, которое нужно ей.

Власть правительств держится на общественном мнении, обладая же властью, правительства посредством всех своих органов, чиновников, суда, школы, церкви, прессы даже, всегда могут поддержать то общественное мнение, которое им нужно. Общественное мнение производит власть, власть производит общественное мнение. И выхода из этого положения кажется что нет никакого.

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Для того, чтобы совершились самые великие и важные изменения в жизни человечества, не нужны никакие подвиги: ни вооружение миллионов войск, ни постройки новых дорог и машин, ни устройства выставок, ни устройства союзов рабочих, ни революции, ни баррикады, ни взрывы, ни изобретения, ни воздухоплавание и т, п., а нужно только изменение общественного мнения. Для изменения же общественного мнения не нужно никаких усилий мысли, не нужно опровергать что-либо существующее и придумывать что-либо необыкновенное, новое, нужно только не поддаваться ложному, уже умершему, искусственно возбуждаемому правительствами общественному мнению прошедшего, нужно только, чтобы каждый отдельный человек говорил то, что он действительно думает и чувствует, или хоть не говорил того, чего он не думает. И только бы люди, хоть небольшое количество людей, делали это, и тотчас само собой спадет отжившее общественное мнение и проявится молодое, живое, настоящее. А изменится общественное мнение, и без всякого усилия само собой заменится всё то внутреннее устройство жизни людей, которое томит и мучает их. Совестно сказать, как мало нужно для того, чтобы всем людям освободиться от всех тех бедствий, которые теперь удручают их: нужно только не лгать. Пускай только не поддаются люди той лжи, которую внушают им, пусть только не говорят того, что они не думают и не чувствуют, и тотчас же совершится такой переворот во всем строе нашей жизни, которого не достигнут революционеры столетиями, если бы вся власть находилась в их руках.

Только бы верили люди, что сила не в силе, а в правде, и смело высказывали бы ее, или хоть только бы не отступали от нее словом и делом: не говорили бы того, чего они не думают, не делали бы того, что они считают нехорошим и глупым.