Translated material
Love for the Motherland, devoid of love
The Laboratory of the future Novaya Gazeta found out what today means for Russians Patriotism
Illustration: Peter Sarukhanov / "New Gazeta"
The phrase “patriotic education” in recent years has firmly taken one of the leading places among the most commonly used terms of the Russian state and its media resources. Not that it was unexpected. On the one hand, in public memory, memories of the relevant Soviet practice with a wide arsenal of military-patriotic clubs, military-sports games “Zarnitsa” and “Eaglet”, watches of memory and other organizational instruments of maintaining patriotic feelings among the younger generation.
On the other hand, although the special efforts to increase the patriotic feelings of citizens for about ten and a few years fell out of the list of state priorities, almost immediately after the election of the new president, in 2001 the first state program “Patriotic education of citizens of the Russian Federation for 2001-2005” was adopted.
In the substantiation of the need to accept such a program, one can see well -known words that “has become increasingly noticeable by our society of traditionally Russian patriotic consciousness”, and among the measures to implement no less familiar measures to strengthen the media propaganda of patriotism and “active counteraction of the facts of distortion and falsification of the history of the Fatherland”.
This program was followed by another five years, and then another, and yet. At first, they observed a certain balance of tasks and activities balancing the civil and military spheres, but the dominance of the latter gradually grew.
And about ten years ago, in the period around 2014, everything in this area begins to happen with a double, or even tripled energy.
In 2012, the Russian Military Historical Society was being created, in 2013, the Russian all-Russian public search movement of Russia was instituted, in 2016 the All-Russian Children and Youth Military-patriotic social movement of Junarmia appeared. All three organizations have a distinct military focus and evenly cover the priorities of their activities of adults, youth and children.
The program for 2016–2020 among goals clearly indicates “Improving the level of consolidation of the company to solve the problems of ensuring national security”; The latter program, adopted in 2021, in the description of the main goal, contains such a familiar set of “spiritual and moral values of the peoples of the Russian Federation and historical and national-cultural traditions”, and the same young man and the Russian movement of schoolchildren are soloed among events.
Obviously, the beginning of a special military operation in February twenty -second years could not but affect the implementation of all these programs. And if you look at the list of activities that should now raise the patriotic spirit of citizens of the country as a whole and youth in particular, then it completely reflects this: the All -Russian project “Dialogues with heroes”, the All -Russian action “Watch of Memory”, district and all -Russian patriotic forums, the collections of leaders of historical reconstruction clubs, seminars to combat falsification of history, national premium “Patriot”, as well as also The mandatory school lessons “Talk about the important”, the solemn morning raising of the state flag and the endless sea of numerous local projects about past and newly -minted “heroes” introduced to them from now on in the spring of 2022.
Patriotic education in the last three years has been concentrated as much as possible around those justifying the “necessity and inevitability” of military operations in Ukraine and “the formation of pride of participants in a special military operation”.
Since the relevant state programs by patriotic education understand “the education of a patriotic personality, characterized by the development of a fundamental personality attitude in a citizen, which determines the evaluative position of a person in relation to sociocultural reality and motivates the socially significant activity in which this position is expressed”, we can assume that the content of such education in its modern domestic form suggests that it is completely a patriot of Russia. To accept military "sociocultural reality" and be ready to realize this acceptance in personal actions.
However, there is a catch. If you look at the existing definitions of patriotism, then they are talking about something very diverse. So, according to Ozhegov, patriotism is “devotion and love for their fatherland, for its people”, in Dahl - “love for the Fatherland”, according to Karamzin - “love for the good and glory of the middle name”, according to the Great Russian Encyclopedia - “conscious love for their people, its traditions”. And, in the end, we have Pushkin with his love for the "native ashes" and "for fatherly coffins." So it turns out that in these definitions rooted in Russian culture, the main word is love.
In parallel, there are definitions that link patriotism with actions. According to Ushakov’s dictionary, Patriot is “a person who is devoted to his people who love his fatherland, ready for sacrifices and committing feats in the name of the interests of his homeland,” and the sociological encyclopedia of 2003 defines patriotism as “a political principle and social feeling, attachment to the homeland, devotion to the victims for her.” So what is patriotism for Russians today: feeling or sacrificial action?
At the beginning of this month, we held the next monthly focus groups of the Laboratory of the future “Novaya Gazeta”, and asked our participants that patriotism means for them.
Older people almost unanimously focused on love, on the experience of the country, as well as the pride and joy of belonging to compatriots.
Those who can be classified as “average age, middle class” mentioned love a little less often, while speaking of it, they often used the formula “no matter what”, more often the options “responsibility for the future”, “strengthening the capabilities of the country”, “promotion of the interests of the state” and “protection of their country” were often proposed.
The young Russians almost in full force again swayed towards love and added such options as “Faith in the people around you” and “A worthy sense of citizen”. And yes, almost all of them consider themselves to be patriots, but, as you can see, differently.
Still dominates the feeling of love, painted in the young generation with shades of conscious citizenship. In a generation that has formed in the last quarter of a century, patriotism is more often associated with the action: strengthen, promote, protect. And with the state. Apparently, all these numerous programs partly worked.
The same (with some crafty details) also speak of the results of a large survey, which we conducted in parallel together with the Levada Center* and in which we tried to find out how in the Russians a patriotic feeling changed in recent years. And also understand how, through what the real patriot of Russia should show itself today.
It is interesting that the number of those who answered positively to the question whether they feel large or smaller patriots today than five years ago, exceeds the number of those who, according to the official report of the Ministry of Education, were involved in the system of patriotic education. Almost 39% of the population of the country is listed, and the growth of patriotism in themselves, according to our data, felt 44% of respondents. On the other hand, almost exactly the same amount did not feel any patriotic changes in themselves, 42% replied that no educational programs, no current events and no “sociocultural reality” had influenced them, their patriotism was not reduced or increased. Given the scope and ubiquity of propaganda pressure with all its television programs, banners and posters, appeals and proclamations on social networks and not only, it sounds very surprising.
It is even more surprising that in all these circumstances, 7% were not afraid to answer that patriotism in them decreased, and there were 2% of those who were ready to admit that he or she did not feel himself at all. Taking a closer look at these categories, it is not difficult to notice that the majority of those who have a patriotic feeling went down for some reason, you can find among the residents of the Far East and Moscow, among entrepreneurs, students and temporarily not working, as well as among YouTube users and, predictably, among those who generally believe that our country has turned off somewhere in the wrong place. Separately, we note that the largest surge of patriotic feelings was seen in the Urals, among Russians with the greatest incomes, housewives and consumers of the content of traditional media. A curious portrait is obtained, given the modern context.
But what to do with this patriotism, what are increased, what is bored? And here the vast majority of 60% believe that a real patriot today should openly support the country's domestic and foreign policy, whatever this policy may be. And again, most people with the same point of view we find in the same Urals, among the same housewives with pensioners who joined them, still receiving information from TV, radio and printed publications.
The answer option is that patriotism can and should be shown through open criticism of Russia's domestic and foreign policy, which looks like a very impressive amount, given how the authorities in recent years reacted to any minimum critical statements addressed to it.
It is reasonable to assume that “criticism” in this case can mean as the fact that everything is done in principle is not like that, as well as the fact that the power acts not decisively enough and must push in achieving the goals.
One way or another, the majority of those inclined can be found in this way in the Far East and Siberia, among entrepreneurs and leaders, among users of social networks and YouTube. Also a very recognizable portrait.
Another 8% of our respondents considered that a real patriot should do business, and not talk. Whatever it means. Apparently, this category includes those who in the word “patriotism” just invest the concepts of ministry, promotion of interests and other changes in reality. Such are most of all among middle -aged people, owners of higher education, Muscovites and residents of large cities, entrepreneurs, managers and managers.
These people of the “patriotic action” are actually a very curious category, and it would be extremely interesting to know what exactly they would like to aim these actions in our current reality. As well as it would be useful to understand why, with such obvious options for answers to “support-criticize-evaluate”, 15% of the participants and participants in the survey (which is a very large, atypically large number) did not see the option of suitable option among them and found it difficult to answer our question. What ways could there be ways to manifest patriotism? Supporting something, but something is not? Protect with weapons in your hands? Quiet criticize in the kitchen? Or loudly, but by encrypting as much as possible in social networks?
Or maybe these are just those who did not see the word “love” in the proposed list? The one that can be very difficult. And which is completely unaware of education.