Radical nationalism in Russia refers to far-right extremist nationalist movements and organizations. Of note, the term "nationalist" in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
often refers to radical nationalism. However, it is often mixed up with
fascismFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
in Russia. While this terminology does not exactly match the formal definitions of fascism, the common denominator is
chauvinismChauvinism, , in its original and primary meaning, is an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a blind belief in national superiority and glory. By extension it has come to include an extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of any group to which one belongs, especially when the...
. In all other respects the positions vary over a wide spectrum.
Radical nationalism in Russia refers to far-right extremist nationalist movements and organizations. Of note, the term "nationalist" in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
often refers to radical nationalism. However, it is often mixed up with
fascismFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
in Russia. While this terminology does not exactly match the formal definitions of fascism, the common denominator is
chauvinismChauvinism, , in its original and primary meaning, is an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a blind belief in national superiority and glory. By extension it has come to include an extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of any group to which one belongs, especially when the...
. In all other respects the positions vary over a wide spectrum. Some movements hold a political position that the
stateA sovereign state is a political association with effective internal and external sovereignty over a geographic area and population which is not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state...
must be an instrument of nationalism (such as the
National-Bolshevik PartyThe National Bolshevik Party is a Russian political party dedicated to the ideology of National Bolshevism. Although the Party was liquidated by a lower court in June 2005, the Russian Supreme Court overturned the ban in August, just two months later. However, the party remained barred from...
, headed by
Eduard LimonovEduard Limonov is a French citizen and a Russian nationalist writer and political dissident, and is the founder and leader of Russia's unregistered National Bolshevik Party....
), while others (for example,
Russian National UnityRussian National Unity or All-Russian civic patriotic movement "Russian National Unity" , is a far right, ultra-nationalist political party and paramilitary organization based in Russia and operating in states with Russian-speaking populations. It was founded by the ultra-nationalist Alexander...
) resolve to
vigilanteA vigilante is someone who unlawfully punishes a criminal, or participates in a mob or conspiracy to mete out unlawful punishment to a criminal or criminals....
tactics against the perceived "enemies of Russia" without going into politics.
Historically, the first prototype of such groups started with the Black Hundreds, that were quickly extinguished by the Soviet regime's anti-nationalistic policies. A new surge of this kind of activism was a byproduct of
perestroikais the Russian term for the political and economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and
glasnostwas the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of 1980s....
, including neo-Soviet groups that called for a return of Soviet communism, and white supremacist movements heavily influenced by European and American groups. Several groups such as
PamyatPamyat is a Russian ultra-nationalist organization identifying itself as the "People's National-patriotic Orthodox Christian movement." It has been accused of racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism.- History :...
made an effort to combine pre-revolutionary Russian traditionalism with neo-fascism, although they are not as predominant as the aforementioned pro-Soviet and white supremacist groups.
Radical nationalism (to the extent of
fascismFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
) in Russia is often connected with
StalinismStalinism was the political system and ideology of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1928–1953...
:
Special sympathies for the RNE (i.e. Russian National UnityRussian National Unity or All-Russian civic patriotic movement "Russian National Unity" , is a far right, ultra-nationalist political party and paramilitary organization based in Russia and operating in states with Russian-speaking populations. It was founded by the ultra-nationalist Alexander...
) are shown by the Stalinists, who remain possessed by a sadomasochistic dream of iron fists and labour camps, and who are not much troubled by the ideological
sauce with which these delights are served up. It is no accident that at demonstrations today, portraits of Stalin are to be seen alongside swastikaThe swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form or its mirrored left-facing form. Archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates from the Neolithic period and was first found in the Indus Valley Civilization of the Indian...
flags. Oppositionists who in organisational
terms are quite impotent look with great respect on the tightly marshalled nazi ranks.
(
Russian Fascism and Russian Fascists by Kirill Buketov)
In 1997, the Moscow Anti-Fascist Center estimated there were 40 (nationalist) extremist groups operating in Russia. The same source reported 35 extremist newspapers, the largest among these being
Zavtra.
In addition to small extremist groups, some mainstream political parties like Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party and the Rodina bloc also engage in campaign of radical nationalism or
xenophobiaXenophobia is a dislike and/or fear of that which is unknown or different from oneself. It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear." The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from...
. On November 6, 2005,
RodinaRodina or Motherland-National Patriotic Union is one of the four parties that controlled seats in the Russian legislature in 2003-2007...
was barred from taking part in the December elections to the Moscow Duma following a complaint that its advertising campaign incited racial hatred. The advertisement in question showed dark-skinned Caucasian immigrants tossing watermelon rinds to the ground and ended with the slogan, "
let's clear our city of trash". It garnered much controversy and opinion polls predicted that Rodina would come second with close to 25% in the December vote. Rogozin appealed the decision, but the ban was upheld on December 1, 2005.
Liberal political parties and
human rightsHuman rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the...
groups struggle to oppose these developments.
Parties, organizations, movements
- Black Hundred
The Black Hundreds , also known as the black-hundredists was a counter-revolutionary movement in Russia in the early 20th century, a supporter of the tsarist regime, which stood for inviolable autocracy in its struggle against the revolutionary movement...
- Mladorossi
The 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"....
- National-Bolshevik Party
The National Bolshevik Party is a Russian political party dedicated to the ideology of National Bolshevism. Although the Party was liquidated by a lower court in June 2005, the Russian Supreme Court overturned the ban in August, just two months later. However, the party remained barred from...
- Pamyat
Pamyat is a Russian ultra-nationalist organization identifying itself as the "People's National-patriotic Orthodox Christian movement." It has been accused of racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism.- History :...
- People's National Party (Russia)
The Peoples National Party is a minor far right political party in Russia. Its leader is Aleksandr Ivanov-Sukharevsky, who founded the party in 1994....
- Russian National Socialist Party
The Russian National Socialist Party is a neo-Nazi party based in Russia. The party grew out of the followers of Konstantin Kasimovsky, a leading member of Pamyat in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union...
- Russian National Union
The Russian National Union was a Neo-Nazi party in Russia which split from Pamyat in 1992 ....
- Russian National Unity
Russian National Unity or All-Russian civic patriotic movement "Russian National Unity" , is a far right, ultra-nationalist political party and paramilitary organization based in Russia and operating in states with Russian-speaking populations. It was founded by the ultra-nationalist Alexander...
See also
- Anti-national sentiment in Russia
Racism in Russia during the 2000s appears in the form of negative attitudes and actions towards people who are not considered ethnically Russian...
- Racism in modern Russia
- Neo-Nazism in Russia
- 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...
External links