The Ideology of Putinism
Introduction
In the 1990s, Boris Yeltsin initiated a search for a national idea for Russia, which he never found.
Vladimir Putin, upon his presidency in 2000, labeled himself as a modernizer.
Stance: Not anti-Soviet regarding the past, nor anti-American or anti-European about the future.
However, elements of Putin's current regime were foreshadowed in earlier initiatives:
Restoration of the Soviet national anthem.
Formation of the patriotic youth group “Nashi.”
Cultivation of the Great Patriotic War.
Ideological Entrepreneurs: Individuals in the gray zone of Putin's regime have catalyzed many of these initiatives, responding to a public demand for stability in various aspects of life.
Popular sentiment consists of pride, grievance, and nostalgia for the Soviet Union, often driven by the repudiation of the post-1990s Western experience in Russia.
There are differing interpretations of the use of ideology by the Putin regime:
Some argue that such regimes do not heavily rely on ideology.
Others claim that ideology is utilized for functional purposes, especially during events like the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Another perspective suggests a transformation in Putin from a political technologist to a believer in a united Slavic essence amid Western encirclement.
Argument Overview
The report asserts that Putin's regime is underpinned by a coherent ideology.
The Kremlin has made significant investments in promoting values since his rule began two decades ago.
Key ideological themes include:
Imperial-Nationalist Statism: Drawing upon czarist and Soviet ideologies emphasizing Russian greatness and exceptionalism.
An emphasis on historical narrative and memory politics is evident since the mid-2010s, pushing from mere narratives to public engagement efforts.
The narrative promotion often aligns with regime challenges, such as color revolutions and the ongoing conflicts initiated by the regime.
The 2022 invasion of Ukraine marks a radical shift with respect to ideological efforts, showing the intent to establish more comprehensive ideology-building efforts.
Cultural and Historical Politics
A critique of the regime notes that politicians may not genuinely believe in the ideological constructs they promote.
Ideology can serve as a tool for inculcating practices and rituals without the elites being true believers.
Government-Organized NGOs: Established to promote a self-serving history, pushing narratives that emphasize Russia's victimization and resilience against perceived Western threats.
Programs include children's activities that weave ideological elements into education and memory.
Statism as a Core Pillar
Statism is a key component, advocating a strong state where people can express their Russian identity, linked to traditional values and exceptionalism.
Anti-Western sentiments, combined with Russian exceptionalism, enhance the state's characterization as a civilization-state confronting decadence.
Promotion of collective welfare over individualism is central to this ideology.
Historical Continuity
The delayed inheritance of Soviet ideology and its implicated exceptionalism remained after the Soviet collapse.
Collective Trauma: The Russian identity was damaged due to the loss of superpower status and subsequent economic hardships experienced in the 1990s.
Themes of national pride and strength were cultivated to substitute for economic hardship and an identity crisis in post-Soviet society.
Political Legitimacy and Ideology Formation
Only since the protests of 2011-2012 and the 2022 war has there been a concerted effort to develop a coherent ideology.
The 2000s: Marked by national consolidation focused on stability and historic narratives to unify a divided society.
Historical Appropriation
Putin aimed to establish a national identity through selective historical narratives, drawing heavily on Soviet themes to counteract foreign reductionism or critiques of Russia.
This effort included revisions of textbooks and historical education to promote patriotism, ultimately recognizing a “strong state” as vital to the historical continuity of Russian identity.
Introduction
In the 1990s, Boris Yeltsin initiated a search for a national idea for Russia, which he never found.
Vladimir Putin, upon his presidency in , labeled himself as a modernizer.
Stance: Not anti-Soviet regarding the past, nor anti-American or anti-European about the future.
However, elements of Putin's current regime were foreshadowed in earlier initiatives:
Restoration of the Soviet national anthem.
Formation of the patriotic youth group ’Nashi’ (founded in ).
Cultivation of the Great Patriotic War as a central pillar of national identity.
Ideological Entrepreneurs: Individuals in the gray zone of Putin's regime have catalyzed many of these initiatives, responding to a public demand for stability.
Popular sentiment consists of pride, grievance, and nostalgia; according to Levada Center polls, Soviet nostalgia reached a -year high in , with approximately of Russians regretting the collapse of the USSR.
Argument Overview
The report asserts that Putin's regime is underpinned by a coherent ideology.
The Kremlin has made significant financial investments; for instance, the federal budget for "Patriotic Education" increased from roughly million rubles in to over billion rubles ( million USD) by .
Key ideological themes include:
Imperial-Nationalist Statism: Drawing upon czarist and Soviet ideologies emphasizing Russian greatness.
A shift in memory politics since the mid-, moving from passive narratives to a state-mandated "Historical Truth."
The invasion of Ukraine marks a radical shift toward a "militant ideology," aiming for a total mobilization of society and education.
Cultural and Historical Politics
Ideology serves as a tool for inculcating practices and rituals. The Constitutional Amendments explicitly constitutionalized the protection of "historical truth" and the defense of "traditional family values."
Government-Organized NGOs (GONGOs): Established to promote a self-serving history.
The Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO), led by Vladimir Medinsky, has erected over monuments and plaques to create a physical landscape of state-approved memory.
Statism and Civilization-State
Statism advocates for a powerful executive where individual rights are subordinate to collective security and "civilizational" survival.
Russia is characterized as a "civilization-state," a concept formalized in the Foreign Policy Concept, which positions Russia as a unique heartland resisting Western "liberal-globalist" decadence.
Historical Continuity and Trauma
Collective Trauma: The Russian identity was damaged by the loss of superpower status and the economic chaos of the , where GDP fell by nearly .
Themes of strength are used to substitute for economic hardship; as long as the state is perceived as a "Great Power," domestic failures are framed as necessary sacrifices.
Political Legitimacy and Formation
Concerted ideology-building intensified post- (following the Bolotnaya protests) and peaked with the war.
The 2000s: Focused on "Sovereign Democracy," a term coined by Vladislav Surkov to justify centralized control while maintaining the appearance of democratic forms.
Analytical Questions and Examples
The Role of Conflict: How does the regime use external threats to validate internal ideological shifts?
Example: The narrative of "Western Encirclement" is used to justify the suppression of domestic dissent as "foreign agency."
Historical Appropriation: What happens when the state monopolizes history?
Example: The liquidations of NGOs like Memorial in demonstrate what happens when independent historical research contradicts the state's narrative of Soviet glory.
Educational Impact: How is the ideology integrated into the daily life of the youth?
Example: The introduction of "Talks about Important Things" (Razgovory o vazhnom) in schools since serves as a weekly mandatory lecture series designed to instill patriotic values and explain the "Special Military Operation."