Print (Serbia): Russophobia - a mental illness?

There are many phobias in the world. Some of them are absurd, while others are quite rational. Modern society knows firsthand what Russophobia is. This is a rather pressing problem in light of the events of recent years.

Russophobia is known firsthand to modern society

Russophobia occupies one of the leading positions among fears. People suffering from this form of phobia have a strongly negative reaction to the object of their fear. Against this backdrop, many conflicts are occurring in the world, and even wars are breaking out.

Reasons for hostility

The fight against Russophobia begins with studying the causes and origins of the negativity that has been instilled for centuries. The causes of Russophobia lie in ancient times. From time immemorial, Russia was a powerful state, and there were many foreigners here. Already in the 15th-17th centuries, an incorrect opinion about the Russian people began to take shape, which was imposed by foreign chroniclers who described Russians as vicious and weak people. People who had not seen Russians and had never been to Russia were hostile in advance.

Some scientists put forward proposals to classify Russophobia for reasons. There is hostility towards Russians, provoked by a certain situation. This situation has developed today due to the war in Ukraine. The second type of hostility is more an ideology of perception of the Russian nation. Documentary evidence indicating the existence of Russophobia dates back to the 16th century. During this period, Western countries began to discover Russian lands.

Most negative reviews about the people before the 19th century are completely unsystematic. Facts of manifestations of a negative attitude towards Russians are recorded even in the country itself. Negative moods can take a wide variety of forms.

We will consider the main reasons for the emergence of a dismissive, aggressive attitude in more detail.

• Liberalism.
• Competition.
• Cultural ideology.

Liberalism

The first reason is associated with the aggressive, totalitarian regime of the Russian Empire, then the USSR and after the Russian Federation. Historians believe that the aggression was provoked by the condemnation of Stalin's political rule, as well as the Russian government's propaganda campaign to combat any manifestations of fascism.

Competition

Many countries see Russia as a serious rival. Neighboring countries consider Russia a dangerous adversary, so heads of state prefer to maintain a dismissive and even aggressive attitude towards Russians.

Russophobic sentiments are skillfully supported with the help of the media and films. This is due to political games and economic competition.

Ideology

The Western intelligentsia has always treated Russians with disdain. In some states it was believed that Russians were barbarians with low intelligence. In Western countries, people believed that they were superior to Russians in cultural and economic development.

With the advent of the USSR, such conversations stopped; Western neighbors were afraid to speak openly about their attitude. With its collapse, everything changed, and Russophobia began to gain momentum. This was due to the large influx of Russian emigrants to Europe. The manifestation of Russophobia became especially noticeable with the spread of communications, when impartial comments began to appear on the Internet. This was associated with the strong involvement of Russian emigrants in crime. Some films contain references to the Russian mafia.

History of Russophobia

It can be considered that the concept of “Russophobia” was first used by the Russian poet F. Tyutchev. He contrasted Russophobia with Pan-Slavism (an ideology based on the need to unite the Slavs).

Active propaganda against the Russian Empire was carried out by the Polish and Lithuanian governments, writers and historians, and then the Jesuits. The reason for the emergence of such propaganda is the rivalry for Russian lands. Also, such propaganda arose out of the struggle between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. So, for example, King Sigismund 1 tried by any means to stop and prevent any political unions of Rus' in Europe. He tried to convince Western monarchs that Russians were not Christians, but ruthless barbarians who belonged to Asia and were conspiring with the Tatars and Turks to destroy the entire Christian world.

The origins of Russophobia go back to the time of the split between the Roman Empire and Constantinople due to religious disagreement. The basis of Russophobia and rejection of the Orthodox Church is the West’s rejection of the Christian East in general. Russia has always been classified as renegades and schismatics.

It so happened that in the 16th century Europe began to discover the Russian state. At that time, she still perceived Russia according to the principle of “stranger.” At first, Europe's dislike for Russia came from the realization that the Russian state has a different culture, alien and incomprehensible to Europeans, the Russian people themselves and their actions are also incomprehensible and alien to Europeans. With great curiosity, and sometimes horror, she explored traditions, became acquainted with customs and mores. Since the bulk of the European population recognized Russia only from the descriptions of their fellow tribesmen, and their descriptions and reviews were often negative, the opinion of the main masses was based on this. This is due to the fact that this is how humanity works - it denies what it does not understand. And the West to this day does not understand the mysterious Russian soul, as a result of which it cultivates Russophobic sentiments.

At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the emergence of the Russophobic attitude took place as a system that determines a hostile and aggressive policy towards the Russian state by one country or another.

Initially, such sentiments appeared in France in 1815 after the failure of Napoleonic plans to seize foreign territories. Then, in the 20-40s of the 19th century, the British became infected with Russophobia. Historian A. Fursov characterizes systemic Russophobia as a psychohistorical weapon. The purpose of such weapons is to prove to themselves and the Russians that they are lagging behind in development, since they do not correspond to the Western version, thereby putting the Russians in an obviously losing state of defense. The West considers its culture, its development, its traditions as a kind of standard that others must conform to.

Some sources indicate that the emergence of Russophobia as a system began after the anti-liberal and militaristic policies of Nicholas 1. After a number of his successes in military operations, the Russian state began to cause concern and was perceived as a threat to the interests of some European powers.

However, the most dangerous manifestation of Russophobia is considered to be the country’s internal worldview with a Russophobic tint. How can the whole world get rid of Russophobia if the Russians themselves do not respect their people, their traditions, and the history of the state. For a Russian person there is no such thing as a Motherland. For him, his homeland is where he will feel good. This position is incomprehensible to Europeans.

The most important problem of modern Russian society is mass ignorance, ignorance of its history, disrespect for the history of the state. Ignorance always leads to doubt, exposure to other people's thoughts and ideas, influence of other people's traditions and disregard for one's own traditions and culture. For this reason, the phenomenon of Russophobia arises in the Russian state itself and in the consciousness of the Russian citizen.

Most historians agree that the origins of Russophobia are hidden in the very national consciousness of Russians. This is evidenced by the huge number of Russophobes living in Russia itself, as well as among famous Russian public figures. This position is also proven by the special Russian mentality, which is based on a desire for harsh self-criticism.

Who are they called Russians?

Radical views on the history of the Russian state are now spreading. Kievan Rus was not a native Russian state. It was inhabited by Russians. It was ruled by talented princes who knew how to protect their lands from attacks by the Varangians and other wild tribes inhabiting the surrounding area. With the advent of Yuri Dolgoruky, decline began, he was expelled and he went to the swamps, trained the local tribes in warfare and began to build a new city on seven hills. He called it Moscow.

Local tribes led a criminal lifestyle:

• engaged in robbery and robbery;
• They robbed travelers who passed along the Trade Route.

With the advent of their own city, people's activities did not change. Muscovites continued to enrich themselves through theft. Gradually their territories expanded, and wars were fought with Kiev. Tsar Ivan the Terrible was the first to introduce the concept of “Russian”. The tribes united within Muscovy were taught that they were Russian people. By the end of the 17th century, the concept of Russian people had come into common use.

Not only lands were stolen from Kievan Rus, but also all the names of cities and the Christian faith. The once prosperous state began to be disparagingly called “Outskirts”.

Such a view of the history of the emergence of the Russian state is a striking example of Russophobia.

Sources

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Manifestation of phobia before and now

Examples of Russophobia have been clearly visible since ancient times. The Moscow population was called “Katsaps”. Translated from Turkic, this word means “butcher”. In Ukrainian and Russian it meant resemblance to goats. In one of his works, Russian writer Viktor Erofeev writes that Russians need to be colonized like Africa. The writer says that the Russian people are afraid of everything and have no principles.

Hatred towards Russians was fueled year after year, and during Shevchenko’s time in Ukraine it was not allowed to speak their native language. Many authors of that time wrote propaganda works.

The most striking example is what is happening now between Ukraine and Russia.

You can see posters with various obscene inscriptions. People take to the streets, chant various slogans, and when they see a person speaking Russian, most people living in western Ukraine look disdainful. The sanctions adopted by America against Russia are also a manifestation of Russophobia.

Social Democrats and Russophobia

For Social Democrats, Russophobia is unacceptable, as it is a form of racism. That is, statements that endow citizens of Russian nationality with certain special innate properties are racist and should not be used by Social Democrats for this reason. At the same time, Social Democrats cannot approve of the policies of the tsarist government, the policies of the communists in the Stalinist and post-Stalin USSR, as well as the policies of the Russian government after the collapse of the USSR. The abundant criticism of this policy by the Social Democrats may be represented by conservative forces as Russophobia, but it is not Russophobia. Criticism of the values ​​​​instilled by the elites and therefore prevailing on the territory of Russia is also not Russophobia. Social Democrats must always emphasize that Russian governments, not Russian peoples, are reactionary.

The world cannot be free while the people of a sixth of it - the people of my homeland - live under a dictatorship, under the violence of the greatest police power that history has ever known.

Therefore, it is not true that every nation has the government it deserves! This formula is true only for those countries where democratic and not totalitarian orders exist.

This formula, too often used, sets Western countries not against the Soviet regime, but against the peoples of Russia, and thereby, with the help of Kremlin propaganda, makes them enemies of the West, rather than friends and allies, in the fight against all forms of dictatorship.

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The West's understanding of Soviet reality is a positive factor, but often comments about the Soviet Union made by some Western politicians and the press take a clearly anti-Russian form, rude and insulting to the people of Russia, and thereby allow the Kremlin to incite the people of my country against the outside world.

Thus, the Russo-eaters are arming, not weakening, the Soviet dictatorship!9

Victor Kravchenko

Fighting the disease

The fight against Russophobia must begin with working with the media and filtering information that goes on air. In most cases, news is broadcast that is beneficial to the government or that sells well.

Russophobia is not a disease with a mental disorder, but a type of perception of reality in the wrong light.

At one time, people with black skin were persecuted and bullied. Many years passed until fighters for freedom and human rights achieved the abolition of the slave trade and were able to equalize the rights of white and dark-skinned people.

Russophobia cannot be cured. It is unlikely that people who have formed their vision of the world will change their position.

Russophobia can only be combated through general influence on the population through the media.

Final part

Russophobia is considered a component of ethnophobia, as a prejudiced attitude towards one nation. To avoid the spread of such an ideological concept, people must independently study the history of their roots.

The conclusion suggests itself that the spread of Russophobia is beneficial to the politicians of the world. Russia is a large state with good weapons, so many are afraid, realizing that they cannot cope with it alone. People forget about the great discoveries made by Russian scientists, athletes, writers, artists, and philanthropists. Russophobic conversations and manifestations are supported artificially.

Bottom line

Russophobia as a phenomenon is greatly overestimated and exaggerated by conservatives. It is presented as ordinary racism and criticism of the Russian authorities. The latter is indeed an extremely common phenomenon both in the world and in Russia itself, and this is a reason to think about the competence of the government. Most likely, when you hear speeches about Russophobia, but a “Russophobe” also shows hatred towards other nations, you are dealing with manipulation, when racism is presented as Russophobia. If you hear accusations of Russophobia, but the object of the accusations speaks negatively only about the Russian government, then they are trying to pass off criticism of the Russian nomenklatura as Russophobia. For Social Democrats, the way out is not to succumb to these manipulations, and not to allow themselves Russophobic statements, instead concentrating the attention of everyone around them on the policies of the Russian government.