Patriotism has seized the agenda from radical nationalism. November 4th is no longer perceived as the day of the ‘Russian march’.
Political scientist Konstantin Kostin confirms that there we have witnessed a turning point in the public consciousness of millions of Russians. In an interview with NSN, Kostin, Head of the Foundation for Civil Society Development (FCSD), announced the results of a sociological survey entitled ‘Russian and the Russians; self identity and the state of national perception,’ which was conducted by the Foundation.
NSN: Many people were surprised by the celebration of National Unity Day this year. For a start, protests by radical nationalists, which, in previous years received a lot of coverage in the press and the blogosphere, turned out to be so low key as to be virtually negligible. Meanwhile, a patriotic rally in the centre of Moscow on Tverskaya Streeet, was commented on universally - even by critics of the government. What sort of castling move on the political chess-board are we seeing here? Is this a modern phenomenon?
Kostin: I would not call it a phenomenon so much as a natural course of events which simply points to what the people actually want – what their own personal choice is. This year saw an important, principled turning point in the public consciousness of millions of our citizens. The Day of National Unity was, perhaps for the first time ever, perceived by the people as a national celebration rather than an extra day off work, and certainly not as a date for a ‘Russian march.’ This is a great step forward for the country, the authorities and for all Russians. Protests by radical nationalists were scarcely noticed by the public. They lost their relevance and passion. The real energy force of that day was to be found on Tverskaya where, for the first time, representatives of the main political parties and public organizations gathered. Patriotism is an understandable and appealing emotion for a people who want to demonstrate that they have found a common ground with basic institutions of the state (government, civil society and media) and are finally on the ‘same wavelength.’ And this ‘wave’ is completely understandable – you can so to speak, reach out and touch it – because it is real patriotism.
NSN. So how do you explain the lack of interest in the ‘Russian march’ – is this due to the media or the public?
K. Events like the ‘Russian march’ are permitted by the city authorities even though the slogans sometimes sound very radical. Anyone who wanted could join the march – anyone who shared the views of the organizers. However there were less and less people who wished to do so. I think the trend is clear.
Conversely, those ideas, which the people are really in need of supporting will only grow in popularity. The celebration of National Unity Day has become a necessity for Russians. This is not just my personal opinion – I’m used to manipulating numbers. No, I am basing my comments on the results of a large-scale study conducted by our Foundation in April of this year.
NSN. And what do these numbers show us? Is this just the so-called ‘Crimean Factor’?
K. The ‘Crimean Factor’ did without doubt play a big role in all this. But the sociological study ‘Russia and the Russians: self-identity and the state of national perception’ carried out by the Foundation for Civil Society Development, clearly demonstrates that National Unity Day was among the most popular of our holidays.
According to our data, national unity is determined above all by having a common history in a country. 923% of respondents said that having the history of their country in common with compatriots was ‘very important’ or ‘quite important’ in uniting the people with patriotic fervour. A feeling of unity among modern day citizens of the Russian Federation is determined by factors such as common traditions (89.5%), a common culture (88.9%), and a sense of community among representatives of different nationalities (86.6%). Interestingly, the liberation of Moscow from the Polish invasion was one of the main historical events that led to the feeling of unity in modern day Russia 70.4% of respondents agreed with this. The liberation from the Poles was one of 12 historic events that contributed to a feeling of consolidation among Russians. Others included: victory in the Great Patriotic War; flights into space by Russian cosmonauts; victory over Napoleon, Survorov’s military victories and the liberation of Russia from the Mongol-Tatar yoke. According to the study by the Foundation for Civil Society Development 55.9% of respondents also saw great historical figures such as Kuzma Minin and Dmitri Pozharsky as among 15 symbolic figures who help unify today’s Russia.
It is not only the Foundation for Civil Society Development, which has noticed the trend of increasing interest in celebrating National Unity Day. The ‘Levada Centre’ published a study on October 31st, which also highlighted the increased importance and public recognition of this holiday.
NSN Very well, so events in the Crimea have revived interest in the Day of National Unity, but what have the authorities done in this sense?
K. They have done a great deal The balance between the official attitude to this issue and the ‘people’s’ attitude is very important. Take that meeting on Tverskaya. I believe that the fact that all parliamentary parties took part in the rally, shows solidarity with regard to the key structure of the country, its unity and its sovereignty. This is an important indicator of the stability of the political system. In the words of the famous Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin, elections should divide the voters, but unite the people.
