Political Messianism as the Basis of the Russian Imperial Myth

Abstract

The subject of this study is the content, structure, and functions of the imperial political myth. The relevance of the research topic is dictated by the current political situation. In the conditions of growing global political tension and confrontation between Russia and Western countries, accompanied by information and memorial wars, the problem of searching for spiritual and value bases of modern Russian public consciousness arises. Myth, as a social phenomenon, has a powerful meaning-forming potential. Therefore, the practical significance of analyzing the processes of myth-making is to obtain effective tools for managing social processes. The imperial myth is a stable set of political myths rooted in the national culture and largely predetermining the specifics of political traditions. The process of formation of the imperial myth was considered in its historical dynamics at different stages of the Russian state existence. For this purpose, comparative-historical analysis, interdisciplinary analysis, systemic and holistic approach, as well as the principles of the dialectical method were used. The analysis suggests that the imperial myth is based on political messianism. The phenomenon of political messianism is a set of socio-political myths that form an idea of the special position of a nation and assert the existence of its special historical mission, as well as set vectors for the development of political practice. The Messianic imperial myth played a major role in the process of formation and consolidation of the unified Russian state. Later it underwent various transformations. In modern Russian political practice the imperial messianic myth again acquires the status of one of the main elements. Understanding the specifics of modern mythmaking practice with the help of the concept "imperial myth" allows us to take a new look at the political sphere and identify its inherent tendencies.