Today, it is imperative that we resume discussions about Nazism.
In recent years, Nazism has been manifesting in new forms, and we are witnessing its metamorphosis in real time. Hence, such a discussion is unavoidable.
The Nazi ideology and its repercussions constitute a tragedy for a vast number of individuals. However, in addition to the horrors of the Brown Plague, historians and social researchers also obtain invaluable material that can be subjected to the scrutiny of the scientific method. Ultimately, such research should help us understand Nazism as an ideological epidemic of our time.
If in the 1970s it was believed that Nazism was a thing of the past, and liberalism and communism were developing competitively, today the situation is precisely the opposite. It is quite evident that the phenomenon itself was not eradicated in 1945 with the surrender of Nazi Germany. It did not vanish as a result of the Nuremberg trials. Even more flimsy are the references to the contrived German «denazification», which has become one of the prevalent European myths ingrained in the consciousness of the layperson. Nazism persists as an ongoing phenomenon.
Meanwhile, in the present era, with very few living witnesses of the 1941 – 1945 war remaining, the theme of Nazism is becoming increasingly mythologized. This is the result not only of spontaneous aberrations of collective consciousness, but also of deliberate disorientation of the masses. An example of an unspoken PR campaign under the slogan «The Germans Did Not Want to Fight» in the Russian public sphere (for instance, the performance of «Kolya from Urengoy» in the Bundestag in 2017), or the gradual Germanization observed in Kaliningrad, suffices to illustrate this point.
The paradoxical combination of combating Nazism by military means alongside the comfortable position of individuals who support Nazism within Russia itself is compounded by the support of globalism and neoliberalism. These ideologies serve as both the tools and conceptual cover for Nazism in contemporary times. As long as this postmodern duality persists, the challenges of denazification cannot be effectively addressed.
An essential prerequisite for success in countering Nazism at the informational and conceptual levels is a thorough theoretical examination of the subject.
It is evident that the delineation of Nazism, its origins, transformations, and related phenomena is evolving as the conceptual cornerstone of any rigorous approach in the realm of political science and social philosophy today. Without a robust and effective theory of Nazism and related phenomena, any discipline within the social sciences can no longer be deemed comprehensive or sufficiently applicable.
Our country possesses a unique historical experience of direct confrontation with Nazism. However, it is regrettable to note that we still lack a comprehensive, fully developed, systematic concept of Nazism and racism – it has yet to be formulated. In the future, it will become an integrated concept that incorporates the experiences of multiple generations, including those who actively oppose Nazism today.
It is inevitable to update the existing knowledge in this field, considering a range of events in post-Soviet history and the characteristics of the information and digital society that influence the dissemination of ideologies in the collective consciousness.
Currently, the examination of Nazi ideology and associated forms of racism reflects a twenty-first-century perspective. Over the past few decades, the collective perception of the phenomenon has evolved, becoming significantly broader in historical terms. As a result, certain aspects of Nazism have become more clearly discernible, while others have receded into the background; inaccuracies have been identified in some areas, and certain provisions have become outdated.
The conventional approach to the issue of Nazism requires some adjustment. Hence, Russian society will need to reconsider and reevaluate the body of knowledge about Nazism that has accumulated in Russian science throughout the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. This book serves as an invitation to engage in such a public reevaluation.
2024 год
