History as a Lubricant
Russia’s War and Propaganda Machine
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The Putin regime has created an imperial, statist, and militaristic ideology to legitimize its rule, in which the supposed constants of “history” and “geopolitics” are integral components. A multitude of institutions, organizations, and individual actors readily compete for state resources. They spread the official patriotic politics of remembrance. Since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine, the state has increased its control over the collective memory of its citizens. Heroic tales from the past, imperial traditions, and historical images from the “Great Patriotic War” are intended to justify the unprovoked war against Ukraine. History has become an instrument of propaganda. But it is only effective under conditions of repression and censorship.
(Osteuropa 5/2024, pp. 147–166)