The struggle between tradition and modernization in Russia: what role does true spirituality play?
The confrontation between Russia and Ukraine is often interpreted as a clash between two different cultures: Western liberalism and traditional Russian authoritarianism. However, this view is incorrect. Vladimir Putin is not a defender of tradition, but rather the latest in a long line of modernizing leaders in Russiawhich includes figures such as Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Stalin.
When Stalin was asked in the late 1920s what Bolshevism meant, he described it as a combination of Russian dedication to a cause and American pragmatism. Once in power, he sought to implement Henry Ford’s business achievements in the Soviet Union and used brutal methods to eliminate any trace of Russian tradition, especially through the violent collectivization of agriculture.
Stalin also admired Peter the Great, who built Russia’s new capital on the Baltic Sea (St. Petersburg) to establish a direct connection with Western Europe. Peter’s reforms faced resistance from the “Old Believers,” followers of the ancient Eastern Orthodox Church whose religious practices dated back to before the reforms of Moscow Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century. Many preferred to die rather than renounce their faith and, as a result, thousands of them were martyred between the 17th and 19th centuries.
It was not until the October Revolution that things began to change, and even then, the first Soviet government included several prominent figures associated with the Old Believer movement. The Bolsheviks rightly saw these followers as representatives of a long-standing social protest against the Tsarist regime. The Old Believers had always distrusted the union between Church and State, which in reality meant subjugating the former to the latter, and argued that the religious community should remain an independent organization of ordinary people.
It is therefore not surprising that state persecution of religion intensified under Stalin and that the Orthodox Church’s submission to the state continues to this day. In fact, Putin has used the church for his own political purposes, as evidenced by his claim that Christians should not fear nuclear war as he will welcome the end of the world.
However, what appears to be a conservative movement may actually be a perverse expression of the rejection of domination and exploitation disguised as “modernization.” An example of this is Canudos, a community of outcasts in Brazil in the 19th century that became a home for prostitutes, beggars and the poor under the leadership of the prophet Antônio Conselheiro. Despite being accused of being religious fundamentalists, this community was tolerant and welcoming to all, while true fundamentalists like the Islamic State do not.
The difference between authentic fundamentalists and perverts is that the former are concerned with their own world and do not care about what others do, while the latter are tormented by their ambivalence and envy towards “sinners”, which they leads to committing violent acts. Putin’s regime has nothing to do with true Russian spirituality, since his concept of “Eurasia” is simply an excuse to justify his misguided modernization project. Therefore, we should not dismiss Russia as a completely conservative and traditionalist country, since true Russian spirituality opposes the authoritarian power of the state. To defeat the perverts who rule Russia today, it is necessary to awaken this true spirituality.
