About Different Forms of the Russian Opposition

The mode enters into a turbulence zone. The sound of "steps of the commodore" is audible in recording of tens millions in putin-front and in schizophrenic manoeuvrings round registration of a Party of National Freedom as well as in legislative initiative of the senator Torshin-Beslansky which will throw together Dima-blogger either with "party of swindlers and thieves", or with civilized Europe.

It is useful to classify opposition at least in general in advance. Recently published monography of the expert of the Movement "For Human Rights" professor of RSUH, philosopher Igor Grigorievich Yakovenko about role of reprisals as sociocultural factor in world and national history allows to look at ideological delimitation in our country from absolutely new angle.

Ideological movement can temporarily hide its belief in violence as in social panacea but it all the same will get out in case of public delimitation. "Right" with their fascist liberalism and "left" who though having recognized necessity of "core bourgeois-democratic freedoms" but true preferences give to apologia of Katyn, collectivization and Stalin cleanings sin by worshipping repressiveness.

As in 1916 all discuss future revolution. It means that in several years the Russian opposition can become "party in power".

Yakovenko suggests to range all cultures and subcultures depending on prevailing element serving as stimulus - encouragement or reprisal. He considers that reprisal in Russia is almost religious rite.

If to develop the logic of culturologist further, it's possible to divide opposition into the one which sees encouragement as method of construction of the future and the one which sees reprisal as the basic tool of transformation. Thus, it is possible to designate such opposition types as E (encouraging) and R (taking reprisals).

This division seems to me more exact, than such categories as "democratic" and "patriotic" or "liberal" and "totalitarian", not to mention absolutely freakish in our conditions definitions "right" and "left"*.

"Taking reprisals" opposition can formally occupy extremely democratic positions understanding under "democracy" absolute people power where every sneeze of the majority should be immediately turned into law and not free and fair competitions of political projects. As, for example, in the mad project of forbidden for extremism "Army of People's Will" according to which the voters can send either the president or whole deputy corps to prison if they are not satisfied with the way they rule the country.

Relation to human dignity is very important. If the inventor of "Strategy-31" doesn't see anything terrible in a racist trick of fans (actually of become bold street gang), in banana throwing ** - they almost called the Brazilian football player "monkey", than all his words about fidelity to the constitution and democracy - nothing. Modern legal democracy can't exist without respect to person. Only vulgar caesarism as at Putin.

"Encouraging" opposition four times tried to come to power in Russia - in December, 1825; October, 1905; March, 1917 and August, 1991. In two last cases after formal victory it was taken away by taking reprisals "fellow travelers" - in 1917 already in half a year by coalition of Bolsheviks and left national socialists and in the recent past - in 9 years by "market KGB staff".

Divergences between these two oppositions have universal character. Thus "encouraging" could be not only left-liberal circles but also the Russian "social democracy" existing while in "unexposed" condition as well as not numerous truly left and anarchist groups.

As the beginning of uplift of revolutionary movement will involve both oppositions, a theme of their deep incompatibility should be discussed openly by oppositional leaders and ideologists already now ***so that there would no unexpectedness further. Thus it is necessary to recognize that, as experience of the National assembly has shown, no solemn promises and written agreements can serve as guarantee at the moment when "taking reprisals" will decide to intercept political initiative and will start to appeal to the most dark instincts of the crowd.

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* the majority of domestic "left currents" on their spirit are opposite to the European left (to the half-century old western Communist Parties) with their idea of protection of the rights of hired workers and "small people" in general, with their furious antiracism and anticlericalism, protection of principles of fair political and spiritual pluralism, with their tearing away of all forms of colonialism - in favor of equal economic and cultural cooperation of freely self-defined peoples.

** you can't show Latin Americans and Africans bananas, to Moslems - pork ear, to Jews - swastika, to Germans - short moustaches and a bang, to the Russians... Actually one can't show the Russians moustaches and a pipe and also mountain skis wrapped in kimono.

^*** Unless Prokhorov's speech discuss.

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