Putin Promoting Collectivist Attitudes to Make Russians Easier to Govern and Less Likely to Change after He Leaves the Scene, Pertsev Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Jan. 2 – Vladimir Putin has long argued that collectivism is a Russian trait that sets his country apart from the West, and his Presidential Administration is using both carrots and sticks to promote it, something that may make it easier for him to rule but will make it less likely Russians will be able to adapt to change after he leaves the scene, Andrey Pertsev says.

            Collectivism, which involves “the rejection of personal aspirations and one’s own welfare in favor of the good of the public or the state was a cornerstone of Soviet ideology,” the Meduza commentator says; and Putin clearly sees it as something that makes it easier for him to rule (ridl.io/ru/kollektivizm-knutom-i-pryanikom/).

            It is uncertain whether Putin really “believes Russians are collectivist by nature,” Pertsev continues; “or whether he realizes that ‘collectivists’ are easier to govern.” But it is obvious that “it will be easier for the power vertical to deal with ‘collectivists’ as they will always be guided by the opinion of the collective which in turn can be manipulated by the state.”

            Some may be inclined to dismiss the current campaign to promote collectivism as largely irrelevant. But it matters now and will matter even more after Putin passes from the scene. Collectivism, the commentator argues, is “a flimsy construct that will not be able to support he government” in a crisis.

            At that point, “thousands of people will believe that they cannot do without having the support of their ‘collective’ or the state and will shun individualistic thoughts that have been declared ‘western’ and therefore hostile. As a result, many in Russia may not be able to cope with the new realities in the event of the collapse of the regime and its relative liberalization.”

            “In fact,” Pertsev concludes, “that is precisely what took place after the collapse of the USSR. Millions  simply were not ready for the free market system,” and Putin and his team “exploited these feelings for their own ends.” That is why this current promotion of collectivism may prove to be “one of the most dangerous practices” of the Kremlin now.