Homo Sovieticus

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Józef Tischner (2005). Etyka solidarności oraz Homo sovieticus (in Polish). Kraków: Znak. p.295. ISBN 83-240-0588-9. In some sense, this corresponds well to the collective experience of the late Soviet period, when nepotism was omnipresent and upward social mobility was severely restricted by what Milovan Đilas called the rise of “ the new class,” the privileged stratum of the Communist party bureaucracy that formed the new “aristocracy” of the Soviet society. Thus, for example, if one wanted to go into prestigious areas like diplomacy, one normally had to be a son of a “party aristocrat,” (the daughters were somewhat less appreciated in that trade). Alexei Yurchak (Jul 2003). "Soviet Hegemony of Form: Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 45 (3): 482.

a b c "The long life of Homo sovieticus". The Economist. Dec 10, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. It's heart-breaking to realize that just a year ago millions of people in Ukraine and Russia gathered for holidays with their inner circle to watch the same old movies, laugh at their favorite jokes by their favorite Soviet actors and share the feast during the winter celebrations. Proper reflexes at the proper moment became truly automatic. All people act and think in the same way; they are modest, industrious and satisfied with what the state gives them. They limit their night To find out, they speak with people who lived under the Soviet regime, as well as with members of the first post-Soviet generation.

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Some readers would be surprised to find out that there are some Putin lovers and admirers of his imperial politics among Estonians too (take a look at the Neeme Lall YouTube channel if you have some Estonian or Russian). Most of us would find such people and their behavior crazy or eccentric so they are not usually taken seriously. Nevertheless, it would be an interesting subject to explore in the future. According to the British weekly The Economist, which devoted a large article to the concept of Homo sovieticus in 2011, after the fall of communism in 1991, both in Russia and in the West, there was hope that Western moral values would take root in Russia, and the country would eventually become one of the developed countries of the world. But, according to journalists, this point of view did not take into account the degree of destruction of the Russian economy, the magnitude of mental exhaustion of people and the depth of moral decay after 70 years of Soviet power. No one had any idea what type of state would replace the USSR and what it meant to "be Russian". [15] See also [ edit ] MIT Press began publishing journals in 1970 with the first volumes of Linguistic Inquiry and the Journal of Interdisciplinary History. Today we publish over 30 titles in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and science and technology. Kheveshi M. An Explanatory Dictionary of the Ideological and Political Terms of the Soviet Period (Хевеши М.А. Толковый словарь идеологических и политических терминов советского периода.) Moscow, Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya (2002) ISBN 5-7133-1147-3 (in Russian) Indifference to the results of his labour (as expressed in the saying "They pretend they are paying us, and we pretend we are working"). [ citation needed]

Cambra, Fernando P. de. Homo sovieticus. La vida actual en Rusia. - Barcelona: Ediciones Petronio, 1975. - 296 p. ISBN 84-7250-399-2 Although Russia has no iron curtain and the internet is free, “it is as though an invisible wall still counterpoises everything that is ‘ours' to everything ‘foreign',” Mr Levada has written. Indeed his polling showed that, by 2004, the number of Russians who considered themselves no different from people in other countries had fallen, while the opinion that Russia is surrounded by enemies had grown stronger.

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Harboe Knudsen, Ida (2013). New Lithuania in Old Hands: Effects and Outcomes of EUropeanization in Rural Lithuania. p.20. ISBN 9781783080472 . Retrieved 6 May 2014. In a number of his works, Levada described the negative personal qualities inherent in the Soviet man and, summing up many years of research, expressed confidence that the Soviet man as a type of personality did not disappear with the collapse of the USSR, but continues to exist in modern Russia and be reproduced in new generations. Moreover, according to the scientist, cynicism and an increase in the level of aggression were added to such negative features as social hypocrisy, paternalism, suspicion and isolationism. According to Levada, these negative changes were again the result of restrictions on public freedoms, as well as distorted economic and moral incentives introduced by the new Russian authorities. As one of the surveys of the study showed, by 2004, the number of people who believe that Russians are no different from residents of other countries has significantly decreased and the number of those who consider Russia a "besieged fortress" surrounded by enemies has increased. [15] Homo sovieticus is accustomed to live in relatively bad conditions, is ready to face difficulties, constantly expects the worst; approves of the actions of the authorities; seeks to prevent those who violate habitual forms of behavior, fully supports the leadership; has a standard ideologized consciousness; a sense of responsibility for his country; is ready to sacrifice and is ready to condemn others to sacrifice. The bureaucracy's main resource is participation in the rent-distribution chain. While this allows it to channel money towards sensitive regions and factories, it also increases the country's addiction to oil and gas and fans paternalism. Mr Putin has worked hard to build up the image of the state as the sole benefactor, taking credit for rising incomes generated by high oil prices. As he stressed at the United Russia congress, only the state and its ruling party are capable of sorting out people's problems. “No one else is responsible for affairs in a village, town, city or region or the whole country. There is no such force.” Homo sovieticus ( псевдо- lat.— « гомо совєтікус», буквально «людина радянська»)— саркастичний і критичний термін, що вживається до середньостатистичної людини, яка народилася в Радянському Союзі або в одній з країн Східного блоку [1] і яка сприймає навколишній світ, використовуючи виключно систему мітів Радянського Союзу.

Among the major traits of a new Soviet man was selfless collectivism. The selfless new man was willing to sacrifice his life for good causes. [17] For example, Leon Trotsky wrote in 1924 in Literature and Revolution about the "Communist man", "man of the future": [4] Negating the law of individual freedom, „ze jego ograniczanie w imie rzekomej rownosci wszystkich w spoleczenstwie, faktycznie niweluje i wrecz nisczy przedsiebiorczosc, obywatela. W resultacie kszaltuje sie w ten sposób nie tyle rownosc ile rownanie w dól.” (Tischner, 1992) Homo Sovieticus ( cod Latin for 'Soviet Man') is a pejorative term for an average conformist person in the Soviet Union and other countries of the Eastern Bloc. The term was popularized by Soviet writer and sociologist Aleksandr Zinovyev, who wrote the book titled Homo Sovieticus. [1] Zinovyev explains that Westerners use "Homo Sovieticus" in a sarcastic way and reinforces it by adding his own description of the Soviet Man: "Look at this (Soviet Man)! He is smart and educated. Nobody fooled him, intimidated him, or corrupted him. Rather, on the contrary, he himself did this to other people, who, however, do not consider themselves fooled, intimidated, orcorrupted.In general, there is no need to subject Soviet people to such treatment, since they themselves are capable of fooling, intimidating, and corrupting anyone."

2. How did the homo sovieticus come into being?

Homosos jest najbardziej charakterystycznym i adekwatnym ucielesnieniem samej istoty nowego komunistycznego spoleczenstwa.” (Zinoviev, 1984)

Russian sociologist Lev Gudkov, former director of the Analytical Center Levada, describes the makings of a "Soviet Man" as a lifelong socialization process, accompanied by a powerful propaganda machine, highly ideological education system, supported by a powerful apparatus of political repression, as well as various forms of social control, including neighbors, colleagues, or even family members. In the 1920s and into the Stalinist era the concept of the "New Soviet Woman" served alongside that of the "New Soviet Man." Her roles were vastly different from those of her male counterpart; she was burdened with a complex identity that changed with ideology shifts in the party doctrine toward more conservative notions of the role of the family and the mother in the Soviet system. The New Soviet Woman was a Superwoman who balanced competing responsibilities and took on the burden of multiple roles: Communist citizen, full-time worker, wife and mother. [19]This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. ( February 2018)