Vadim Belotserkovsky
THE RUSSIAN NATIONALIST OPPOSITION
The world took note of the Russian nationalist opposition
only after the appearance of the nationalist writings of Solzhenitsyn.
Although Russian nationalism had emerged in the mid-sixties, the
activity of small nationalist groups was overshadowed by the demo–
cratic human rights movement. Warmed by the light of Solzhenitsyn's
fame, the Russian nationalists moved into the foreground, at the same
time making clear their hostility to the democratic movement.
Emigre groups too (the National Labor Union, Russian Student
Christian Movement, etc.) removed the democratic camouflage from
their nationalist banners. In 1976, the extreme right-wing journal
C
hasovoy
announced through a recent emigre that the nationalist
movement-or as Udodov put it, "the popular monarchical
movement" -is "by no means weaker than the 'democratic movement'
which is noisily publicized in the West."
Chasovoy's
editor adds that
the democratic movement "has been fostered by foreign countries, with
the aid of foreign capital, and exists almost exclusively in Jewish
circles."
Thus the Russian nationalist opposition declared itself an advo–
cate of Great Russia and an adversary of democracy and the Jews. The
declarations of nationalist groups smell of the fire of pogroms, Russian
messianism, and a "new order" for the "decaying" West, as a selection
from nationalist utterances demonstrates:
A strong personality and the cult of the hero are the basis and essence
of freedom and culture.
It
is not surprising that Western democracy,
which denies the cult of the hero, proves deeply anti-human and
anti-culture ...
But false prophets come to us walking on dry land. "God is not the
God of Russians but of the whole world," they say ... But their
words are a lie ... Let the Russian God come to the salvation of the
world!
Democratic institutions do not bring healing; on the contrary, they
aggravate the disease.... But we strive for the revival of nationalist
