The Antichrist and His Plot Against Russia: Conspiracy Theories and Eschatology

• Authors: Magda Dolińska-Rydzek

Title variants

PL

Antychryst i jego spisek przeciwko Rosji: teorie spiskowe i eschatologia

Abstracts

PL

We współczesnej Rosji, podobnie jak w innych krajach, można zaobserwować rosnącą popularność teorii konspiracyjnych. Wiele osób jest przekonanych, że wydarzenia takie jak rewolucja bolszewicka, II wojna światowa czy upadek ZSRR nie były wynikiem przypadku, lecz skomplikowanego spisku, którego celem jest zniszczenie Rosji. W zależności od potrzeb politycznych wróg spiskujący przeciw Rosji ma twarz Żyda, muzułmanina, masona, oligarchy lub liberała, działającego zarówno z zewnątrz, jak i wewnątrz kraju. Co ciekawe, wielu rosyjskich prawosławnych fundamentalistów zdaje się wierzyć, że spisek przeciw Rosji nie jest dziełem ludzi, lecz Antychrysta – ostatecznego wroga chrześcijaństwa, który nie tylko uosabia wszelkie zło, ale też zwiastuje rychły koniec świata. W niniejszym artykule, odwołując się do dosłownego znaczenia greckiego słowa apokalypsis, czyli „odsłaniać, ujawniać”, zamierzam wykazać narracyjną bliskość teorii konspiracyjnych i dyskursów apokaliptycznych oraz omówić ich implikacje w kontekście debaty publicznej we współczesnej Rosji.

EN

In post-Soviet Russia, there is a relatively widespread conviction that events such as the Bolshevik Revolution, World War II, and the collapse of the Soviet Union were not the results of historical contingency but of a complex vicious plot exercised by some evil forces aiming to destroy Russia. Depending on political needs, the enemy plotting against Russia has the face of a Jew, Muslim, Freemason, oligarch, or liberal, operating both from outside and inside of the country. Interestingly, many conservatives and religious fundamentalists seem to believe that the plot against Russia is orchestrated not by human agents but by the embodiment of all evil and the herald of the end of the world – the Antichrist. In my paper, I will address these beliefs and discuss the proximity between conspiracy theories and eschatological discourses. Referring to the literal meaning of the Greek word apokalypsis (to disclose, to unveil), I will attempt to explain the role of apocalyptic and conspiratorial narratives that offer to reveal the hidden reality behind what ordinary people can see. Also, I will demonstrate their implications in the broader context of the public discourse in contemporary Russia.

Keywords

PL

Rosja posowiecka; eschatologia; teorie spiskowe; narracje apokaliptyczne; Antychryst

EN

post-Soviet Russia; eschatology; conspiracy theories; apocalyptic narratives; Antichrist

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Slawistyki PAN
• Journal: Colloquia Humanistica
• Year: 2022
• Issue: 11
• Pages: 1-18

Dates

published

2022

Contributors

author

Magda Dolińska-Rydzek

• Uniwersytet Rzeszowski [University of Rzeszów], Rzeszów

• https://orcid.org/0000000292531970

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Identifiers

DOI

10.11649/ch.2745

Biblioteka Nauki

31339676