The Ideology of Putin's Russia

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The regime of Putin is often described as "non-ideological". As a simple mafia state without any political theories driving it. This is false. The Putin regime does have ideological foundations and theories it acts upon. And in this video, we will examine these.
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Sponsor (0:00)
Intro (1:29)
Ivan Ilyin (5:12)
Lev Gumilev (23:01)
Carl Schmidt (32:31)
Dugin the useful bigot (44:27)
Some Opinions (46:03)
Outro (53:13)

[@Kraut_the_Parrot]

The Philosophy youtuber Vlad Vexler made a very well thought-through response to this video with some valuable criticisms in particular concerning the claim of Ivan Ilyn's influence on Putin's politics. It is definitely worth watching should you want to engage more in this topic, in particular since Mr. Vexler, who is a Russian political philosopher, is far more knowledgeable on this topic than I am. Here is a link to his video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2jYZI1pfN5_n6s

[@EnnieVicious]

Thank you so much! I work for Queer Svit and we are utterly grateful for your shoutout ❤️

[@MarcosElMalo2]

I came here from Vlad’s chat channel. I haven’t yet seen his response as I thought I should first watch the video to which he was responding. So far, so good!

[@karinfend2980]

Thanks for recommending Vlad Vexler! He's great. And thanks for your Videos! Are you in Vienna? Who are you?

[@cshelley5658]

So very informative, thank you so much and thanks,for the mental stamina to read all you have.

[@mezombart0423]

Being a big fan of Vlad Vexler and having seen his response. I think this is a very astute connection between the writings and ideals of Ilyin and the reality of the Russian regime today. Obviously we cannot know exactly what is going on within Putins head... but I think this is a great analysis of the current situation.

[@vladislavdamianov7836]

I know that this is a serious topic but hearing ,, cosmic mongol energy for communism" completely beats my serious mindset

[@Kraut_the_Parrot]

same

[@theoneandonlydetraebean8286]

As soon as I heard that. I just gave up on believing that that guy was not batshit insane and was merely grifting people.

[@Redx6504]

Scary thing is that the dude in charge of the biggest nuclear arsenal on earth believes that theory.

[@SeanA099]

“No offense, but that sounds like a load of fucking commie gobbledygook” -Esteemed Canadian thinker, Norm Macdonald

[@voodoodummie]

it sounds less like a philosophical quote and more like a indie techno album

[@hubloz2137]

Viewer: Pls kraut, could you explain something? Kraut: Yes *writes 300 pages essay*

[@Kraut_the_Parrot]

of course!

[@madkoala2130]

@@Kraut_the_Parrot mad lad

[@Arkantos1900]

I need a 1000 page essay on how Liechtenstein controls the world

[@pixelraster9588]

No stone unturned, no detail missed!

[@enderguardian7443]

@@Arkantos1900 ooooook really it’s totally not luxembourg that controls the world yeaah

[@therabbi9848]

I remember walking into a Walmart in Iowa an thinking “Ahh, yes. People of the sea”

[@skyreelz]

Goes kinda hard ngl.

[@legiohysterius4624]

Sea of corn

[@sekarmaltum1695]

.. i hate that phrase -it makes me think of unhygienic women

[@rymdalkis]

Ivan Ilyin is the personification of the old Swedish idiom "som fan läser bibeln", which roughly translates to "as the devil reads the Bible". I mean, I've seen people cherry pick the Bible before, but this one takes the cake.

[@moritamikamikara3879]

Absolutely, Ilyin's Christianity is barely Christianity, honestly it looks more Gnostic to me. Really if it were up to me I wouldn't call it Christian Fascism (especially since Italian and especially Spanish Fascism were already quite religiously heavy) I'd call it Heretical Fascism.

[@Tigran-Abazyan]

​@@moritamikamikara3879its not even religious fascism. Its just fascism. Religion is used just a tool to manipulate (which religious priests, roman pope or other same type of specialists practices for millenia and encouraging crusades against muslims and fighting each other because god is catholic or protestant)

[@BenjaminOrthodox]

Sweden is Protestant and Russia is ORTHODOX!

[@RandomGuy37]

"Lukee kuin piru raamattua" as we say here in Finland. And my god Ilyin seems to have some fucked up ideas hidden behind the curtains of "religion". And Putin just went and copy pasted all of that shit

[@barmybarmecide5390]

"any history student can tell you, sooner or later, you will have to read a french text" amen to that, same goes for the rest of the humanities.

[@Bytional]

And art student, then before u know, u end up in France studying French.

[@CommanderTornado]

Just like how Chemistry used to be, at some point you'd have to learn German

[@jovanradjawane3003]

In Indonesia, history Student needs to learn dutch because a lot of Indonesian Archives, especially during colonial era, are in Dutch.

[@kylegonewild]

Some knowledge isn't worth the price to be paid, like learning French 🤮

[@jacopofolin6400]

@@kylegonewild ahahahah

[@spectacles-dm]

Everybody gangster until Carl Schmidt comes up

[@jurgenparkour9337]

Who the fuck is this dude?

[@masscreationbroadcasts]

@@jurgenparkour9337 Nazi jurist who became Nazi to advance in his career. Wrote political theory before joining the party.

[@masscreationbroadcasts]

His writings are fairly valuable and well known from what I know.

[@clementlefevre5384]

@@jurgenparkour9337 to be VERY simple : Carl Schmitt basically said that sacralizing rule of Law is stupid, because laws are made by politicians and/or people in power, AKA by a state. For a state to enforce itself, it needs to be able to change the law however it wants, therefore, *a state is absolute or is not* . Its kinda similar to Hobbs, but it's more focused on the philosophy of law.

[@fullmetaltheorist]

@@jurgenparkour9337 He was a nazi philosopher.

[@KevinFu5100]

Lev Gumilev's claims that "people of the west" had lost their connection to land, unlike the Russians through remaining land locked were people of the land; bound to them, developing a superior culture Comes off to me like a hard cope for not having sea access or a warm water port

[@Poctyk]

Novorossiyska and Murmansk don't count, because...

[@KevinFu5100]

@@Poctyk Anything on the coast of the Black Sea doesn't count mainly because ships have to pass through the Bosporus strait (not owned by Russia), but you are right; Murmansk does count, but it still does not take away the fact that Lev Gumilev comes off as coping for a lack of ice-free ports with full access to the sea

[@Poctyk]

@@KevinFu5100 > because ships have to pass through the Bosporus strait Okay this argument always bugged me a bit. Danish straits are owned, well by Denmark. This means that Russia has to fight Denmark to be able to use it, right? Another strange thing that always bugged me is that Bosphorus doesn't drain into Atlantic/Indian ocean it drains into Mediterrenean sea, which is blocked by Gibraltar on the one hand and Suez on the other. So if Black Sea was an extenetion of Mediterrenean sea, like Aegean (for example) it wouldn't count because world markets are blocked but this time by Suez/Gibraltar?

[@ZoranZoltanous]

It’s more similar to blood and soil rhetoric from the Nazis. Land and Sea civilizational distinctions is also Schmittian. But it should be pointed out Schmitt originally got this from Hitler in 1922 from his speech on a German Monroe doctrine according to historian Brendan Simmns. All Schmitt did was expand it to justify Lebensraum and Prussian militarism. In the case of Russia Mongolian/Asiatic authoritarianism and Eurasanism.

[@agneausu]

It is the blood and soil rhetoric....

[@scorpioengine4797]

I like how Ivan Ilyin’s ideology basically boils down to, “Russia isn’t disabled, it’s just special.”

[@madkoala2130]

To me it sounded like: " Russia is here, to commit global suicide with backwardness and wishful thinking." Like seriously, who would serve regime who's end goal is not global dominance but destruction of everything that they think as "Gods mistakes".

[@namelesssomebody2557]

"Special Needs"

[@olegnoleg8158]

a special military operation for a special country

[@user-lr8fv8xo8t]

Russia isn't disabled. It's just augmented 😎

[@saulgoodmanKAZAKH]

No, we are not wrong!! We can never be wrong!!

[@user-ef7hl4tu7k]

As a philosophy of law student, hearing the name CARL SCHMITT came up was unexpected to say the very least.

[@ernstschmidt4725]

why?

[@user-ef7hl4tu7k]

@@ernstschmidt4725 idk something about your thesis paper’s topic being brought up unexpectedly. A mix of surprise and serendipity.

[@ArcturusOTE]

@@user-ef7hl4tu7k I wonder if law students have a general objection regarding Schmidt

[@user-ef7hl4tu7k]

@@ArcturusOTE lol definitely not. Most law students don’t care about democracy or value.

[@krisrp0]

Not that surprising unfortunately, considering the influence he had on Nazi ideology

[@ChupeTTe]

Ivan Ilyin went from "yeah whatever floats your boat" to straight up super villain. Crazy shit happens

[@Eagle-od1im]

mans political spectrum went through a gymnastics session more intense than an olympics athlete

[@niggacockball7995]

@@Eagle-od1im the political soup

[@danielsurvivor1372]

Normal to Schizo Speedrun IRL 0_0

[@stale.baguette]

Kanye West type beat

[@glassbarnacle4290]

What studying Hegel does to a mf...

[@75patrickfoley]

Who else is coming back to this after the Tucker interview?

[@ENCHANTMEN_]

If a villain in a movie said the shit Ivan Ilyin said, I'd have dismissed it as cartoonishly, absurdly, over the top evil

[@user-di5rq2fu1q]

i often think about it. for most of the people that are relatively good, it is hard to not take such words and actions as cartoonish because it seems unrealistic to them. who would do such a thing. ppl often associate with villains to understand their motives. and when ppl try to associate with a true evil, they don't resonate and thus ppl view certain words and actions as unrealistic. but unfortunately genuinely bad ppl exist and often are undermined

[@VullVull]

Ivan Ilyin's ideology is the most frightening thing I've heard in years. It feels like 1984 was a parody of his vision, specifically

[@Woldemar94]

dude, now tha tyou say it outloud it makes fucking sense

[@BasicLib]

you need to listen to his segment on Smidt again. Slowly then think about what he's saying for a bit. Like im serious, think about it for a bit and reflect on what you're hearing and it's implications then look around you. I do not exaggerate when I tell you Schmidt might be for the 21th century (especially the right), what Marx was for the 20th century left. The amount of times he pops up in any analysis of emerging modern politics is ridiculously alarming Everything form Imperialist Neoliberalism, Antiimperialist Marxism, Modern populism, right wing and left wing and even Neo conservatism are VERY Schmidtian.

[@rutvikrs]

@@BasicLib I think this is because he drove intentionally or not, into some home truths, particularly with universalisation of morality, political systems and economy. Liberalism and Neo liberalism has been part of the problem by imposing standards.

[@you-know-who5657]

Kinda like Byzantine Empire also make sense since they are also orthodox and in theory successor to the Byzantine Empire

[@michaelironsights8347]

Its insane how his ideology just boils down to rUssIa gOoD beCoz gOd saId sO. It's just plain old nationalism. It's utterly insane how anyone believes in it.

[@RavignonCh]

Something interesting I’ve noticed about Putin is that he seems very intent on defending the Soviet Union and Stalin while really hating on Lenin. I think that for a lot of the Russian far right that thinks like this, the Soviet Union was not a genuine experiment to construct a just society but simply the continuation of the Russian Empire by other means. It started to make sense to me that Putin sees Lenin as they guy who let himself be corrupted by the West, but Stalin as one of these “great Czars” who reclaimed Bessarabia and Poland, who took the war to the West and who became an absolute ruler of the state. I had never heard of Ilyin but he echoes with Dostoyevsky in the worst ways possible when it comes to this idea. It’s kind of odd how they’re both attached to a civilisational project which is… the lack of a civilisational project. It’s more a fierce attempt to try to preserve a certain character at all costs, and this obsession with that national character is incredibly fascistic. Great video Kraut, I learned a lot from it.

[@dorjbatchinzorig9817]

This video is is like a minute old how are you commenting 16 hours ago?

[@Bluebird_Obs]

@@dorjbatchinzorig9817 Prob either earlier access due to Patreon or just that Ravignon and Kraut seem to be good friends.

[@fluffbutt6415]

I mean Putin is similar with Stalin either way you cut it, Putin is a generic strong man dictator who uses corruption to secure loyalties, stalin merely used fear and corruption.

[@shycracker]

He really do simp for the worst of the two

[@someguyfromfinlandtj125]

@@dorjbatchinzorig9817 I think he is a patreon and channel supporter so he gets some perks for his support such as early access to new channel videos 😉

[@nothankyouYouTube420]

"Cosmic Mongol energy " would be a FANTASTIC band name

[@556MSL]

“Organized crime is just a means of anti democratic politics “ I’ll be using that phrase, I find it necessary here in the states. Thank you very much Mr. Kraut.

[@alexandergreenberg3005]

I think the reverse: "anti democratic politics is just a means of organized crime" is also a pretty good phrase

[@karstenschuhmann8334]

Organized crime and an authoritarian government share numerous aspects. They require similar personalities, they share similar structures, they share the violence, and they share the motivation to be part of this organization.

[@sergeymanakov6267]

@@karstenschuhmann8334 In the very authoritarian USSR, there was quite a bit of organized crime, much less than in the United States at the same time. In totalitarian North Korea, there is no organized crime at all, there is even almost no unorganized crime there.

[@karstenschuhmann8334]

@@sergeymanakov6267 Well, in this case, the government is the organized crime.

[@boozecruiser]

​@@sergeymanakov6267the US is stifled by a sort of capitalist authoritarianism of it's own. The power and leverage of rich individuals has been completely overhelming against the power of workers since Reagan

[@hamsteronion1428]

Ilyin's "philisophy" sounds like some kind of fantasy dark lord's doctrine that would be criticized for being unsubtle and unrealistic. Fact is weirder than fiction

[@theoneandonlydetraebean8286]

I've made DnD final boss villain motivations less batshit insane than Ilyin

[@ArcturusOTE]

As many has pointed out in the past, fiction has to relate to some reality for the audience to base upon, what does reality have to base themselves on?

[@jemperdiller]

imagine being this stupid to make such parallels. why do you even have internet access

[@leonardotavaresdardenne9955]

@@ArawnOfAnnwn I mean people bought into Mein Kampf. People bought into Trump. Why are we to expect Russians to be any better?

[@annsanla4605]

@@leonardotavaresdardenne9955 How can someone equate Trump with Mein Kampf and somehow drag in the Russians here, what is in people's heads?

[@andrewzebic6201]

You're bang on the money with the innocence myth. I went there in 2016 and saw a one off ad, that emphasized the "fall" of every other culture since they left the "loving Russian arms" and how Russia was an innocent victim, always being betrayed by the world. It's bizzare, and reminds me of an ancient myth of how Rome believed it only ever fought defensive wars

[@ilyakasnacheev]

I'm curious about the lawlessness, though. What's the Russian term? The direct translation, беззаконие, means crime with impunity and only has strong negative meaning. Did Il'yin use that one?

[@user-ld9hx7eh8b]

Understand you. You are offended that in Russia during the last invasion only 27,000,000 people were destroyed. You and people like you would be happy if all Russians were destroyed. Hatred from the fact that you could not destroy us boils in you. But you will soon be able to try again. Just do not need to pour crocodile tears after and accuse the Russians of cruelty ...

[@alexcarter8807]

The only thing I can think of that's close is ... North Korea.

[@botondhetyey159]

@@alexcarter8807 Orbán's politics in Hungary are very similar in this way.

[@utubefuku7132]

@@botondhetyey159 The same for Erdogan's Turkey, the Ayatollahs of Iran or Maduro in Venezuela. By now, it's a common trend already

[@trenerpokemona]

We have a joke in Poland summing it perfectly: -Son, who do you want to be when you grow up? -a mafioso -in a private or public sector? -Come on dad everyone knows that the best money is in the intersection of both!

[@Tigran-Abazyan]

Muhahahaha. Nice one)

[@SBRtime69420]

We have a similar joke in the United States, where we just leave out the last part. -Dad, I've decided that I will be a criminal when I grow up. -Public or Private sector? I really like the final part of your joke though. Really gets to the core of it

[@salj.5459]

@@SBRtime69420I've never heard anyone make that joke

[@guccifer764]

Its hard to tell though how much of this ideology Putin actually believes and how much of it is simply coopted by him to give an ideological backing to his actions.

[@roland228]

I know it sounds bizarre but I don't think the two scenarios you're describing are mutually exclusive. If Putin believes himself to be the Russian redeemer then he can do no wrong by extension of Russia's innocence and thus, his ideology backs all of his actions.

[@boozecruiser]

I love the private dictatorship of capital 😊

[@robertocalderon1584]

As far as ideology who knows exactly what runs through the head of another man? It is entirely possible though that a tyrant who saw himself as the "father" or "shepherd" of His country could comfortably hold this ideology and do all that Putin has done ( murder all his opponents, warmongering and killing innocents, robbing the country blind, not moving them forward as a nation, only moving HIS AGENDA forward and not the country and its people themselves.

[@georgeousthegorgeous]

It's not really smart of thinking of moral or ideology today. Putin is simply a nationalistic opportunist. He wants to make Russia a superpower and basically all his actions are based rather on the cold economical, political and military calculations. He's a KGB agent after all.

[@insomniacresurrected1000]

Does it matter if Putin has internalized any of this?

[@knpark2025]

Ask any Asian who are politically free enough to be "here" and they will say you can totally run a prosperous free market economy with zero liberal politics.

[@agarlicsorbet6482]

"Asian" is a pretty broad umbrella term. But why is that?

[@Mexa2105]

@@agarlicsorbet6482 i think because there are some examples of the prosperous countries without political liberties, china, singapore, i think malasya, sputh korea in the 50's and 60's

[@settratheimperishable4093]

@@Mexa2105 to be fair, the chinese economy is essentially doomed, but absolutely makes the point currently.

[@Solid_Snake88]

@@Mexa2105 yea but the people live like shit so soon enough there will be civil war. Which means no you can't run it.

[@kordellswoffer1520]

@@Mexa2105 to be fair they are also not that prosperous, they're relatively wealthy but less so then most of their liberal counter parts.

[@hansnase364]

While these are interesting points to take into consideration, I am somewhat sceptical by how much these ideas actually shaped modern Russia, rather than them being used to justify or retroactively explain something that already emerged out of historic reality.

[@JN-wr9he]

Exactly. His analysis of Gumilyev is particularly skewed.

[@Stad122]

While it is completely possible that these points and theories are just justifications for Russian geopolitical ambitions, it can't be disregarded that the teaching of these theories, as shown by their vindication in Russian education, feeds and informs the extremist movements and leaders. So it affects global diplomacy and stability.

[@TheHipClip]

Then please enlighten us how Gumilyev should be interpreted.

[@hkchan1339]

While I am not qualified nor knowledgable enough to criticise the interpretation, i did notice how zealously the Russians believe in their absurd theories, just look at Putin and his speech. He really think he is telling the truth. And Kraut provided an explanation (with good citations and references of Putin mentioning of the "philosophers" in each of his speechs) of why Putin and the Russians think this way

[@mrttripz3236]

@@JN-wr9he yeah actually please elaborate. If you think Kraut was unfair to him I’d be interested to know why

[@impendio]

I had never heard of Ilyin before and holy shit, that manifesto sounds like straight out of your most bonker insane dystopia.

[@nameq]

what manifesto

[@ovariantrolley2327]

Putin calls ukraine fascists and then quotes this guy lol

[@Shoegaze-]

There are a lot of fascists in Ukraine lol

[@RandomGuy37]

​@@Shoegaze-Yeah. And? There are fascist groups in almost every country in existence. The thing is that Russia is the only one in Europe right now that has an actual fascist leader. The thing with fascism is that it's not really an united ideology as every country's fascists have their own interests, which will almost certainly cause tension between two countries if both countries have fascist leadership. But that's not the case here as Ukraine's current government isn't fascist. The thing is that Russia is clearly overestimating (Possibly on purpose to hide their real goals) the amount of influence Ukrainian fascists have on actual Ukrainian government. And that's why I fear this war might escalate even further if they manage to win in Ukraine as they'll then try to invade yet another country with the excuse "Cause they have fascists"

[@Shoegaze-]

@@RandomGuy37 Putin is not fascist you people just love assigning that label to people you don’t like such as Putin, trump, etc..

[@just_a_turtle_chad]

Majority of Ukraine is Banderite

[@cigarettearms5992]

@@Shoegaze- when people call someone who sights fascists & associates with ultra nationalists a fascist😱😱

[@yugaoying]

"his writings always creep up and appear among politicians when something really bad is about to happen" As a Chinese, I literally chilled out hearing this. Here Carl Schmitt's writing has been popular among some legalist and philosophical scholars for years. He's actively put into use by official scholars to interpret China's constitution and HK's national security law, and "political philosophers" never stopped babbling about how confucianism, maoism and schmittism are ultimately conbined in CCP.

[@yugaoying]

i mean freaked out

[@PrimericanIdol]

The CCP is an Eastern NSDAP. I like to call them ChiNazis

[@amon8562]

What you have said has just confirmed that my premonitions about China might just be true

[@amon8562]

@@bocchithean-cap3404 no he fucking isn't

[@yugaoying]

@@bocchithean-cap3404 maybe true, but i doubt you want him to write a state's constitution or be in the supreme court

[@invarietateconcordia1988]

It appears that there is never a shortage of 'political philosophers' who claim a natural superiority of their own culture which can only be preserved by harsh measures and a corresponding devotion of the population. And they can write about it and copy each other for decades without recognizing the inherent contradictions. That's terrifying. Thanks for the great video!

[@Julius064]

Always funny that people writing things like this conveniently come to the conclusion their culture is superior.

[@honkhonk8009]

Ikr that is so true. I think its partially why people in the right nowadays are so anti-intellectual. So many right-wing "intellectuals" are really just straight up racists or something.

[@kingace6186]

What is even more terrifying to be is how far spread this is since every country has its far-right and/or far-left supremacists.

[@dkin7685]

Or maybe u havent read the book and believing some strangers words on the internet.

[@Mainz_1901]

@@dkin7685 some strangers words? Kraut is a good source of information, I wonder why we should consider your opinion though, since you're a stranger that brought nothing to the table with that comment.

[@Lua-420Hertz]

The amount of work put into this was amazing. A really insightful view of everything from 100 years ago until now. Hats off to you sir! I am so glad I found your channel.

[@flyingsquirrell6953]

25:20 “You can’t be a people of the sea while still being communal” *Laughs in Pirate Republic*

[@JamesDPate]

Kraut, as an American who lived for a few years in Kyiv, Ukraine, and who studies Russian History, Language, and Culture, I greatly appreciate that you made this video. So many of my friends look to me to explain to them why they should support Ukraine, and ask me questions about Ukrainian vs Russian corruption, and while I feel as though I can make understandable and reasonable arguments, I am increasingly sending them to your videos. So many Americans greatly misunderstand Putin and his regime, as well as Ukrainian history and their political system, and it is sowing a lot of discontent about whether or not we actually have a dog in this fight, even though we so obviously do. Thank you for helping me to explain this situation in a format that allows me to reach certain people who don't want to read through paragraphs of text I send them in emails and messages. This one will certainly be going out to more than a few people from me.

[@jacksonkeller4333]

I should have known I'd find you around here 😂

[@marysartr]

Kiev

[@LewisB3217]

@@marysartr it’s called Kyiv (unless your Ruzzian)

[@TheManinBlack9054]

Why? This video is full of misrepresentations of reality. Neither Gumilev and especially Ilyin are influential in either larger Russian society or russian ruling circles (if you ask a hundred Russians 99 won't know who Ilyin is, 30 will know who Gumilev is, but only because they heard something somewhere about his passionarii concept). It's just Putin who likes Ilyin, that's it. And he's not even into Gumilev. You can't just bring up random obscure Russian philospher of yore and then boldly (otherwise no one will unquestionably believe you) that this is what average Russian believes. This would be misrepresentation. Your friends are going to come out of this understanding less, not more. It's a biased and mangled and ignorant view.

[@TheManinBlack9054]

@@LewisB3217 what's wrong with being Russian? Have you ever met a Russian? Spoke to them? There are many beautiful and interesting people in Russia. A lot of them. You know who are not beautiful or interesting? Racist regressives like you. Get the hell out of here, no single civilized community will accept a man of your kind. And it's "you're".

[@ThatBasedGuy]

"What's your ideology?" Russians: "Everything but liberalism at once"

[@AmirSatt]

lol that's true russian conservatives and nationalists are mixing economic socialialism and social fascism

[@jarekkish5515]

Sounds good to me.

[@AmirSatt]

@@jarekkish5515 yes, it sounds really tempting for inexperienced populace

[@VarthalabauHair]

Which pretty much ties with Kraut's video on the origins of Russian authoritarianism.

[@jarekkish5515]

@@AmirSatt Well, I've only ever known liberalism my entire life, and I hate it.

[@ivanskrypov4030]

Wow! A very interesting insight. I kinda thought that I more or less understand russian/putins politics, but it's truly astonishing that I never paid attention towads this ideological background even when they are saying it "right in your face" on the state TV for years. Keep up with your amazing job!

[@--LZ---]

Watching this video before reading the book 1984 was a WAY different experience than afterwards. More people have to read it.

[@starmaker75]

Kraut during the summer of 2022: I’m too weak Kraut during the fall of 2022: unlimited power *uploads alot of videos*

[@sstff6771]

😂😂love the star wars reference

[@EurekxMisora]

Literary burning his hands in hot oil does that to a person I guess

[@ekesa07632]

I am very proud of this piece of yours Kraut! Thanks for allowing me to help out !

[@Kraut_the_Parrot]

Я надеюсь, что когда-нибудь мы сможем говорить о России в более хороших отношениях.

[@Kkey884]

Found you through the even rounder table. I can tell already you're an incredibly polished man. I'll just bookmark several hours of your stuff to listen to tomorrow! Yoink!

[@pmytro]

Such a great video! Thank you Kraut for this great content

[@LemonSaber]

Putin: “ We must stop Ukrainian nazis!” Also Putin: “Hey this nazi was a pretty cool guy, we should do that!”

[@giovanninudo903]

"um ackshually he's not a nazi because he's russian" -Putin

[@ArcturusOTE]

For Putin and his followers, anyone is a Nazi except if it's a Nazi they like

[@thecanadiankiwibirb4512]

He should be saying 'lets crush democracy and replace it with facism' What a POS Putin is

[@rorycampbell7490]

Pretty much double think

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

Hitler breathed, so we shouldnt, yeah no

[@mischief9484]

Me: "well I've got some free time, guess I'll study a little" Kraut: posts one hour video Me: "goddamn it kraut"

[@Munchkino]

Literally me

[@loltroll3275]

Bro that just happened to me

[@MrSamulai]

*objective failed successfully*

[@josuemanuelparejacontreras6004]

Same :(

[@imcahlenkpap]

well in a way you have spent your time studying, havent you? :D

[@DefactoOverlord]

This was incredibly informative. I had no idea just how deeply Putin's political ideology was steeped in fascism.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Same. It’s frankly disturbing to hear all of the deranged ideas that these fascists came up with, to know that they are fundamental precepts of fascism, and to see their implementation in the leadership of modern Russia.

[@iwantomakababywithu]

🙄

[@jollyroger296]

Fucking mindblowing. There were a bunch of pieces of information from the video (I've actually heard the name of Carl Schmidt before, no idea on the context) that I'd heard and knew of but having it all come together into a single picture of "WHY" things are the way they are inside of the Kremlin is just mind-boggling. People throw the word fascist around a lot these days but holy shit did this bring it all into perspective.

[@godhallelujahgaming7947]

What a dummy😂, you just heard what you ALREADY wanted to believe. Critical thinking fool, critical thinking!!!

[@poopoppy]

Is Lauren Southern a fascist though? I think not.

[@user-qs1ez1ko5f]

Beautiful, brilliant, and remarkable video essay. I am so glad I’ve found this channel and am sure I will end up watching every video you publish. In particular I nearly jumped out of my chair when you began the refrain about pop culture and art psychology as banes of political literacy in postmodern discourse. My absolute best wishes.

[@andreymontag]

Nice one with Dugin and Ilyin. You instantly acquired more competence than 99% of other commentators

[@user-rn2bj3dh6j]

Lmao, that guy just called russians genetically lawless and you are ok with that.

[@Corben.TopMingerC]

@@user-rn2bj3dh6j Genetically lawless? Where tf did you get that from? The entire video focusses on how fascist ideologists have infiltrated and destroyed Russia's political institutions. Not how Russians are some breed of 'subhuman'.

[@ennuiii]

@@user-rn2bj3dh6j culturally* not a single biological argument was made.

[@user-rn2bj3dh6j]

@@ennuiii you still can understand what he is implying

[@andreymontag]

@@user-rn2bj3dh6j Kraut didn't make any claims on Russian lawlessness. I just pointed out that he was correct in focusing on Ilyin and not on Dugin

[@officernealy]

It's also quite telling on who Putin's favorite past ruler is. You'd think because he's former KGB it'd be a Soviet Premier, but instead its a Tsar and not any of the well known ones in the West like Peter or Catherine, but Alexander III. He has publicly praised his rule as _"a time of national revival, veritable rebirth of Russian art, literature, music, education and science."_ In reality, Alexander was a thug that created a brutal system of secret police to silence anyone who voiced mild discontent with the status quo, cracked down on the educated, as well as harshly oppressed minority cultures and traditions in an attempt to Russify them.

[@PejmanMan]

Who came into power on the heels of a terrorist attack, the assassination of his dad

[@officernealy]

​@@PejmanMan Yup, Alexander II aka "The Liberator" which is quite the ironic title. He proudly claimed that he abolished serfdom in Russia yet instead replaced it with a debt trap which put the populace basically back into serfdom-in-all-but-name. He introduced new capitalistic measures but limited access to them so the lucky few who got in early were allowed to run as corrupt proto-oligarchs unopposed. I definitely think revenge for the murder of his father played some role in III's behavior, but I wonder how much since a lot of his policies in clamping down on liberties were pretty extreme. I guess his mindset was "If this is how people act with freedom then they deserve none."

[@blugaledoh2669]

Your assessment of Alexander III is reductive.

[@holyholyholy40]

Alexander the III was also uniquely Anti-semitic.

[@drjustin84]

@@blugaledoh2669 nah my ancestors who were forced out by him would beg to differ.

[@user-gn6xw6wr6s]

Thank you very much for your educational work. After my emigration to Western Europe from Russia, I noticed with what unacceptable frivolity people treat Russia, that society has not learned from the mistakes of the past at all and believes that dictators can be "appeased." I hope that your video will convince at least some of your listeners from Western Europe, because now only Eastern European countries understand this. They still remember what a "Soviet concentration camp" is. Thank you

[@stepanstepasha3538]

Go home Vlad.

[@TheIT221]

@@stepanstepasha3538 ya no screw you, it’s his right to live in Europe. I can bet your one of those racists who hates everyone else because your life sucks

[@TheIT221]

It’s a shame how Western Europe treats tyrannical regimes like Russia, China, and ones in the Middle East like they can be dealt with diplomatically... and how they still haven’t learnt our lesson from Russia concerning other ones

[@insenkiv4619]

maybe as a russian you should educate these western people of what true russia is and that russian people themselves feed russia's imperialism, fueling further search for power that extends both through your government and through your community of blood seeking creatures

[@LastChanceTikTok]

You're a pathetic Russian. It's obvious that you're going to the Second World War. But it began with the DEFEAT of Germany, with the Peace of Versailles, with shameful, humiliating measures: reparations, territories, the Ruhr, the attitude towards the Germans towards Europe and so on, which were imposed not by "dictators", but by "democracy". And then, allowing Hitler to cancel Germany's debts, carry out rearmament while the "democracies" approved of it, then annex territories and so on, but Hitler's plan was to conquer "lands in the east with the extermination of civilians and settlement by Germans", all this could have been avoided if the "democracies" were not blind as blind they are now pursuing a policy of Russophobia, economic sanctions, whipping up hysteria, arms supplies, including prohibited cluster munitions - all this inspires the Russians with a natural point of view, if we lose, they will grind us to powder, the country will be destroyed, everything will be taken out, huge reparations will be imposed, they will humiliate us as everywhere else. This is practically a one-on-one story of ordinary Germans, they did not want a war (ordinary people), but they started it and lost, remembering all the horrors of 1918 and subsequent years - it was the worst of scenarios. By the way, it would have been realized, the United States and the allies had plans for the deindustrialization of Germany, which they were going to accept, Stalin prevented this, who began to raise the GDR. And what will happen if Russia loses with the age-old Russophobia in the West, I'm not even going to think.

[@Redentor92]

My man, you are amazing,huge channel you have hear. With you nothing goes to waste. Thanks. I, naively, enjoyed Trostky's series although I didn't see anything fascist there. I am not used to think about jews (I mean the information of Judaism flies above my head) but you are true on how they portrayed Trotsko as some master manipulative mind. Thanks for your videos.

[@g4ppy491]

the part about being a criminal and a politician was so natural to hear as an Italian I was kinda surprised people struggled to associate the two

[@starmaker75]

I guess democracy is when the people can whack back the politicians/thugs.

[@enricobianchi4499]

ci sono politici non criminali????

[@mrlime9526]

@@enricobianchi4499 well there’s Gorbachev.

[@antonioclemente897]

Ci sono italiani che guardano kraut! Terrò questo sorriso da ebete per tutto il giorno

[@ArchmageIlmryn]

I think a lot of it has to do with fear of crime politics, especially in the US but also in a lot of other western democracies. Crime is portrayed by many conservatives as the result of personal evil rather than a systemic societal phenomenon.

[@Metalshark1989]

How crazy should your ideology be, Mr. Ilyin? Ilyin: "Yes".

[@freedomwhenneeded]

how crazy must you be to listen to someone read a wikipedia page and believe it?

[@zachphelps3427]

@@freedomwhenneeded no way we got a fashy in the replies

[@freedomwhenneeded]

@@zachphelps3427 im not a fascist, my family members died fighting in the great patriotic war. Some of my family were jews who went through the siege of leningrad.

[@zachphelps3427]

@@freedomwhenneeded idk if Lenin was your grandad you're out here defending a fascist

[@maxmilliansocrates4347]

@@freedomwhenneeded Then it is even more sad that you would try to excuse something like this. There is nothing wrong with Wikipedia by the way.

[@drlegendre]

I'm really surprised (and a bit irritated) that I only came across this video now - a year after it was posted. As ever, you do great work, 'Heinrich' - always insightful, always thought-provoking. Please keep it up, I'm always pleased to hear from you.

[@butchfriday]

Kraut, it is always so nice to hear you speak

[@hyunsungjung4941]

I know that 1984 memes are ridiculously overused, but Ivan Ilyin is truly is a proponent of doublethink. Violence is Good. Thought is Corruption. Evil is Innocence Edit: What happened in the comment section

[@freedomwhenneeded]

he read the wikipedia page of Ilyin, jesus Christ can you do any independent research, it hurts my brain that some idiot virgin can sit behind a camera, probably extremely obese, tell you that Russians are fascist and bigots, and you believe them. Read Ilyins work.

[@National-Democrat.Ukrainian]

@@freedomwhenneeded Ilyin actually gives a direct justification for the fascist model of the state: “The Germans have managed to get out of the democratic impasse… What is happening is a great social stratification; but not property, but state-political and cultural-driving... The leading layer is being updated consistently and radically... On the basis of a new mindset... Those who are clearly unacceptable to the "new spirit" are removed... This spirit is, as it were, the substance of the entire movement; in every sincere National Socialist, it burns in the heart, tenses his muscles, sounds in his words and sparkles in his eyes ... Unjust slandering and slandering him interferes with correct understanding, sins against the truth and harms all mankind."

[@freedomwhenneeded]

@@National-Democrat.Ukrainian he doesn't give a justificaiton for it, he talks about how fascism works to unite mass amounts of people in a tolatarian way, making a cult of personality, destroying traditions, and all in reaction against bolshevism and liberalism. Ilyin has spoke out against tolatarianism, he wishes for authority not full on tyranny.

[@Shinkajo]

No wonder Putin loves him

[@National-Democrat.Ukrainian]

@@freedomwhenneeded Ivan Ilyin advocated for totalitarian Voshdism: “And whoever does not selflessly love his national Vozhd, and does not believe in him, and does not believe in him, does not send him his heart-willed ray of fidelity, strength and inspiration, he does not “accumulate” to him or in him, and therefore vitally and creatively loses it; that is why enemies always try to weaken and undermine the person of the leader and the Sovereign with suspicions, ridicule, slander and slander." "the people should not and do not dare to oppose their army". He advocated for the creation of a national dictatorship in Russia, which should be based on the exclusive role of the church, the army and paramilitary structures, and even states that white movement has the same spirit as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy: “In a word, this spirit that links German National Socialism with Italian fascism. However, not only with him, but also with the spirit of the Russian white movement.”

[@leviravioles]

I almost spit my coffee when you mentioned the influence of Schmitt on the Pinochet constitution. Still can't believe my country chose to keep living under the legacy of a literal nazi versus a text created by the people. Loved the video, top noch content as always!

[@Kraut_the_Parrot]

I constantly get angry messages by other liberals who do not understand why I, as a liberal, hate Pinochet. The fact that there are so many Pinochet apologists in my political corner truly is one of the big failures of modern democratic liberalism. Pinochet was a fascist piece of shit, he should be reviled, and condemned, and his political legacy ought to be deconstructed and removed from Chilean institutions.

[@user-yn6kw5dl8k]

@@Kraut_the_Parrot it mostly people who think that he was the only alternative to communist rule, that was generally worse than fascist one. Not saying that there are right to think that.

[@Greksallad]

@@Kraut_the_Parrot Really, liberals like Pinochet? I never knew that. Pinochet is absolutely despised by most people here in Sweden. When I learned about Pinochet in school my teachers basically outright called him a violent fascist dictator. We have a lot of Chileans here, a lot of them specifically fled the oppression of the dictatorship so I've never heard anyone say anything positive about his regime.

[@scottwillie6389]

You mean a text created by the International Bankers. That is why people prefer the Pinochet Constitution. Schmitt understood the fundamental flaws of Liberal Democracy and how it always devolves in to rule by Bankers. In Russia that happened almost immediately, which is why the Russian aversion to to Liberal Democracy is so strong. In much of the West it was a slower, more gradual descent in to hell and so only now are you staring to see the mass discontent with the system starting to boil over in the West.

[@pbaagii1]

@@Kraut_the_Parrot Most modern liberals everywhere /I am Asian, and it is the same in my country/ worship every left-leaning political figure. It has become infuriating and frightening

[@freedomrocks7821]

"inequality was God's will". We'll I certainly agree that religion prospers when inequality is abundant.

[@milaandersson6808]

Your final conclusion in this video is so eye opening. Germanys policy regarding weapontrading and russians foreign policy is something i as a german was never able to put into proper context. There is so much information in this vodeo that was absolute news to me, thank you very much for this production.

[@LIETUVIS10STUDIO1]

Kraut, to push you off your high horse a bit, part of why "nobody recognized the Trotsky series" is because the series were an abject failure in its popularity. It died in the cradle, and pretty much nobody heard of it.

[@mnk9073]

It's about Trotsky, what do you expect...

[@bynrdskynrd]

@@mnk9073 I mean even American scholastic history books portray him as basically Stalin's opposition that got bested and ran to Mexico with his tail between his legs. Even us 7th graders that learned about the axing thought that was a bit too much.

[@89RealThe]

I mean I saw it on Netflix about 2019, I only watched 10mins of it before switching it off. So bad.

[@jerrycan1756]

after all, to recognize something, you have to have seen it in the first place

[@rejvaik00]

The fact it was on Netflix though was still an aspect of failure by these self appointed "guardians of pop culture" doesn't matter if it wasn't popular

[@LordBeef]

Kraut, this is some of your best work. Well done. I’m an American who has lived in Russia, and this really helped give context to the political and ideological developments I’ve witnessed. Thank you.

[@marny3559]

Here's something I'm wondering. Why is it that as a Westerner who has studied 19th and 20th century philosophers from Engels and Marx to Hegel that I am extremely cognisant of who Aleksandr Dugin is, but I've never heard of Ivan Ilyin before watching this video? He seems anything but obscure.

[@glendamendoza6601]

@@conserva-chan2735 Zamyatin is popular in which political circle? Im a social conservative. What name of book?

[@glendamendoza6601]

@@conserva-chan2735 Whats 'WE' to be summarised shortly? Or is this another 1984 or TNO types which I dont like. I dont like average dystopian novels. I just want a book about succesion and crisis and how it came to be(genres). I like novels that read like Crusader Kings. Any suggestions btw?

[@R3GARnator]

@@marny3559 He is well known because his book, Foundations of Geopolitics, was the blueprint for Putin's foreign policy. So it's not for his philosophy that he's known.

[@ivanaznar6495]

critical thought, self reflection and giving context to ideas; these are things you make me love when listening your videos

[@LincolnDWard]

"cosmic Mongol energy" is not necessarily a phrase I ever expected to hear, but I think I might need to hold on to it.

[@abyssmal5858]

I remember watching Trotsky back in 2018, I rooted for Trotsky at the time, liking the guy who became a shell of his former self because of the brutal actions he had to take to achieve his permanent revolution. The fact that the production team actually wanted me to hate Trotsky yet failing is kind of funny actually.

[@starmaker75]

Yeah, I think you given an good director, you can do a good tragic movie of Trotsky and to extended Lenin.

[@spacejunk2186]

At least it was not boring, which makes it 10000000 times better than Gods and Generals.

[@SolarFlareAmerica]

See, like, you could make the exact same movie about stalin tho. Trotsky wasn't special in needing to make sacrifices. Sadly.

[@abyssmal5858]

@@SolarFlareAmerica I don't know, Stalin eliminated all dissent within the party and in the country while Lenin and Trotsky frequently had debates and conversations with other intellectuals like Rosa Luxemburg.

[@stephenjenkins7971]

Know of a way to watch Trotsky online? I'm curious to watch it too.

[@evanhoier3802]

The final words are the best I've heard in a long while. "When someone tells you who they are, it is best for you to listen rather than arrogantly presume the right to interpret who they are for them. Because if you do that, in the end, you will only lie to yourself." Think of how many times either side of the political aisle in western nations assumes someone has ulterior and secret motives. Think of how much distrust there is based on how someone presents themselves or their beliefs. This is why it is so important to not have ambush journalism as much as we do. When we try to get a soundbite that we can create uneasy assumptions about, we doom ourselves into not trusting anyone. For example, I may not support a certain politician, but that doesn't mean that I don't trust them to act in what they think is my best interest. I think a lot of people found this when Bernie did his podcast with Joe Rogan where it wasn't a sensational headline talking about him as a communist or an idiot. He was able to articulately lay out his worldview and the solutions he best saw fit based on the evidence he has been given in his life. Whether you personally agree or disagree with him is not important, but you were able to see him as a man who has positive motivations with grounding in what he believes, rather than assuming that he is just someone who has "never opened an economics book in their life". The same can be true for conservatives as well. If we can help each other articulate what we believe and why, we can dismiss more allegations that people act solely out of stupidity or corruption.

[@tylerbozinovski427]

That's also why you shouldn't just label everyone you don't like as an "evil racist far-right white supremacist Nazi Holocaust denier".

[@aspielm759]

Well this surprised me and somehow didn't surprise me at all... The new knowledge you presented to me however DID very much surprise me. Videos with titles such as yours I often avoid because often enough people like to theorise about Russia with their own crazy ideas, references and technicalities. Ultimatley seeing patterns where there are none. This Video of yours however is everything but! You go into detail, dedicated section to the people in question and only refer back to putin when it's factual that he has an opinion or relation to that person. Kraut, by far, you seem like the best history/georaphy/ideology KZbinr I know!

[@noidea1903]

This video is incredibly informative, thank you for your hard work!

[@datkitteh433]

Thank you kraut for your, uhm, thorough review of Orwell's 1984, but our book club assignment was meant to focus on the concept of criminalized romance. For this next week we will be studying Pride and Prejudice. Thank you everyone.

[@samuelcarter2624]

I laughed out loud at this thank you

[@glenstephen7234]

how pride and prejudice helped Putin conquer the kremlin

[@nathanseper8738]

You know things are bad when a nation is acting weirder than what Orwell imagined.

[@philiphockenbury6563]

This makes it even better

[@saulgoodman1046]

My god such a detailed analysis!! I wish you grow more and reach out to the world

[@sebastianmuller4649]

Thanks! This was super intersting :)

[@saladmcjones7798]

I didn't wake up today thinking I would be bestowed with the legendary phrase "cosmic Mongol energy."

[@HistoryforThinkers]

I wish you made more videos like this. Countryballs are nice but these serious topics are so much more informative.

[@HistoryforThinkers]

@III I mean, it depends on the creator. Kraut is a great jumping off point to explore other aspects of any given topic.

[@maikeru6158]

@III as a russian let me say this: fuck Putin. He is destroying Ukraine and has basically already destroyed Russia. Yet people still support him for some reason

[@vasilisdouklias6992]

@III Isn't a biased view better than no view? Another question, isn't the first step to learn something to aquire a starting bias? Oh, and isn't the true knowledge a negative sum of widely biased statements?

[@GreekHouseEffect]

@@HistoryforThinkers No, he isn't. He very often spreads misinformation to support his views and presents no sources or citations, just cool graphics

[@nintendianajones64]

@III found the fascist

[@millsyinnz]

Thanks for the video. The philiposophers you cited provide a good understanding into the ideology behind Putin regieme, and how it all ties together.

[@Michancheta]

Hi Kraut. I would like to thank you for this video because it made me understand fascism even better as I was curious on why Putin's Russia is the way it is.

[@thesovis]

I am from Georgia, but I speak fluent Russian and constantly monitoring Russian domestic and foreign politics (especially after what they did to us in 2008 and what they are doing to Ukraine from 2014). From my humble point of view, I can say that Kraut conclusion is exactly on the point. Not many people are talking about roots of this phenomenon nowadays, and this video has a very deep analysis. This is one of most underrated and informative (even inspiring) youtube channels I watched in a while. Thank you for you brilliant and hard work, Kraut! I can only hope that someday you will have a video about Georgia on your channel. Best of luck to you!

[@user-gm1mk7st8g]

Но в 2008 вы хотели уничтожить Осетию с Абхазией, вопреки их воле. И только после этого Россия вмешалась

[@LionKing-ew9rm]

TBF, THEY Didn't do anything to Georgia in 2008, since those regions had already took up arms way before Putin even came to power. What happened to Georgia has to do with the toxic nationalism they decided to adopt after the breakup (under not so smart people such as Sakashvili)

[@thesovis]

@@user-gm1mk7st8g Ах да. Точно. Как же я об этом забыл. Благодарю, что поправили.

[@thesovis]

@@LionKing-ew9rm It's way deeper then that. But that's your opinion nevertheless.

[@hitchensghost]

@@desatta I like hear both sides of a conflict, so please provide evidence of your claims. Otherwise I will think you are just another brainwashed russian. If Russia had not attacked in 2014, there would have been way fewer atrocities. Why would neo nazis elect a jew as their leader? And how is Russia less antisemitic than ukrainians? Russia hates all minorities, and they send those less desirables to the front line to suicide into ukrainian fire because other russians will shoot them if they try to retreat. Russia is responsible for destroying every city they conquer or retreat from. This is exactly like the terror tactics of the mongols.

[@JoeMun]

I’ve been a fan for years now Kraut and your “character arc” in terms of video content has been fantastic. Keep doing what your doing and good luck 🤙🏼

[@elliottfunkhouser4486]

He won me back

[@taureon_]

what character arc?

[@starmaker75]

Well kraut started as a another skeptic anti-sjw, but kraut did realized how it was going really downhill and after arguments and break ups, he took a hitaus and reboot his channel

[@YourIdeologyIsDelusional]

Yeah, his slow transformation into a milquetoast red baiter and russiagater has been fantastic.

[@YourIdeologyIsDelusional]

I really wonder how Kraut justifies being on the same side as the Azovs.

[@uizzi]

Great just great. Watch it for the second time and no doubt one of the greatest videos in this category. I am leaving a comment just to help you in any way I can, because your content is so great. Whenever you have a new video it’s an event for me so keep on doing what you’re doing.

[@sampotter4455]

Fantastic video. Especially the comments at the end. (Viewer from Arizona, USA here .)

[@thomasjardine2108]

I've never heard a single Marxists talk about "Mongolian Civilization" and I say this as someone who talks to Marxists and Communists, tho I'm not one myself. Gumilev's theories are not discussed in left-wing spaces since he has been a obscure thinker for most Westerns and Eurasianism is generally seen as a far-right ideology. Pretty good video, Ilyin sounds like an evil monster while Gumilev just sounds bat-shit insane, lmao

[@Kraut_the_Parrot]

"I am a Mongaloid! It is what I am! It is who we are!"

[@JN-wr9he]

Rather mis-represented

[@Binstone]

I think he is literally only talked about among Russian stalinists, the ones that support putin and spit on actual leftists in Russia for being JEWS.... I doubt any american or european tankies talk about him.... I think this mention might be more kraut putting bad pseudomarxism as the norm of communist thought than the exception, a little propagandistic if you will. I mean gumilev's solar power civililization philosophy what? It is true that Marx did write about oriental despotism, maybe Krauts implying that link between Karl and this mad man.

[@TheManinBlack9054]

No one in broader Russia is influenced by any people he mentioned. Just because some guy likes them doesn't mean all Russians like them. **Putin is not Russia, and Russians are not Putin**

[@BrezhnevStan]

@@Kraut_the_ParrotThe meme is a reaction to constant western racism from neo-con, white supremacist types. Some liberal westerners become so fanatical they start believing that absence of an electoral process in some countries as well as poverty makes the citizens effectively subhumans. Naturally some 3rd worldist anti-imperialists start calling themselves "mongols" as a part of a kind of dick measuring contest.

[@kingace6186]

Jesus Christ, Kraut! It has been one phenomenal video after another this month -- and this one is an hour-long!! What did we simple fans do to deserve all this love? I am also especially appreciative of this lengthy topic you have chosen; this probably took you the majority of the year to produce. Thank you for the amazing work and keep up the stellar effort! Good luck and fortune in your future endeavors/initiatives! And live long and prosper.

[@annalieff-saxby568]

For what it's worth, I expressed outrage that Putin had (essentially) voted himself a 36 year dictatorship, to a Russian. He replied, I believe quite sincerely, "When we have a good, stong leader for Russia, we do not want to change". You can read the whole of Russian history in that sentence.

[@donspecter]

That Russian was right

[@annalieff-saxby568]

@@donspecter I disagree, and prefer time limits to supreme power.

[@augustovasconcellos7173]

Fascism is steeped deep into Russian culture. Democracy and the rule of law are utterly incomprehensible to them. Arguing with them is pointless.

[@thelouster5815]

@@donspecterGood, strong leaders don’t cripple their people and declare unjust wars to satisfy power fantasies.

[@TheBlueMage16]

@@thelouster5815Uhhm, bud, ever heard of the Third Reich?

[@Post-Ioooo]

Hey Kraut! just a recommendation: if you feel like countryballs wouldn't work for a video because its more about political theory/philosophy but still want to use balls there is a whole separate community called polcompballs which is just polandball for political theory/philosophy, i feel like those could be used for videos like these

[@cuteball3683]

This entire piece you have produced is absolutely magnificent. I am from Azerbaijan myself, and I could observe a lot of the ideals you have mentioned employed by my own authoritarian regime and the authoritarian regimes of other post-soviet countries. Many of their leaders and politics studied in Russian universities Law, history and International Relations and it is to no surprise how they apply these ideals in their own countries. Hypocritically so often saying that they are distancing themselves from Russia, when in fact they are using Russian books to govern their own countries, in doing so continuing the institutional legacies of the USSR and Russia. I myself have to recognise that I never took Putinism seriously, to me it seemed like a populist approach by Putin to garner popularity among the “black” masses. While I did recognise that Putinism had an ideology to a certain extent, the extent as to which Putin was serious about it, was grossly underestimated by me. You are an inspiration to me, and some day when I get good equipment, lol, I wish to create videos to the likes of yours. Thank you

[@bobdollaz3391]

Artsakh and Nachivan belong to Hayastan!

[@rogerkeleshian2215]

What's it like living in Azerbaijan under this regime?

[@elshax3483]

This is an outright lie. Ilyin never wrote anything like that. I am very familiar with his work, especially the legal ones. But how is it all pulled on Putin .. Putin, who for twenty years sculpted Ukraine piece by piece, who carefully prepared textbooks of the classical Ukrainian language for the friendly denazified Ukraine, having previously given the order not to touch Ukrainian flags dear to the heart, who surrenders Russian cities only to sit down at the negotiating table without any conditions, who tries inside Russia to invent a few more Ukraines under other flags, it turns out that he is an Orthodox fascist who crushes unsuspecting crests with his tarpaulin boot and destroys the middle class, because its existence is not determined by the divine hierarchy ... As for the negotiations and Armenian diplomacy, it can be noted separately. The part with Carl Schmitt is devoted to this issue. The doctrine of international law, or rather, of its absence, is taken from Schmitt. Schmitt really believed that there is no international law, there are only sovereign interests, the interests of the hegemon and their conflicts, and law appears only between equals. And in this Schmitt is absolutely right. It remains to be seen how this relates to Putin's Foreign Ministry, for which the UN and international law are two sacred cows. The part about Gumilyov was not at all interesting, I won't retell it. It's funny, by the way, how they omitted Dugin in the video. Previously, he was portrayed as an ideologue of the Kremlin, but now it turned out that he rolled everything up with Ilyin, Gumilyov and Schmitt. It's true - rolled up verbatim. Open Schmitt's "Nomos of the Earth" and compare it with the contents of Dugin's Wikipedia page, you'll understand everything right away. But there is a paradigm shift. The Kremlin is controlled not by a bearded sectarian, not by the new Rasputin, as was previously believed, but by Russian nationalism multiplied by eschatological messianism. God, what nonsense.

[@sashavasilyev3000]

Good video, but as a russian myself I want to bring attention to the fact that this is absolutely NOT what regular russians, not even those that directly support Putin, believe in. This is very much the ideology of Putin and his elite, not of russia as a whole. Russian culture, due to the literal hundreds of years it has been subjected to ideological propaganda, has developed a sort of "immunity" to said propaganda; in the late soviet era, communism by many was viewed as "the thing that you have to say you believe in to get anywhere in life", while during the pre-invasion Putin era most people tried to "stay out of politics" and instead focus on living their own lives, since it was no longer required to swear your loyalty to the state's ideology, and this was very much accepted and encouraged by the state since it meant relative stability and safety for the rulers. Of course, such an attitude is extremely dangerous in itself and essentially negates any attempts at building a democracy, but I just wanted to make it clear that the stereotype of the russian ideological fanatic is very much just that - a stereotype that has had very little relation to reality over the last 60 years. Now, after mobilization was announced, the government is desperately trying to revive at least some sort of ideology in the people, since people who "stay out of politics" don't really want to die for said politics. Right now, there is an expression going around in Russia: "you were not interested in politics until the point where politics became interested in you". Just please, please, please know that we are not lunatics. We are simply people trying to live a normal life in a horrible environment.

[@TheManinBlack9054]

They won't. Putin IS Russia to them and always will be. Western history is the history of names, simplified.

[@The80sWolf_]

How do you feel about the fact the majority of westerners literally want you dead? 🙂

[@gregorhellmundt9559]

Would you consider it possible for Russia to change drastically given the active and persistent disinterest in politics by the general population? So for example if Putin were to fall out of a window due to his failure to achieve victory in Ukraine, could there be some engagement by the population to make things better? Or would the elites elect the next leader that suits their need without opposition by the population? If that is the case and an authoritarian regime is inevitable in the foreseeable future, I see no way the West goes back to appeasement and cooperation any time soon and therefore things won't get better in Russia for at least a generation. The hope that things will blow over for the Russian people and things get back to 2010 would in a way make sure that things will definitely get worse.

[@starmaker75]

As munch as western like to see Russians as some orc horde, we have to remind ourself and clam down about the people who oppose this tyranny and many just wanted to live there life peace, like most people in world.

[@sashavasilyev3000]

@@gregorhellmundt9559 I hope. In my opinion, the disinterest in politics has developed as a defense mechanism against attempts at indoctrination, and that resistance to indoctrination *could* actually be very beneficial for democracy, but it is key that people participate in politics despite the country's history. After the mobilization, many people see themselves forced to take a stance, and in my experience most of these formerly neutral people now despise the war and the regime. Also, another reason to have hope is that even over the last years before the war the education system was fairly independent from the government, with many young people receiving education much closer to other european countries than the propaganda Putin would have wanted. Of course, now they are trying to shut it all down much more than before, but you can't undo thirty years of progress with seven months of destruction, and much of the younger generation is strongly, if so far not openly, opposed to Putin. Once again, this might just be me inhaling unhealthy amounts of Copium™, but I really do believe that things could improve soon. Putin's regime relied on maintaining stability in exchange for power, and now that that's gone, it could crumble very, very quickly.

[@mostly_obtuse]

Thanks for educating me on this subject.

[@azravalencia4577]

the more i think about Putin's Ideology, the more afraid iam that he's becoming Taboritsky...

[@Tigran-Abazyan]

So its time verification of cloaks isnt it?

[@WolfieboyMachi]

Damn, Kraut is on a roll. So many videos in rapid succession. Not at all complaining. Struggling to keep up on Kraut videos is a good problem to have.

[@Moratar]

The segment on Ilyin's beliefs is scarily similar to the way the country is actually run and to the mentality that is pushed on state TV. I'm russian and listening to the segment gave me goosebumps, so accurate to my experiences it was

[@stingerrgb2754]

Your experiences is just that. An experiences of one man. Nothing more then that. And its far from the real truth of how Russian government is running or what is happening, but ofc simple minded person would never understand it.

[@user-kk9vq6os9p]

Дурачок ты Александр 🤣

[@shieldwallclonetroopers145]

Bruh Russia on this ideology would be literal nightmare fuel, it’s already bad enough. Saying that God chose this nation as the saviour of Christianity and that it can commit any crimes they want is insane. There are special places for people like him in hell. Btw, I’m from Eastern Europe so I think you understand how bad it would’ve been for people like me

[@gaylord7126]

Мы двигаемся в верном направлении, а вас , мой друг, мы найдём и избавим Россию от таких паразитов

[@VeggieRice]

@@shieldwallclonetroopers145 russia has had that ideology in one form or another for *over 1200 years* the land of Rus is the special nation, special people, Rus transcends christianity, it is its own deity, at least conceptually. and for the record, clonetrooper, you don't much come off as someone who's actually from or spent any time in eastern europe. it has been a very bad time for people from eastern europe, the balkans, and eurasia because of the Russian for *quite some time*

[@mirfalltkeinnameein7363]

You speak the truth and its a huge Relief to hear as a german. Its like no one wants to realize whats going on and people Not only get annoyed at this truth but actively talk down people that point it out just because its uncomfortable for many. In this Day and age where a consumer driven society with its short term focus on pleasure and bliss at the cost of rationality i really Look afraid towards the future. That May be because i am from eastern germany where corona Protests with marching music and german flags and people chanting "schließt euch an" or "volksverräter" and so on with more and more russian flags are in fresh memory. Especially since political figueres are more focussed on appeasing those people because they are afraid of Not getting reelected. Rational people seem to be more and more of a minority but this is higly subjective. But seeing this Video givese hope again. I really enjoyed this refreshing and rational viewing point and can Not thank you enough for sharing it with the World

[@user-cd4bx6uq1y]

These kinds of thoughts are exactly what forces people into extremism

[@mirfalltkeinnameein7363]

@@user-cd4bx6uq1y please explain why

[@BrandEver117]

"Cosmic Mongol Energy" is a good album name

[@nik20347]

Hi Kraut, I am a Russian immigrant who's Familie had left Russia in 2001. I was born in Greece in 2005,now I live with my family in Germany and my parents are pro putinist. You don't know how much I am thankful for your work. I've been watching almost every single video you have created and from my perspective only several individuals have actually got so deep in this material. Even some of Russian political opposition Chanels like #МаксимКац and ect haven't seen this problem from this perspective. I wish you everything you need to be able to produce such great content in the future. Your content opens peoples eyes and gives answers to questions that a lot don't know.

[@wederMaxim]

Не удивительно. Я про Максима Каца. Какой анализ у тех, чья позиция «Путин плохой». Кстати, ти путин.

[@honkhonk8009]

Bro same with my friends. I live in America and some people ik that have russian parents basically gone pro-putin aswell. It really is wierd.

[@ferrariguy8278]

​@@honkhonk8009 I've been wondering if the supposed "Russian Identity" is practically engineered to create the kind of susceptibility to "Russia Right! Russia Good" no matter WHAT direction that might be even if it's reverses upon itself. It only need identify itself as "Russian."

[@ianhomerpura8937]

@@honkhonk8009 this is partly because they saw how Russia fell into near anarchy, especially during the Yeltsin regime from 1992 to 1999. So many people died that time. Would be recommending the recent BBC documentary TraumaZone by Adam Curtis for more context.

[@honkhonk8009]

@@ianhomerpura8937 I know about Yeltsin and such. Shitty time for sure. But lets be honest. That was simultaneously the best time too cus of all the opportunity and such. All the bullshit Putin just brought on Russia tho gonna be 10x worse than anything Yeltsin's alchoholic ass could dream of

[@bogdanp1351]

Happy to see you mention Timothy Snyder! He's an expert on Eastern European history, fascism, and the Holocaust and many of his lectures and talks are on KZbin.

[@lylewalker5681]

He recently had appearance on Sam Harris's podcast, that people should check out. Sam Harris is definitely problematic to me, but he really redeemed himself in this episode, going as hard as he did on fascism. And specifically against Putin's version of fascism.

[@kalibos]

He's currently teaching a Yale course on Ukrainian history called "The Making of Modern Ukraine" of which the lectures are available free on the YaleCourses channel. Exceptional stuff.

[@julesroy]

Snyder went crazy after 2016.

[@lylewalker5681]

@@julesroy Are you a fascist? It's OK, this is a judgment free zone.

[@julesroy]

@@lylewalker5681 Fascism hasn't really existed since the 1940s. None of the serious scholars of fascism (Payne, Gregor, Marrus, Nolte, Gottfried) would disagree on that. Since you use the word so casually I'm going to guess you get your history from TV & KZbin videos.

[@BORN753]

5:30 Everyone in Russia opposition (including nationalists) see a rare quote of Ilyin by Putin simply as a nod for those nationalists (rather who think so of themselves) who still support Putin. No one believes that Putin truly admires Ilyin.

[@barabancheggg]

Russian communist believe Putin is pro-Ilyin 100% and hate him for it

[@jurisprudens2697]

Putin admires no one except for himself. But he uses those particular philosophies to his advantage.

[@benpearson49]

14:24 A Christianity with no redemption, no enlightenment of the soul, no peace in the storm. What a sad little man. That's rather similar to ISIS's version of Islam. Islamofascism as Rush Limbaugh, used to put it. That's a very unfortunate pattern.

[@EarthForces]

Religious fundamentalism of the extremes or, more importantly, Politicized religious radicalism will always be authoritarian in nature and must always be considered a threat to the "Law of Liberty" which Christ teaches which Saint Paul later wrote in his letters.

[@krishthakar6661]

all versions of islam are the same

[@RussianOccupier190]

@@EarthForceswhat law of liberty are you talking about exactly Jesus never supported any type of government whether that would be authoritarian or democratic.

[@fiercerodent]

As a pop culture obsessed leftist, this channel is an antidote against disappearing in my bubble.

[@Yuvraj.]

Im glad you’re trying to tether yourself to reality, at least a little bit.

[@ArcturusOTE]

I don't think you need to completely discard pop culture analysis, you just need to read some historical analysis on who and what shaped right wing nationalist sentiment and how it can get systematically made popular

[@ennuiii]

@@Yuvraj. your rhetoric is childish and useless. basically just looking for seals to clap for you I see

[@The_Alt_Vault]

Good luck

[@segmentsAndCurves]

To me, pop culture has always been this consumerist... thing. Too ingenuine. And activism get replace with cultural representation.

[@NamingConvensionn]

I just LOVE how 80% of russians write english comments with messages such as "this video is not valid" while responding in russian with messages such as "Ukraine does not exist".

[@shesanicon7411]

I really like it when Americans justify all their invasions with the "defense of democracy

[@FretfulClown95]

@@shesanicon7411 good, because they’re right

[@KOTYAR1]

@@shesanicon7411 consider how in Pro Putin Russian fallacies about Ukrainians holds the same weight as "respect for democracy" for American. They're like alt right Americans

[@shesanicon7411]

@@FretfulClown95 who said it? Who gave them right to judge?

[@Bembo2011]

@@shesanicon7411 Unlike the Ruscists, the USA isn’t denying the identity of their neighboring countries, their history, culture, language and heritage. The US isn’t trying to wipe out their sovereign states or annexing their territory. As if one Ukrainian genocide (Holodomor) wasn’t enough. You people (supporters of the fascists in the current kremlin regime) will be judged harshly by history for looking the other way while your government continues to ethnically cleanse the temporarily occupied territories and implement their ruscist policies.

[@thomasg6916]

"He described the seperation of East and West as phenomenon created by geography, climate, astrology, mongols and jewish conspiracies" most sane Russian philosopher

[@wasnlos3857]

Thank you for this work!

[@EMSpdx]

'When somebody tells you who they are- believe them." Maya Angelou. When you paraphrased that and explained that if we do not listen, then we are lying to ourselves I got shivers. How many political leaders- not just in Russia, but in liberal democracies- are we not believing? How many are we lying to ourselves about?

[@kingace6186]

The words of Dr. Maya Angelou will forever remain relevant.

[@cv990a4]

Sinclair Lewis said that it's hard to make someone understand something when their salary depends on not understanding it. Merkel and many others (e.g. Bush Jr, even to some extent Obama) didn't want to understand that Russia was rotten because it would have forced them to take positions that would have been harder, lifestyle-wise, with their domestic audiences. If Russia was rotten, then Russian energy was clearly not OK - but Germany wanted cheap Russian energy, so it spun a story of Russian being not quite rotten. This is, in some way, just a variation on Lenin's dictum about capitalists selling the communists the rope used to hang them - immediate pecuniary interest sometimes overwhelms long-term self-interest.

[@johanmetreus1268]

@@cv990a4 You are simplifying and ignoring something very important for the era, that the dominant ideology at the time was neo-liberalism, which now saw itself as the Truth to the point we had reached The End of History. Just like Marx declared Communism the natural development of human society, the neo-liberals believed free trade and deregulations of all markets would inevitably lead to political freedom as well. This mentality also explains why Russia's shift towards market economy became such a traumatic experience. Rather than a controlled transformation, the advisors listened to the the prophet Friedman and decided that the Market would solve everything for the best. Combine that with a culture of institutionalised corruption and the end result could just as well been a failed state.

[@cv990a4]

@@johanmetreus1268 This is silly. When the Western European peacekeepers ran away from the Srebrenica safe haven, thereby allowing the Serbs to perpetrate their atrocities, it's not because the peacekeepers thought "hey, neoliberal ideology tells me this is going to be OK because we're at the end of history." They ran away because they were feckless - either at the local or institutional level, they weren't willing to put themselves on the line to prevent what was clearly going to be something bad from happening to people who were fellow Europeans (except not as rich and speaking a weird non-Romance/Germanic language). The only appropriate reaction on the part of the peacekeepers to the Serbs was "the only way you get in here is through us - your move". Instead, they ran away. Given a choice between doing the right thing and the thing that was comfortable for them personally, they picked themselves. Statements like "You are simplifying and ignoring something very important for the era, that the dominant ideology at the time was neo-liberalism, which now saw itself as the Truth to the point we had reached The End of History." If you really believe this is why the Western Europeans were unable to man up and defend their way of life on their own continent, it indicates you've build a conceptual ideological castle in the air, and then moved into it, departing reality. Either that or you've simply never read much history.

[@SM-cs2my]

It reminds me of a play I read in school once, Biedermann und die Brandstifter (The Fire Raisers) by Max Frisch, in which an arrogant man (Biedermann) allows two *very* suspicious men to stay with him despite reports of arsons in the area, because he's too smart to allow arsonists to burn his house down! In the end, he gives them the match, despite them proclaiming at dinner earlier, "Wir sind Brandstifter/We are the arsonists." It was an allegory for the rise of European fascism, and I thought it was very effective

[@Sultan-cf5wf]

The more I look into political developments the more I see Why Nations Fail is such a fascinating and truthful book. No other method of political dialetics has so succinctly shown why authoritarian states are almost always destined to fail, while inclusive ones, while they may grow slowly, are much more sustainable overall.

[@MrDarudin]

Why nations fail is truly a masterpiece.

[@user-Daniil07]

Я вообще впервые узнал о идеях ильина из этого видео)

[@timmteller871]

Without a doubt one of the great works of the 21st century

[@user-pm8je4fo7e]

US: no direct voting, no strict identification of voters - democracy! Russia: direct voting by identified people, all voting sheets essentialy have a serial number and are stored for several years after - authoritarian! How this even fits in that cabbage of yours?

[@Itgetsbetterofficial]

I really liked this video and found it very fascinating to watch. I went in part of that first camp you mentioned, people who assumed that the Regime was really beneath ideology and that it was simply a self-serving kleptocracy. You do a very good job of talking people out of that position and it's smart that it's the first thing you do. What I especially appreciate with your video is that there is a lack of smug superiority when talking about people who believe this, I can see in my head a dozen ways some politically interested youtuber/pundit would be quick to mock, demean, or make fun of somebody who holds that belief. I've seen similar things before, and they are both wholly unconvincing and completely unnecessary. You mentioned that most of your viewerbase is EU, but I'm from the US and I really like your stuff, with this being my intro to it. So just keep up the good work, and you'll start to get the attention of more Americans interested in geopolitics.

[@talesofunity]

29:33 - 30:22 I wasn't expecting to get something is epic as "return to Castle Wolfenstein lore but for Russia". "Midway through the campaign your player character picks up an artifact which allows them to harness Cosmic mongol BDE Energy and use supernatural abilities in combat."

[@joselugo2514]

"Cosmic Mongol Energy"... I need that on a t-shirt.

[@starmaker75]

Sound like an album from a psychedelic band

[@TheGoldendude12]

It's surreal experience to live in russia right now. I am buryat(an enthnic minority of mongolian descent) and this fucked up war really showed putin's true intensions in realm of ideology. When the war broke out it suddenly hit just how much Russia looked like any other fascist state with the pride over heroics of ancestors, this almost religious belief that russia is only sacred place in the world while any other country(especially Ukraine) is a source of degeneracy. This rhetoric really made us (ethnic minorities) seen in a bad way since russian propaganda(since ethnic russian can't do no wrong) often puts blame over atrocities and war crimes on minorites. Not to mention that my people have highest casualties rates comparatively. Before you bash me for not protesting i wish, i could but both of my legs don't particularly work. To Ukranians Прощать или не прощать дело ваше, просто знайте что мне очень жаль. Я не хотел

[@momala3919]

why are you lying so blatantly dude? maybe you're not a Buryat at all?

[@Rahmatow]

Жизнь как жизнь, ты расписал как ужасно жить сейчас в России, но завтра же проснёшься в той же постели, что и вчера, будешь есть то же, что и всегда и заниматься тем, к чему ты привык. Будь ты бурят, лакец или мариец. Я не понимаю, зачем ты раскрыл национальный вопросы, мне кажется это неуместным. Я живу в одной с тобой стране и тоже являюсь "нерусским", более того, я иммигрант, но я, честно говоря, не видел, чтобы кто-то хоть слово говорил плохое о бурятах или об иных народах России. Я пойду дальше и скажу, что ты, друг мой, лукавишь, громкие слова за ширмой всемирной сети и неизменяемая обыденность вещи сочетаемые, к сожалению. Но не стоить воспринимать мои слова как нападку; просто твой комментарий показался мне примечательным. Но всё же я не согласен с тобой о том, что меньшинства всегда обвиняют в неудачах. Это просто ложь, которая, непонятно откуда появилась. Может дашь примеры таких нападок на меньшинства?

[@hypergraphic]

@@momala3919 That sounds like something a bot would say. See two can play at that game. Unless you have some secret knowledge you'd like to share, stop making accusations about someone's identity.

[@morewi]

Minorities run the Russian army and beat, rape and prostitute ethnic Russians on the regular. Why are you lying.

[@Rahmatow]

@@hypergraphic believe me, this guy is not a bot. Me neither. The guy who wrote original comment exaggerating and gaslighting. I'm an ethnic minority and can say with confidence that the part about blaming minorities most likely a lie. Or I was blind all these years spent in Russia

[@donalddude7568]

Carl Schmidt refused denazification not because he considered himself a true believer in the Nazi ideology but because he never believed in it, he was an opportunist, before 1933 he was a fierce critic of Nazis and Hitler and supported Hindenburg but once Nazis came to he had option to work with them and test his theories which he did, if he would have continued the criticism he would have been given the Oswald Spengler treatment.

[@FireOccator]

Putin has publicly switched between contradictory beliefs multiple times. I doubt that Putin believes any of these contradictory ideologies, instead they are just convenient rationalizations for a politician.