ABSTRACT
For all its nuances and tendencies the supreme moral authority of Russian nationalism is academician Dmitri Likhachev, the grand old man of Russian historiography and letters. With emphasis and eloquence he has argued that true patriotism spiritually enriches the individual, as it does the nation, and that patriotism is the noblest of feelings. While full-fledged fascism still seems unlikely in Russia an authoritarian system based on nationalist populism appears probable. The blueprints for a Russian version of national socialism have existed for a considerable time. The basic differences between liberal Western and authoritarian Eastern nationalism have been noted for a long time. The breakup of the Soviet Union is the central event bound to shape the course of Russian nationalism and Russian politics as far ahead as one can see. It could be compared with the impact of the 1919 Versailles Treaty on postwar Germany and with the loss of North Africa for France in the 1950s and 1960s.
