ABSTRACT

The first chapter presents messianism as a socio-political phenomenon: its specifics, typologies and historical development. A comparative analysis shows that messianism is predominantly linked to three contexts: religion, identity and politics. Each of these three contexts has been briefly outlined: messianism as a religious phenomenon, “national messianism” and “political messianism.” The three components of messianism with the greatest significance for politics are identified: (1) a particular understanding of history, (2) universalism and (3) mission. The overview of the historical development of messianism reveals the important connection between the sense of mission and the identity building process of empires.