A.Dughin
The metaphysics of nationalbolshevism
1. The delayed
definition
The term “national-bolshevism” can mean several quite different things.
It emerged practically simultaneously in Russia and Germany to signify
some political thinkers` guess about a national character of bolshevik
revolution of 1917, hidden in orthodox Marxism internationalist phraseology.
In Russian context “national-bolsheviks” was a usual name for those communists,
who tried to secure the integrity of state and (either consciously or not)
continued the Great Russian historical mission geo-political policy. Those
Russian national-bolsheviks were both among “whites” (Ustrialov, smenovekhovtsy,
left Eurasians) and among “reds” (Lenin, Stalin, Radek, Lezhnev etc.)
(1). In Germany the analogous phenomenon was associated
with extremely left forms of nationalism of 20s-30s, in which the ideas
of non-orthodox socialism, the national idea and positive attitude to Soviet
Russia were combined. Among German national-bolsheviks Ernst Niekiesch
was undoubtedly the most consistent and radical, though some conservative
revolutionaries may also be referred to this movement, such as Ernst Juenger,
Ernst von Salamon, August Winnig, Karl Petel, Harro Schultzen-Beysen, Hans
Zehrera, communists Laufenberg and Wolffheim, and even some extremely left
National-socialists, such as Strasser and, within a certain period, Josef
Hoebbels.
In fact, the term “national-bolshevism” is much more extended and profound,
than the listed political trends` ideas. But in order to adequately comprehend
it, we should examine the more global theoretical and philosophical problems,
regarding the defining of the “right” and the “left”, the “national” and
the “social”. The word national-bolshevism contains a deliberate paradox.
How can two mutually exclusive notions be combined in one and the same
name?
Independently on how far did the reflections of historical national-bolsheviks
go, which were certainly limited by the surrounding specificity, the idea
of approach to nationalism from the left, and to bolshevism from the right
is amazingly fruitful and unexpected, opening absolutely new horizons of
comprehension of history logic, social development, political thought.
We should not start from some concrete political facts` collection:
Niekiesch wrote this, Ustrialov evaluated some phenomenon as such, Savitskiy
adduced such argument as, etc., but try to look at the phenomenon from
an unexpected point of view, which exactly made it possible, the “national-bolshevism”
combination existence itself. Then we will be able not only to describe
this phenomenon, but also comprehend it and, with its help, many other
aspects of our paradoxical time.
2. Karl Popper’s
inestimable contribution
It’s difficult to imagine anything better for a difficult task of defining
the essence of “national-bolshevism”, than a reference to the sociological
researches of Karl Popper, and especially to his fundamental work - “Open
Society and its Enemies”. In this bulky work Popper proposes a rather convincing
model, according to which all the types of a society are roughly divided
into two main kinds - “Open Society” and “Non - Open Society” or “Open
Society Enemies’ Society”. According to Popper, “Open Society” is based
on central role of an individual and its basic characteristic features:
rationality, step-type behavior (being discrete), absence of global teleology
in actions etc. The sense of an “Open Society” is that it rejects all the
forms of an Absolute, which are non-comparable with individuality and its
nature. Such society is “open” just because of the simple fact that the
combinations’ varieties of individual atoms do not have a limit (as well
as no purpose or sense), and theoretically such a society should be aimed
at the achievement of an ideal dynamic balance. Popper also considers himself
as a convinced adherent of an “open society”.
The second type of a society is defined by Popper as a “hostile to open
society”. He does not call it “closed”, foreseeing possible objections,
but frequently uses the term “totalitarian”. However, according to Popper,
just basing on the acceptance or rejection of an “open society” concept
all political, social and philosophical teachings are classified.
The enemies of an “Open Society” are those, who advance (proclaim, put
forward) variable (different) theoretical models based on the Absolute
against the individual and his/her central role. The Absolute, even being
instituted spontaneously and voluntaristically, instantly intrudes into
the individual sphere, sharply changes the process of its evolution, violates
(exercises coercion over) the individual’s atomistic integrity, submitting
it to some outer individual impulse. The individual is immediately limited
by the Absolute, therefore the people’s society loses its quality of the
“exposure (openness)” and the perspective of free development in all directions.
The Absolute dictates the aims and tasks, establishes dogmata and norms,
violates (coerces) an individual, as (like) a sculptor coerces his material
(stuff).
Popper starts the genealogy of the “Open Society” enemies from Plato,
whom he regards as a founder of the philosophy of totalitarianism and as
a father of “obscurantism”. Further, he proceeds to Schlegel, Schelling,
Hegel, Marx, Spengler and other modern thinkers. All of them are unified
in his classification by one indication, which is the introduction of metaphysics,
ethics, sociology and economy, based on the principles, denying the “open
society” and individual’s central role. Popper is absolutely right in this
point.
The most important in Popper’s analysis is the point that thinkers and
politicians are put in the category of the “enemies of an open society”
irrespectively of, whether their convictions are “right” or “left”, “reactionary”
or “progressive”. He accentuates some other, more substantial, more fundamental
criterion, unifying on both poles the ideas and philosophies which at the
first sight seem to be the most heterogeneous and opposite to each other.
Marxists as well as conservatives and fascists, and even some social-democrats
can be reckoned among the “enemies of an open society”. At the same time,
liberals like Voltaire or reactionary pessimists like Schopenhauer
can turn to be among the friends of open society.
So, Popper’s formula is as such: either “open
society”, or “its enemies”.
3. The sacred
alliance of the objective
The most felicitous and full definition of national-bolshevism will
be as follows: “National-bolshevism is a superideology, common for all
open society enemies”. Not just one of the hostile to such society ideologies,
but it is exactly its full conscious, total and natural antithesis. The
national-bolshevism is a kind of an ideology, which is built on the full
and radical denial of the individual and his central role; also, the Absolute,
in which name the individual is denied, has the most extended and common
sense. It could be dared to say that the national-bolshevism is for any
version of the Absolute, for any “open society” rejection justification.
In the national-bolshevism there is an obvious trend to universalize the
Absolute at any cost, to advance such kind of an ideology and such kind
of a philosophical program, which would be the embodiment of all the intellectual
forms, hostile to the “open society”, brought to a common denominator and
integrated into the indivisible conceptual and political bloc.
Of course, throughout the history the different trends, which were hostile
to open society, were also hostile to each other. The communists indignantly
denied their resemblance to fascists, and conservatives refused to have
anything to do with both the abovementioned trends. Practically, noone
from “open society enemies” admitted their relation to the analogous ideologies,
considering such comparisons as the pejorative criticism. At the same time
the different versions of “open society” itself were developed jointly
with one another, being clearly conscious of their ideological and philosophical
relation. The individualism principle could have united the English Protestant
monarchy with the democratic parliamentarianism of Northern America, where
the liberalism at first was nicely combined with the slave-owning.
The national-bolsheviks were exactly the first to try grouping the different
ideologies, hostile to “open society”, they revealed, as well as their
ideological opponents, some common axis, uniting round itself all possible
alternatives to individualism and to the individualism based society.
On that profound and scarcely fully realized impulse the first historical
national-bolsheviks based their theories, using the “double criticism”
strategy. The aim of that national-bolshevik criticism was the individualism,
both in the “rights” and the “lefts”. (In the rights it was expressed in
economics, “market theory”; in the lefts it was expressed in the political
liberalism: “legal society”, “human rights” and so forth).
In other words, the national-bolsheviks grasped beyond the ideologies
the essence of both the opposite and their own metaphysical position.
In philosophical language the “individualism” is practically identified
with the “subjectivism”. If we apply the national-bolshevik strategy on
that level, it can be asserted that the national-bolshevism is strongly
against the “subjective” and strongly for the “objective”. It is not the
question: materialism or idealism? The question is: the objective idealism
and objective materialism (on one side!) or subjective idealism and also
subjective materialism (2) (on the other!).
So, the philosophical policy of the national-bolshevism affirms the
natural unity of the ideologies, which are based on the statement of the
central position of the objective, which is conferred the same status as
the Absolute, without dependence on how this objective character (outness)
is interpreted. It could be said that the supreme national-bolshevism metaphysical
maxim is the Hinduist formula “Atman is Brahman”. In Hinduism “Atman” is
the supreme, transcendent human’s “Ego”, being regardless of the individual
“ego”, but inside this “ego” as its most intimate and mysterious part,
slipping the immanent grasp. The “Atman” is the internal Spirit, but the
objective and over-individual one. “Brahman” is the absolute reality, embracing
the individual from without, the outer objective character, elevated to
its supreme primary source. The identity of “Atman” and “Brahman” in the
transcendent unity is the Hinduist metaphysics crown and, what is above
all, it is the base for the way of spiritual becoming. This is the point,
common for all the sacred doctrines, without any exception. In all of them
the question is about the main aim of human’s existence, that is the self-overcoming,
expanding beyond the bounds of the small individual “ego”; the way away
from that “ego” either outside or inside brings to the same victorious
outcome. Hence follows the traditional initiatic paradox, expressed in
the famous gospel phrase: “who ruins his soul in my name, that one saves
his soul”. The same sense is contained in Nietzsche`s genius statement:
“The human is what should be overcome”. The philosophical dualism between
the “subjective” and the “objective” affected throughout the history the
more concrete sphere, the ideology, and then the politics and social order
specificity. The varied versions of the “individualist” philosophy has
gradually concentrated in the ideological camp of the liberals and liberal-democratic
policy. This is exactly the “open society” macro-model, which Karl Popper
wrote about. The “open society” is the final and the most complete individualism
fruit, turned to the ideology and being fulfilled in the concrete policy.
It is appropriate then to raise the problem of the maximum common ideological
model for the “objective” approach adherents, of the universal political
and social program for the “open society enemies”. As a result we will
acquire none other than the national-bolshevism ideology.
Together with the radical novelty of that philosophical division, made
in this situation vertically toward the usual schemes (such as idealism-materialism),
the national-bolsheviks mark the new boundary in the politics. Both the
lefts and the rights are themselves divided into two sectors. The utterly
left, communists, bolsheviks, all Hegel*s successors “from the left” are
combined in the national-bolshevik synthesis with the utter nationalists,
estatists, “New Middle Ages” idea supporters, in short, with all Hegel`s
successors “from the right”.(3)
The open society enemies return onto their metaphysical ground, common
for all of them
4. The Metaphysics
of Bolshevism (Marx, look “from the right”)
Now we will refer to the clarification of how we should interpret both
parts of the term “national-bolshevism” in a exclusively metaphysical sense.
The term “bolshevism” has at first appeared, as it is well known, during
the discussions in RSDRP (Russian Social Democratic Labour (Worker’s) Party)
as a definition for the fraction, which took the part of Lenin. Let us
remind, that Lenin’s policy in Russian Social Democracy consisted in the
unlimited radicalism orientation, compromise refusal, accentage on the
elite character of the party and on “Blankism” (the theory of a “revolutionary
conspiracy”). Later the people who did the October Revolution and seized
the power in Russia were called “bolsheviks”. Almost immediately after
the revolution the term “bolshevism” has lost it’s limited meaning and
has become to be perceived as a synonym for the “majority”, “all-national
policy”, “national integration” (“bolshevik” can be approximately translated
from Russian as a ‘representative of the majority’) . At a certain stage
the “bolshevism” was perceived as purely Russian, national version of communism
and socialism, opposed to the abstract dogmatics of the abstract Marxists
and, simultaneously, to the conformist tactics of other social-democratic
trends). Such interpretation of “bolshevism” was, at large degree, characteristical
for Russia and almost exclusively dominated in the West. However the mentioning
of “bolshevism” in a combination with a term “national-bolshevism” is not
limited to these historical sense. The question is about a certain policy,
which is common for all the radical left tendencies of the socialist and
communist nature. We may call this policy “radical”, “revolutionary”, “anti-liberal”.
The aspect of the left teachings, which Popper reckons in the “totalitarian
ideologies” or in the teachings of the “enemies of the open society” is
meant here. Thus, “bolshevism” is not just a consequence of the Russian
mentality influence on a social-democratic doctrine. It’s a certain component
which is constantly present in all the leftist philosophy, which could
develop freely and openly only in Russian conditions.
In these latter days the most objective historians more and more often
raise a question: “And whether the fascist ideology is really “right”?
And the presence of such a doubt, naturally, points to an opportunity of
interpretation of “fascism” as a more complex phenomenon, possessing a
great deal of typically “left” features. As far as we know, the symmetric
question - “And whether the communist ideology is really a “left” one?”
- is not raised yet. But this question is more and more urgent. It is necessary
to raise it.
It’s difficult to deny the authentically “left” features in communism
- such as the appeal to rationality, progress, humanism, equalitarianism
and etc. But alongside with it, it has the aspects, which unequivocally
drop out of a framework of the “left”, and are associated with a sphere
of irrational (surd ?), mythological, archaic, anti-humanist and totalitarian.
It is this set of “right” components in the communist ideology is what
should be named “bolshevism” in the most common sense. Already in Marxism
itself its two ingredient parts looked like rather doubtful, from the authentically
“left” progressivist thinking point of view. It’s the heritage of the utopian
socialists and Hegelianism. Only the Feyerbach`s ethics drops out of this
“bolshevik” in its essence Marx’s ideological construction, giving to all
the discourse a certain terminological coloring of humanism and progressivism.
The utopia socialists reproduced this common for western messianist
esoterism motive on the social reality and gave to a coming gold century
the social and political features. Certainly, there was a point of the
eschatological myth rationalization in it, but at the same time, the supernatural
character of the coming Kingdom, Regnum, is obviously seen in their social
programs and manifestos, in which one could easily detect a mention of
future communist society wonders( navigation on dolphins, weather operation,
common wives, peoples flights in air etc. ). Absolutely obvious, that this
policy has almost traditional character; and such radical eschatological
mysticism, idea of return to the Beginning, makes it absolutely logic to
name this not just a “right“ component, but even “extremely right“.
Now what regards Hegel and his dialectics. It’s widely known that the
political beliefs of the philosopher himself were extremely reactionary.
But this is not the point. If we study Hegel’s dialectics more closely,
to his philosophy base method (and it was the dialectical method what Marx
borrowed from Hegel at a greater degree), we shall see a concrete exactly
traditionalist and also eschatological doctrine, using some specific terminology.
Moreover, this methodology reflects a structure of the initiatic, esoterical
approach to the gnoseological problems, apart from just profane, every
day logic of Decart and Kant, who relied on “common sense”, gnoseological
specifications of a “every day consciousness”, which, as we notice a propos,
all the liberals and Karl Popper in particular are the apologets of.
Hegel`s philosophy of a history is a traditional myth version, integrated
with purely Christian teleology. The Absolute Idea is alienated from itself
and becomes the world (Let’s recollect Koranic formula: “Allah was a hidden
treasure, which has wished to be learned”.).
Being incarnated throughout the history, the Absolute Idea affects the
people from the outside, as a “ruse of the World Intellect“, predetermining
the providential character of tissue of events. But finally, by means of
Lord’s Son advent, the apocaliptical perspective of the Absolute Idea total
realization unveils itself on the subjective level, which due to this becomes
“objective” instead of “subjective”. “The Being and the Idea become one.“.
Atman coincides with Brahman. And it takes place in a certain chosen Kingdom,
in an empire of the End, which German nationalist Hegel identified with
Prussia.
The Absolute Idea is the thesis; its alienation throughout the history
is the antithesis; its realization in the eschatological Kingdom is the
synthesis.
The Hegel`s gnoseology is based on such vision of the ontology. Apart
from the usual rationality, based on the laws of the formal logic, operating
only with the positive statements, limited by the actual cause-and-result
relations, Hegel`s “new logic “, takes into account the special ontological
dimension, integrated with potential aspect of a thing, inaccessible to
“every day consciousness “, but actively used by mystical schools of Paracels,
Boehme, Hermetists and Rosicrucians. The fact of a subject or statement
(to which Kantian “every day” gnoseology is reduced)is for Hegel just one
of three hypostacies. The Second Hypostacy is the “denying” of this fact,
and interpreted not as pure nothing (as the formal logic sees it), but
as a special superintellectual modality of existence of a thing or a statement.
The First Hypostacy is Ding fuer uns ( “a thing for us “ ); The Second
is Ding an sich ( “ a thing in self “ ). But apart from Kant`s vision,
“the thing in self “ is interpreted not as something transcendent and purely
apophatic, not as gnoseological non-being, but as the gnoseological in-other-way-being.
And both these relative Hypostacies result in the Third one, which is the
synthesis, embracing both statement and denying, the thesis and antithesis.
Thus if one considers the process of thinking consistently, the synthesis
occurs after “denying”, as the second denying, i.e. “ Denying of denying
“. In synthesis both the statement and denial are taken. The thing co-exists
in it with its own death, which is evaluated in special ontological and
gnoseological view not as emptiness, but as the in-other-way-being of life,
as the soul. The Kantian gnoseological pessimism, the root of liberal meta-ideology,
overturns, unveils as “thoughtlessness”, and Ding an sich ( “ the thing
in self “ ) becomes Ding fuer sich ( “ a thing for self “ ). The reason
of the world and the world itself are combined in the eschatological synthesis,
where existence and non-existance are both present, without excepting one
another. The Earthly Kingdom of the End, ruled by the initiated ones` cast
( the ideal Prussia), is integrated with the descending New Jerusalem.
The end of a history and era of Holy Spirit comes.
This eschatological messianist scenario, having been borrowed by Marx,
was applied to a little bit different sphere, to the sphere of the industrial
relations. Interesting, why he did so? The usual “rights” explain it “by
the lack of the idealism“ or “his rough nature“ ( if not by the subversive
intentions). Surprisingly foolish explanation, which, nevertheless, is
popular with several generations of reactionaries. What is most likely,
Marx , who used to closely study English political economics, was shocked
by similarities between the liberal theories of Adam Smith, who saw the
history as progressive movement towards the open market society and universalization
of a material monetary common denominator and Hegel*s concepts concerning
the historical antithesis, i.e. the Absolute Idea alienation throughout
the history. Marx has genially identified the maximum Absolute self-alienation
with Capital, the social formation, which actively submitted the Europe,
contemporary to him.
The capitalism structure analysis, its development history gave Marx
the knowledge of the alienation mechanics, the alchemical formula of its
functioning rules. And this mechanics comprehension, the “formulas of the
antithesis “ were just the first and necessary condition for the Great
Restoration or the Last Revolution. For Marx the Kingdom of coming communism
was not just the progress, but the result the turn-over, “revolution” in
the etimological sense of this word. Not accident, that he calls the initial
stage of the humankind development the “cave communism“. The thesis is
the “cave communism“, the antithesis is the Capital, the synthesis is the
world communism. The communism is synonymous to the End of History, the
era of the Holy Spirit. The materialism and accentuating the economy and
industrial relations, testify not about Marx’s interests practicism, but
about his aspiration to the magical transformation of the reality and radical
refusal from compensatory dreams of those irresponsible dreamers, who just
aggravate the element of alienation by their inactiveness. According to
such a logic, the medieval alchemists could be reproached with the “materialism”
and hunger for profit, if one does not take into account the deeply spiritual
and initiatic symbolism, hidden behind their discourses about the urine
distillation, obtaining gold, conversion of minerals into metals etc.
It is this Gnostic tendency of Marx and his predecessors was applied
by the Russian bolsheviks, who were raised up in an environment, where
the enigmatic forces of Russian sects, mysticism, national messiaism, secret
societies and passionate romantic characters of Russian rebels were being
summoned against the alienated, temporal, degraded monarchic regime. “Moscow
- Third Rome, Russian people is the God carrier, the nation of the All-man.
Russia is destined to rescue the world. All those ideas impregnated Russian
life, which had it in common with the esoterical plots incorporated in
the Marxism. But apart from purely spititualistic formulas, the Marxism
offered economic, social and political strategy, which clear and concrete,
clear even to the simple person and giving basis for social and political
measures.
It was just the “right Marxism“ that triumphed in Russia, which obtained
the name of “bolshevism”. But it does not mean, that only in Russia the
matter was as such. The similar tendency is present in all communist parties
and movements all over the world, if, certainly, they do not degrade to
the parliamentary Social Democracy, conforming to the liberal spirit. Thus,
it is not surprising, that socialist revolutions have taken place except
Russia only in the East: in China, Korea, Vietnam etc.. It emphasizes once
again, that just traditional, non-progressive, the least “modern” (“alienated
from the Spirit“) and, correspondingly, the most “conservative”, the most
“right” peoples and nations, have recognized the mystical, spiritual, “bolshevik”
essence in the communism.
The national-bolshevism takes turn of just such bolshevik tradition,
the policy of the “ right communism “, which was originated by the ancient
initiatic societies and spiritual doctrines in remote ages. Thus the economic
aspect of communism is not diminished, is not denied, but is considered
as a gear of the teurgic, magic practice, as a particular tool of a reality
transformation. The only thing that should be rejected here is an inadequate,
historically exhausted Marxism discourse in which the accidental, inherent
to the past epoch, humanist and progressist themes are often present.
The Marxism of the national-bolsheviks means Marx minus Feurbach, i.
e. minus evolutionism and sometimes appearing inertial humanism.
5. Nation’s metaphysics
The other part of the term “national-bolshevism”, “national” also needs
to be explained. The notion “nation” itself is far from being simple. There
are its biological, political, cultural, economic interpretations. The
nationalism may mean both “racial purity” or “ethnic homogeneity” accentuating
and the atomistic individuals` consolidation in order to achieve the optimum
economic conditions in the limited social and geographical space.
The national-bolshevism “national” component (historical national-bolshevism
as well as metahistorical, absolute one) is completely special. Throughout
the history national-bolshevik circles were notable for the imperial, geo-political
nation interpretation orientation. Ustrialov`s followers and like-minded
people, left Eurasians, not to mention Soviet national-bolsheviks, interpreted
“nationalism” as over-ethnic, associated with geo-political messianism,
with the “place-of-development”, with the culture, with the country continental
scale phenomenon. In Niekisch`s and his German supporters` works we also
run into the idea of the continental empire “from Vladivostok to Flessing”,
and also into the idea of a “third imperial figure”(“Das dritte imperiale
Figur”).
In all the cases the question is about the geo-political and cultural
nation interpretation, free from even hints on the racism, jingoism or
aiming at “ethnic purity”.
This cultural and geo-political “nation” interpretation was based on
the fundamental geo-political dualism, at first clearly designated in Macinder`s
works and then picked up by Haushofer`s school in Germany and by Russian
Eurasians. The imperial conglomeration of the oriental nations, united
round Russia, “heartland”, makes up the possible continental country skeleton,
consolidated by the “ideocracy” choice and the “plutocracy” rejection,
by socialism and the revolution orientation against the capitalism and
“progress”.
That is significant, that Niekiesch used to insist upon saying that
in Germany the “Third Reich” should have been based on potentially socialist
and Protestant Prussia, genetically and culturally associated with Russia
and Slavic world, not on the western catholic Bavaria, gravitating towards
the Roman and capitalist model. (4) But together with
that “great continental” nationalism version, which, by the way, precisely
corresponds to the universalistic messianist claims of particular Russian
nationalism, which is eschatological and all-human, there was also in national-bolshevism
more narrow nation interpretation, not contradicting the imperial scale,
but defining it more exactly on the lower level.
In that case “nation” was interpreted in the analogous way to how the
concept “narod” (people, nation) was interpreted by Russian narodniks,
that is, like some organic, whole being, in essence not yielding to any
anatomical subdivision, having its own specific fate and unique structure.
According to Tradition doctrine, the certain angel, the celestial being
is appointed to look after each nation of the Earth. This angel is the
given nation’s history sense, being out of the time and the space, but
being constantly present in all nation’s historical peripetias. The mysticism
of a nation is based on this. Nation’s angel isn’t anything vague or sentimental,
indistinctly dim. This is an intellectual, lighting being, “God’s thought”,
as Gerder said. Its structure one can see in nation’s historical achievements,
in social and religious institutes, which characterize the nation, in the
national culture. All gist of the national history is just the text of
narration about quality and form of that lighting national angel. In traditional
society the national angel used to have the personified expression, in
“divine” kings, great heroes, pastors and saints. But being the over-human
reality, this angel itself does not depend on the human bearer. Therefore
after the monarchical dynasties fall it can be incarnated in a collective
form, for instance, an order, a class, or even a party.
So, the “nation”, taken as a metaphysical category is not identified
with the concrete individuals` multitude of the same blood, culture and
speaking the same language, but with the mysterious angelic personality,
showing itself throughout all the history. This is the analogue of Hegel`s
Absolute Idea, but in minuscule form. The national intellect, being estranged
in the individuals` multitude and collected in nation’s elite (in the conscious,
“skimmed” form) during the certain eschatological history periods.
Here we come up to a very important point: those two “nation” interpretations,
equally acceptable for the national-bolshevik ideology, have a common ground,
the magic point, in which they combine all together. The question is about
Russia and its historical mission. This is significant, that in German
national-bolshevism the Russophilia was the foundation-stone, on which
the geo-political, social, economic views were based. The Russian and,
to a greater degree, Soviet interpretation of “Russian nation” as an open
mystic community, destined to bring the light of salvation and truth to
the whole world in times` end epoch, meets both the great continental and
historical, cultural nation’s aspects. The Russian and Soviet nationalism
just becomes in that situation the national-bolshevism ideology focus,
not only within Russia and Eastern Europe frames, but also on the planetary
level. The angel of Russia is discovered as the integration angel, as some
special lighting being, seeking to teleologically unite other angelic beings
inside itself, not obliterating their individuality, but elevating it to
the universal imperial scales. It is not accidental, that Erich Mueller,
Ernst Niekiesch`s disciple and associate, wrote in his book called “National-bolshevism”:
“If the First Reich was catholic, and the Second Reich was Protestant,
the Third Reich should be orthodox”. Orthodox and Soviet at the same time.
In the given case we run into the very interesting question. For the
nations` angels are different individuals, the nations` fates throughout
the history, and, correspondingly, their social and political, and religious
institutes reflect the forces disposition scheme in the angelic world itself.
It is amazing, but this absolutely theological idea is brilliantly supported
by geo-political researches, which demonstrate the interrelation between
geographical, landscape conditions of nations` existence and their culture,
psychology and even social and political preferences. So, it is being gradually
explained, the dualism between the East and the West, dubbed by the ethnic
dualism: the land, “ideocratic” Russia (the Slavic world plus other Eurasian
nations) against the island “plutocratic” Anglo-Saxon West. The angelic
horde of Eurasia against the Atlantic capitalism armies. About the true
nature of Capital’s “angel” (in Tradition its name is “Mammon”) one could
easily guess...
6. The traditionalism
(Evola, the look “from the left”)
When Karl Popper “discloses” the enemies of the “open society”, he constantly
uses the word “irrationalism”. It is logical, because the “open society”
itself is based on the norms of common sense and the postulates of “everyday
consciousness”. Usually, even the most openly anti-liberal writers tend
to justify themselves at that issue and object to the blame in “irrationalism”.
The national-bolsheviks, consistently accepting Popper’s scheme, evaluated
in the absolutely opposite way, accept this reproach too. That is right,
the main incentive of the “open society enemies” and its most raging and
consistent enemies, national-bolsheviks, is never based on the rationalist
grounds. The works of traditionalists help in that most of all, first of
all it is those of Rene Guenon and Julius Evola.
Both Guenon and Evola expounded the mechanics of the cyclic process,
in which the degradation of the earth element (and correspondingly human
consciousness), the civilization desacralization, and the modern “rationalism”
with all its logic consequences is regarded as one of the last stages of
degradation. The irrational is interpreted by traditionalists not as just
negative or deteriorative category, but as a vast sphere of reality, not
subject to the study with just analytical, common-sense methods.
Hence, the traditionalist doctrine in this question does not challenge
the witty conclusions of the liberal Popper, but agrees with them, rearranging
marks to directly the opposite. The tradition is based on over-intellectual
knowledge, on the initiatic rituals, provoking gaps of consciousness, and
doctrines, expressed in symbols. The discursive intellect has only auxiliary
character, and consequently, has not any decisive significance. The center
of gravitation of a Tradition is in a sphere not only not rational, but
also Non-human, and the question is not about the insight guesses, anticipations
and assumptions, but about reliability of experience of the special initiatic
type. The irrational, unveiled by Popper in the center of enemies of Open
Society doctrines, actually, is not less than, the axis of the sacred,
the basis of the Tradition. If it is so, the various anti-liberalist ideologies,
“left” revolutionary ideologies are included, should have some relation
to the Tradition. If in case of “extremely right “ and hyperconservatives
it is obvious, in case of the “left”, it is problematic. We already touched
that matter, when we talked about the concept of “bolshevism”. But there
is and one more point: the revolutionary anti-liberal ideologies, especially
communism, anarchism and revolutionary socialism, assume the radical destruction
of not just capitalist relations, but also such traditional institutes,
as monarchy, church, religious cult organizations. How should we combine
this anti-liberalist aspect with the traditionalism?
It is significant that Evola himself (and to some extent Guenon, though
it can’t be asserted definitely, for his attitude to the “left” was not
so certainly stated, as in Evola`s case, who openly reckoned himself among
the radical conservatives and extremely right) denied the revolutionary
doctrines traditional character and considered them as the maximum expression
of spirit of contemporaneity, degradation and decay. However there were
periods in Evola`s personal destiny, the earliest and the latest one, during
which he had almost nihilist, anarchist views towards the surrounding reality,
proposing nothing but “to ride the tiger”, i. e. make common cause with
the forces of decline and chaos, in order to overcome the critical point
of the ‘decline of the West’. But it is not the question of such Evola`s
historical experience as a political figure. What’s more important, in
his writings of even the middle, maximum conservative period the necessity
of appeal to some esoteric tradition is accentuated, which is, generally
speaking, not quite fit the monarchic and clerical models, characteristic
for the politically connected with him European conservatives. It is not
just the question of his anti-Christianism, but the question of his heightened
interest in the tantric tradition and Buddhism, which within the frames
of the Hinduist traditional conservatism are considered as quite heterodox
and subversive. Besides, Evola`s sympathies to such characters as Guliano
Kremmerz, Maria Naglovska and Alistaire Crowley, which were undoubtedly
reckoned by Guenon among the “counter-initiation” representatives, in the
negative, destructive trend of the esoterism, are absolutely scandalous.
So, Evola, constantly talking about the “traditionalist orthodoxy” and
strongly criticizing the subversive doctrines of the “left”, constantly
appeals directly to the obvious heterodoxy. The fact which is even more
significant is that he reckoned himself among those who go the “left-hand
path”. Here we come up to a specific point, associated with the metaphysics
of national-bolshevism. The matter is that in that trend not just political
antagonists are in the paradoxical way combined (“rights” and “lefts”),
not just at first sight negating one another philosophical systems (idealism
and materialism), but also two tendencies in the traditionalism itself,
the positive (orthodox) one and negative (subversive) one. Evola in the
given case is a very significant writer, though there is a certain discrepancy
between his metaphysical doctrines and political convictions, which is
based in our opinion on some inertial prejudices, characteristic for the
“extremely right” circles of the Middle Europe in that time.
In his splendid book about the tantrism, called “The Yoga Of Power”
Evola describes tantric organizations initiatic structure (kaula) and the
hierarchy, characteristic for them (5). This hierarchy
is vertical towards also sacred hierarchy, characteristic to the Hinduist
society. The tantra (as well as the Buddhist doctrine) and the participation
in its traumatic experience in some way cancels all usual social and political
structure, asserting that “one who goes the short way, does not need in
the support from outside”. In the tantric circuit it is absolutely not
important who is a Brahmin and who is a Chandala (the lowest cast representative)
Everything depends on the success in carrying out the complicated initiatic
operations and the transcendent experience authority. It a kind of the
“left sacredness”, based on the persuasion in insufficiency, degeneration
and alienatedness of usual sacred institutions. In other words, the “left
esoterism” opposes the “right esoterism” not because of negation, but because
of the special paradoxical statement, that insists in the authentic character
of the experience and concrete character of self-transformation. It is
obvious, that we face this “left esoterism” reality in case of Evola and
those mystics, who stood at the source of the socialist and communist ideologies.
The demolition of Churches isn’t just the religion negation, it is a special
ecstatic form of the religious spirit, insisting in the absolute, concrete
character of self-transformation “here and now”. The phenomenon of old-believers`
self-immolations or Khlysts` zeal belongs to the same category. Guenon
himself in his article called “The Fifth Veda” devoted to the tantrism,
wrote that in some special cyclic periods, which are very close to the
“Iron Age”, “Kali-Yuga” end, many ancient traditional institutions lose
their stamina and therefore the metaphysical self-realization needs in
some special non-orthodox ways and methods. Therefore the doctrine of Tantrums
is called the Fifth Veda despite the fact that their are only four Vedas.
In other words, while the traditional conservative institutions degrade,
such as monarchy, church, social hierarchy, cast system etc., the special,
dangerous and risky, initiatic practices, associated with the “left-hand
path”, become the most up-to-date.
The traditionalism, characteristic for the national-bolshevism in the
most common sense is certainly the “left esoterism”, dubbing in the main
the principles of the tantric Kaula and the “destructive transcendentness”
doctrine. The rationalism and humanism of the individualist kind has smitten
even those contemporary world organizations which nominally have the sacred
character. The establishment of the Tradition true proportions is impossible
by the gradual environment state betterment. This is the way of “right-hand
esoterism” is beforehand deemed in the eschatological situation. Moreover,
the appeal to the evolution and graduality just gives way to the liberal
expansion. Therefore the national-bolshevik comprehension of Evola consists
in the accentuating those points which are directly combined with the “left
hand” doctrines, traumatic spiritual becoming in the concrete revolutionary
and transforming experience, beyond the conventions and habits, which have
lost their sacred justification.
The national-bolsheviks comprehend the “irrational” not just as “not
rational”, but as “the aggressive and active destruction of the rational”,
as fight with the “everyday consciousness” (and the “everyday behavior”),
as submersion into the “new life” element, that is the special magic existence
of a “differential human”, who has discarded all outer bans and norms.
7. The Third Rome
- the Third Reich - the Third International
Only two of variety “open society enemies” doctrines were able to win
a temporary victory over liberalism: It is the Soviet (and Chinese) communism
and the Middle European fascism. Between them there were national-bolsheviks,
as a unique and not put into life historical opportunity, as a thin streak
of the clairvoyant politicians, forced to act in the periphery of fascists
and communists, and deemed to see the failure of their integrationist ideological
and political efforts.
In German national-socialism the deemed-to-fail, Bavarian and catholic
Hitler’s policy fatally prevailed; as to Soviets, they obstinately rejected
the idea to openly proclaim their ideology mystic underlying reasons, having
spiritually exsanguinated and intellectually castrated the bolshevism.
The fascism fell first, then there was the last anti-liberal citadel`
turn, that of the USSR. At first sight, in 1991 the last page of the book
of the geo-political confrontation with Mammon, the Atlantic West demon,
the perverted “cosmopolitical Capital’s angel”, is closed. However, at
the same time not only the national-bolshevism metaphysical truth, but
also the absolute historical correctness of its first representatives becomes
crystally clear. The only political discourse of 20s-30s, which is actual
till now, is ` the texts of Russian Eurasians and German “left” conservative
revolutionaries. The national-bolshevism is the “open society enemies”
last asylum, unless they want to persist in their outdated, not historically
adequate and absolutely not effective doctrines. If “extremely left” refuse
to be the venal and opportunist Social Democracy appendage, if “extremely
rights” do not want to serve as substance to be recruited as an extremist
fraction of the liberal system repression apparatus, if people, possessed
by the faith, do not find satisfaction in the wretched moralist substitutes,
with which they are regaled by the priests of the willfully mispresented
cults or the primitive new-spiritualism, they all have the only way, the
national-bolshevism.
Beyond “rights” and “lefts”, there’s one and indivisible Revolution,
in the dialectical triad “third Rome - third Reich - third International”.
The realm of national-bolshevism, Regnum, their Empire of the End, this
is the perfect accomplishment of the greatest Revolution of the history,
both continental and universal one. It is angels` return, heroes` resurrection,
the heart’s uprising against the reason’s dictatorship. This last revolution
is a concern of the acephal, the headless bearer of the cross, sickle and
hammer, crowned by eternal sun fylfot. __________________________________________________________________________________________
References
(1) During the last years of the Soviet
reign some conservative circles of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union,
so called “estatists” were called “national-bolsheviks” and in that sense
the word assumed some deteriorative sense. But those late-Soviet “national-bolsheviks”,
firstly, never agreed with such name, secondly, never tried to connectedly
state their views in any, even rough ideology approximateness. Of course,
such “national-bolsheviks” were in certain way connected with the policy
of 20s-30s, but this connection was rather based on the inertia and rather
was never rationally realized.
(2) When three first notions (“objective
materialism” or just “materialism”, “objective idealism” and “subjective
idealism”) are widely used, the term “subjective materialism” needs additional
explaining. “Subjective materialism” is the ideology, typical for the consumption
society, in which meeting the individual’s needs of material and physical
character is the main motivation for his actions. In this situation all
the reality isn’t in individual’s consciousness structures (like in subjective
idealism), but in the individual sensations, lowest emotions, frights and
delights combination, in the deepest layers of the human psyche, associated
with vegetative, bodily levels. On philosophical level the sensualism and
the pragmatism correspond to this, together with some psychological schools,
such as freudism. By the way, all attempts of political revisionism in
the communist movement, from “machism” and bersteinianism to eurocommunism
on philosophical level were accompanied by applying the subjectivist approach
and different versions of “subjective materialism”, which freudo-marxism
was the latest manifestation of.
(3) There is the reversal process
on the opposite side: Kantian revisionists from the Social Democracy, left
liberals and progressists reveal their proximity to the right conservatives,
who admit market values, exchange freedom and human rights.
(4) Hitler’s Bavarian and Austrian,
slavophobe policy victory catastrophic character was prophetically recognized
by Niekiesch already in 1932 and it was told in his book, called “Hitler
is an evil fate for Germany’. Amazing, that already in that time Niekiesch
predicted all the tragic consequences of Hitler’s victory for Germany,
Russia and the Third Way in general.
(5) It’s significant that the tantric
sects description surprizingly reminds of the European eschatological trends,
Russian Old Belief persuasions, Klysts and... revolutionary organizations.