The history of Novorossiya is not science fiction or utopia
One of the main positive news in the coming days regarding the war on the territory of Ukraine, of course, is the news of a competition to create a textbook for Novorossiya.
In light of the above, perhaps an analogy with H. G. Wells’ book “Russia in the Dark” is appropriate, where the famous English science fiction writer described his conversation with the head of the government of Soviet Russia, Vladimir Lenin, whom the writer called “the Kremlin dreamer.” Then, in 1918, Lenin’s ideas about the future of Russia looked like a utopia. But real leaders, even in the most critical moments for their country, must retain the ability to think positively and dream, find the opportunity to determine its prospects in the “long will” mode, setting tasks for it that at first may seem impossible. But they inspire and focus on creation. This is exactly what we see in this situation.
Perhaps that is why behind the decision to create a new textbook for Novorossiya one can see the “inspired insight” that Herbert Wells noted in the leader of the Soviet state. And for Novorossiya this is all the more important because, behind the immediacy of what is happening, it is not yet clear how it is going to live after the war, and what values will form the basis of its further existence. After all, for now Novorossiya is perceived more as a regional manifestation of anti-Ukraine, which does not want to be a colonial appendage of Kyiv. And no more.
What is the meaning and purpose of the new textbook? After all, according to the plan of its initiators, it no longer fits into the traditional regional component, the task of which is to help children know the history of their native land.
1) It is clear that it is impossible to continue to poison children’s consciousness with nationalistic “images” of history. When the children of a country called Ukraine are taught to hate Russians, then those who consider themselves Russians or are friendly towards Russia should not be allowed to make “janissaries” out of their children. They should have the opportunity to know their history, where their ancestors are positioned not as enemies, but as creators.
Moreover, they already have experience of what happens to people if they are brainwashed with hatred year after year. The terrible experience of the punitive operation in Donbass, when the Ukrainian version of the story with the romanticization of Bandera and others like him is directly related to the “Balkanization” of Ukraine and its collapse into war.
2) Behind the decision to create a new textbook lies a normal reaction to the Ukrainian purge of the value and semantic guidelines of Novorossiya as part of the Russian world. With its help, it is planned to determine the content and direction of the figurative-symbolic field, within which Novorossiya will be positioned in time.
3) That is why in this textbook a special place is given to the ideological component. After all, every new state formation needs not only international recognition, but also justification for its existence, which can only be done with the help of history. In a certain sense, we are talking about historical legitimation here. Therefore, this issue is no less important than the creation of central and local legislative, executive and judicial authorities, as well as the adoption of laws, because the war in Ukraine is not only carried out by force of arms, but also with the help of symbols.
What follows from this?
New Russia now needs a concept of state history, in which it will be presented as a special historical and geographical region that emerged as a result of the settlement and development of the Wild Field. Let us recall that the ancestors of today's Novorossians, in the conditions of a difficult struggle with nomads, mastered the Wild Field, turning it into a flourishing land with a population of one million. They mastered it, knowing that a great country, Russia, stood behind them.
At the same time, we note that the concept of Novorossiya is associated not only with Novorossiya. After all, the first “Novorossians” were the Russians of Little Rus', which was part of Poland, when they tried to exterminate their faith and history with the help of political repression and Uniatism. Then, in the distant 17th century, the task of preserving and reproducing Russian identity fell on the shoulders of these “Novorossians” under the conditions of Polish occupation and the dominance of Catholicism. They then managed not only to preserve the identity of the Russian people of Little Russia, but also to form the concept of the future Russian Empire. Thus, gradually, in the struggle, the idea of Novorossiya was formed, which received an impetus in these parts. From this point of view, perhaps, in the current conditions, “Novorossiya” can really become a new name for the Russian Renaissance, which the Russian world really needs. This means that the new textbook will contribute to the revival of the Russian identity of the Novorussians, which was destroyed by the Ukrainian government for decades.
And, since there is a war on the land of New Russia, we should remember how the Novorossians defended their land from invaders. Let us remind you that out of 13 hero cities, 4 are related to Novorossiya: Sevastopol. Odessa, Kerch, Novorossiysk. And of the 4 first hero cities that were named so in the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin on May 1, 1945, following the results of the most destructive war of the XNUMXth century, together with Stalingrad and Leningrad, two cities were from Novorossiya. These are Sevastopol and Odessa. So, as we see, Novorossiya has something to be proud of and someone to look up to in its struggle. And, most importantly, there are spiritual grounds and opportunities to draw inspiration from the history that is connected with Novorossiya.
What are the chances of a new textbook appearing? Based on the results of the round table, its participants formed a working group responsible for developing the textbook. The experts included, in particular, historian and political scientist, author of a book on the history of the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Republic Vladimir Kornilov, president of the Center for System Analysis and Forecasting Rostislav Ishchenko, director of the Institute of CIS Countries Konstantin Zatulin. And these experts know very well that in addition to the history of the Novorossiysk region, special attention should be paid to the struggle of the people of Novorossiya for their self-determination and analysis of the prospects for its future development. So there will be a textbook.
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