The Evolution of the Concept of “Patriotism” in Historical Retrospect: Cultural and Philosophical Analysis

The article examines the features and stages of the formation of the concept of “patriotism” in the history of Russia. The study analyzes the initial period of the formation of a sense of belonging to the key value elements of the ancient Russian worldview; the stage of formation of the concept of “our state”, reflecting a change in attitude to it at the level of identity; the period of the appearance of the first patriots and “patriotism” in Russian history of the time of Peter I; reflection on the patriotic formula “Orthodoxy — Autocracy — Nationality” by S. S. Uvarova; the pre- and post-revolutionary period in the history of Russia; the Great Patriotic War and its impact on patriotic sentiments in society; the decline of the USSR and the period of ideological turbulence in Russia in the 1990s; as well as the modern stage, which marked the paramount importance of patriotism as a national idea. Having traced the history of the formation of the concept and value content of patriotism in Russia from the ancient Russian period to the present day, despite the change in the form of expression of this feeling, it has a single nature in its content. Just as children and grandchildren differ from their parents, but have a common blood relationship, so the various stages of the formation of patriotic feelings have a single basis. As a result of the cultural and philosophical analysis, the genetic link between identity and patriotism is emphasized. Love for the “father's house”, the father's land, the city, the shrine, the state, the country, the people, as well as a sense of responsibility for the preservation of these values and a willingness to sacrifice for them, constitute the ideological core of patriotism. Separately, the work notes the complexity of the artificial formation or upbringing of patriotic feeling, since the key factors of its occurrence are: a sense of care on the part of the structure uniting people of a particular historical period, joint events, connection with the history of this community, a sense of pride in “their own”, as well as the presence of a connection with a specific location, a sense of the boundaries of “one's own”, “our”.