Black Hundred: The Rise of the Extreme Right in Russia

by Walter Laqueur

Book Overview

Explores the roots and growing power of fascism and the extreme right in Russia - a movement that the author asserts presents grave danger to the post-Cold War order. Walter Laqueur believes that Russia will soon have a right-wing government. Laqueur is the author of The Age of Terrorism.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060183365
• ISBN13: 9780060183363
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Pioneering study of 1993

Walter Laqueur's seminal study "Black Hundred" has already been widely reviewed, discussed and quoted (e.g. Rowley 1994, Vujacic 1994). Notably, it has been translated into, among others, Russian language. The book is important for Russian right-wing extremism studies in that it, for the first time, combines a sharp focus on the subject with a firm historical grounding and consideration of an admirably wide range of disparate ideological phenomena ranging from mainstream Soviet patriotism to some of the most obscure post-Soviet fringe-groups. Laqueur's treatment of ultra-nationalistic tendencies in Russian emigre circles, the Orthodox Church and the Cossack movement are especially valuable. In addition, the author who is also a leading authority on generic fascism introduces some pertinent comparative observations on the Russian Right; he contrasts it to, among others, the Action Français and the early Nazis. In addition, the book is innovative in setting the rise of the Russian extreme Right from the late 19th century until today in the context of an increasing (if somewhat paradox) international diffusion of ultra-nationalist, vitalistic and elitist theories. Actually, an even more extensive treatment of the comparative and international aspects would have been welcome. As others have noted before, Laqueur's account of the late and post-Soviet groupings and personalities contains a number of wrong labels, names and dates. The section on Zhirinovskii confuses some of the personage around him (p. 255). In view of the freshness of the information at the time of the book's publishing, mistakes such as these are understandable. A serious imbalance, however, is that the author touches only upon in passing the rapidly growing ultra-nationalist tendencies in the Communist Party as exemplified by the rise of Gennadii Ziuganov. He also only insufficiently deals with the ancien regime's often crucial (if sometimes disguised) role in the appearance, promotion and protection of the explicitly ultra-nationalist politicians such as Zhirinovskii. Notwithstanding, what Laqueur has done with this book is to synthesize finally the broad variety of aspects and subtopics of, and thus to conceptualize, Russian right-wing extremism studies. His conclusion ``Russian Nationalism Today and Tomorrow'' (pp. 272-296) is one of the most thoughtful essays on post-Soviet Russian politics I have read so far.

Defending Mother Russia.

_Black Hundred: The Rise of the Extreme Right in Russia_ by Walter Laqueur is about the political and ideological scene in Russian nationalism during the aftermath of the Soviet collapse in the early nineties. _Black Hundred_ was published in 1993, making some of its material and assessments rather dated. However, it gives excellent descriptions of the leaders of the Russian right, where they got their theories and ideas from, and what possible impact they have had on the country. The biggest problem with _Black Hundred_ is its liberal, pro-capitalist, pro-western, anti-religious and (needless to state, of course) pro-Jewish bias. Laqueur's tone throughout is thus cynical, disdainful and condescending towards his subject of study, especially regarding the Russian Orthodox Church and nationalism in particular. Also, the presentation is rather disorganized with too much editorializing on Laqueur's part. _Black Hundred_ traces the history of the Russian right to the 19th century religious groups and theorists such as St. John of Kronstadt who defended the authority of the Tsar against the criticisms of Marxists, communists, socialists, anarchists, liberals, Jews, Masons and other subversive groups in Imperial Russia. It was also rooted in the Russian Orthodox revival in the 1800s, centered on famous monasteries such as Optina. Central to the thought of the Russian far-right is that Jews, Freemasons, liberals and Western capitalism and materialism form a cohesive agent of destruction against Holy Mother Russia, her people and her Faith. Formed in the early years of the 1900s and remaining active until 1917, the Black Hundred was a group willing to use violence to defend the Orthodox Church and the throne of the Tsar. Several pogroms and incidents against Jews are attributed to them. The _Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion_ first appeared having questionable origins in Russia. The _Protocols_ describe a Jewish plan for world domination under their "son of David" by using Masonry, media propaganda, liberal social theory, international finance, usury, and promoting an anti-Christian scientific-rationalist world view: the "Jewmasonry" conspiracy. Sergei Nilus published the _Protocols_ supposedly written in Hebrew, in Russian. The Tsar believed there was a conspiracy afoot to remove him from power, but disbelieved in the overall accuracy of the _Protocols_. After the Bolsheviks seized power, the Orthodox Church was turned into a puppet of the Soviet State and the Royal Family murdered. The right maintains the Jewish origins of the Russian Revolution, Jews disproportionately overrepresented in the communist circles. Joseph Stalin, however, has a slightly better reputation among the right as he developed "National Socialism" for the Soviet Union and purged the original Bolshevik revolutionaries in the 30s. Stalin also promoted Russian nationalism to the extreme, at the detriment of non-Russian peoples in the Soviet Union. Cosmopolitanism i

The Black Hundreds and Russian Restorationist Nationalism.

_The Rise of the Extreme Right in Russia_ gives an accounting of some of the far right wing and semi-fascist movements in modern Russia and traces their development from their historical origins before the advent of communism. Russia as a nation has been besieged by totalitarian governments, revolution, and communist tyranny for the last hundred years. However, with the breakup of the old Soviet Union, a void has been created, and this void may be filled by certain political movements of the extreme right. Tracing their origins back to the Russian Whites, the Black Hundreds, and the tsarist loyalists, modern day Russian right wing nationalists have sought to restore Russia as a nation by returning it to its historical (or mythical) past and tradition. Many of these groups hold to certain conspiratorial beliefs involving the Antichrist and the infamous _Protocols of the Elders of Zion_ as well as certain conspiracies involving Freemasonry and the Jews (referred to as "Zhidomasonstvo", i.e. "Jewmasonry"). In addition, many on the Russian right and far right consider the Orthodox Church to be a saving force for Russia adhering to a fundamentalism which rejects other Christian beliefs especially Catholicism. Authors such as Dostoevsky (who expressed nationalist beliefs at one time in his career) and Solzhenitsyn (who expressed nationalist beliefs and anti-communism but with more of a liberal bent) have played an important role in the development of the Russian right. Many on the Russian right embrace pastoralism and the peasantry as opposed to industrialization, the free market, and liberalism. Some on the far right fringe have in fact returned to paganism and rejected even Orthodox Christianity as being too tinged with Semitism. In fact, a certain famous text (believed to be a forgery) referred to as the _Book of Vlas_ which relates tales of Russia's mythical (Aryan) past plays an important part among some on the right wing fringe. Communism occupies a precarious position among those on the right and far right in Russia. Some have embraced a form of nationalist Bolshevism, adhering to standards imposed by Joseph Stalin. Others have argued for a return to monarchism or for a Cossack revival. Among certain members of the far right in Russia, a certain hatred of all outside and alien influences (particularly but not exclusively Judaic ones) is very prevalent. In addition, many on the right in Russia have an innate distrust of America and Americanism (some even going as far as supporting Iraq in the Gulf War). Some on the right have attempted to incorporate ideas from certain thinkers of the "New Right" in France, such as Alain de Benoist, or even the Italian intellectual Julius Evola (who wrote the famous text _Revolt Against the Modern World_). While Nazism is generally considered to be yet another conspiracy against the Russian people, some on the far right have embraced certain ideas of the Nazi intellectuals and have published the w