Why do we support or criticize the actions of the authorities? What makes us (not) trust those who are at the helm of the country? Psychologist Leonid Gozman is sure that our likes and dislikes in this area are not at all as rational as it seems at first glance.
When it comes to how people fight for power and why they do it, there are many more questions than answers. Political psychology in general is the science of passions. I have never seen such passions as in the struggle for power. She comes from Thomas Hobbes1. He was the first to deduce political structures from the psychological characteristics of people. He said that people — if left unattended — begin to wage a war of each against all. And so that they do not shoot each other, do not gnaw each other’s throats, people agree among themselves. They agree that there will be a special person who will be armed and will make sure that others — unarmed — do not kill each other.
But power cannot be built on fear alone. As the French politician Talleyrand said, bayonets are good for everyone, except for one thing — you can’t sit on them. Power is built on consent. You must agree that whoever rules has the right to rule. You must consider this order righteous and just. You may consider it to be in accordance with God’s ordinances, national traditions, or other rules. Then the power will be stable.
And you have to love this power. Oddly enough, power is always based on love. And the more the government is incompetent and inefficient — and there is no absolutely effective government — the more they love it. Nekrasov wrote: “People of the servile rank are real dogs, sometimes: the harder the punishment, the dearer the Lord is to them.” Why did the North Koreans love Kim Il Sung, the man who turned the country into a concentration camp and put people on starvation rations? People wept at his funeral. Why? Because they were afraid. It is the repressed fear that leads to love.
- Leonid Gozman: “A psychologist in politics is interested in feelings”
What determines changes in society? Alexandre Dumas said that if d’Artagnan had not had time with the pendants, then there would have been a war between England and France. But Marx explained everything differently: economics, productive forces and production relations. And from this point of view, it does not matter whether d’Artagnan would have managed to do it. The war would have happened regardless of this, if there were reasons for it. And there is a conspiracy theory: the Jewish Masons are to blame for everything, who for many years have been trying to seize power over humanity. I think that changes in society are determined by human desires, human illusions. By what we believe.
What message does the government send to the people? It is extremely specific. And sometimes great, messianic. The French king Charles IV introduced a slogan that became known to the entire French people: to make sure that every French peasant had chicken in his soup on Sundays. And already at the end of his power, when he traveled around the country, he went into peasant houses and checked whether there was a chicken. And she was.
“Power is always based on love. And the more incompetent and inefficient the government is, the more they love it.”
And there is another message — messianic. The remarkable poet Pavel Kogan wrote the following lines: “But we will still reach the Ganges and we will still die in battles so that my Motherland shines from Japan to England.” As you can see, there is no chicken in the pot here. Or, as with Mikhail Svetlov: “I left the hut, went to fight in order to give the land in Grenada to the peasants.” Pay attention — not to yourself, but to the peasants.
“Chicken in a pot” is very risky for the authorities. Because it may not be. People will say, «Wait, you promised…» When you don’t live up to expectations, you need to be replaced. On the other hand, “land in Grenada” is, of course, great, but people get tired of it. This exaltation is transformed into aggression and nationalism. “Ungrateful savages do not understand their good. They are rising. And for their own good, they must be subdued.» And then it turns out that any empire in the name of serving a great idea uses fear and terrible methods.
The more democratic the country, the bigger the chicken in the pot. Because people are constantly checking. “Why did you become president? What will happen to my taxes, my health insurance? When do people agree with authority? When they believe in it. People believe in power for several reasons. The first reason: «It’s always been that way.» The British Monarchy has come up with a wild number of rituals to show that it has never changed. So that no one would even think of changing something. Another reason is God. «Power from God». The third reason is the Law. Why has no one ever stormed the White House in America? Because for Americans, only the one who was elected according to the Constitution can be president. And finally, there is charisma. Why did Fidel Castro rule Cuba for almost fifty years? Because he is Fidel. Something came out of this man. Those who listened to him were ready to follow him at once. Why do they follow some and not follow others? Thousands of studies have been done, but we still don’t know.
- Question to the expert: «Is it possible to save a family with political differences?»
Why do we stop believing in the system that exists? And the power that is? Kings in Europe in the Middle Ages cured various diseases with their touches. And some of the patients were actually cured. Because the king was believed. A king is only a king as long as people believe in him. He is only as long as he is recognized as king. When in 1905 the emperor had the sense to shoot at people who came with icons, with banners — to ask for reforms, then the priest Georgy Gapon said: we no longer have a king. Because the king cannot shoot at people. The king lost his right to rule.
All great empires perish. What happens when an empire collapses? The simplest and most natural way out is to bring Hitler to power. This is what happened in Germany. Whether this is inevitable is a very important question for us. Our empire has just collapsed. When people believe in an empire, in a great mission, joy is quickly replaced by anger. There is a feeling that we are surrounded by enemies, everyone hates us. So Hitler comes naturally. There have been more successful examples. The British, after the liquidation of the empire, said to themselves: “We have fulfilled our mission. So we can leave.» This is how the British Commonwealth was created, a new successful identity was created. And there was no Hitler. Whether he will appear with us — this question has not yet been answered.
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1 Thomas Hobbes — English materialist philosopher, author of the famous «Principles of Philosophy» (1642-1655).