The Eternal Great Power Meets the Recurring Times of Troubles: Twin Political Myths in Contemporary Russian Politics

Political mythmaking and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi: Olympism and the Russian great power myth

“…Seemingly, the two myths contradict each other, but their relationship is far more intricate than what an initial impression would appear to convey. There is a dynamic interplay between the two myths, as the one explains the shortcomings of the other (Petersson 2013). The two myths are dialectically intertwined and account for the fact that neither eternal, uncontested glory, nor bottomless defeat seem to be Russia's lot in history.…”

“…When taking up his office, Putin immediately declared that "the state has to be strong, but it has become weak", and started to act accordingly. Concepts like "dictatorship of the law" and the need for "sovereign democracy" were launched, manifesting Putin's ambition to strengthen order within Russia, make Russia respected again and show that Russia was its own master (Petersson 2013). This programme was popular, it appealed to the masses and it earned him the reputation of bringing the smuta to an end, and the person who restored Russia's greatness.…”

“…The Russian great power myth In contemporary Russia, there is an intimate relationship between the belief that Russia is and will remain a great power with a definite say in global affairs, on the one hand, and Russian national identity, on the other (Prizel 1998;Lo 2002;Petersson 2013Petersson , 2014. Vladimir Putin expressed this link very clearly when he once said that either Russia will be great, or it will not be at all (Shevtsova 2003, 175).…”

Still Embodying the Myth?

“…Political myths are narratives that are believed to be true or acted on as if they were believed to be true by a substantial group of people (Petersson 2013). they promote collective cohesion, suggest action, and facilitate political actors' efforts to gain legitimacy for their agendas.…”

“…Political myths constitute much of the webs from which narratives of nationalism and other -isms, hot as well as banal, are woven (Billig 1995;Petersson 2009). they provide ideational structures for inclusion as well as exclusion and help determine who is in and who is out of a particular community.…”