CONCEPTS OF PATRIOTISM FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

This paper discusses ideology of patriotism and its different interpretations, from Ancient Greece to nowadays. The author reviews the most influential works on patriotism and focuses on some specific issues such as: whether or not a patriot should always support the national government; what degree of criticism is justifiable for a patriot in time of crises; what tools of defending Fatherland’s interests are moral; how to escape exclusiveness of patriotism. The most influential contemporary concepts of patriotism, such as “Robust”, “Moderate”, “Constitutional”, “Civic”, “Associated Duties”, “Critical”, and “State” are reviewed and discussed. The author is especially interested in the concept of patriotism, implemented in today’s Russia.The analysis reveals that the thinkers of the 19th – early 20th centuries did not necessarily regard patriotism as a virtue. Some of them, like Leo Tolstoy, considered it immoral and harmful. Many scholars criticized simplified understanding of patriotism, and promoted a “good citizenship” as its key component. The author argues that all concepts of patriotism represent two types of the ideology – moderate and extreme. Moderate type has a strong critical component. In this case, patriot addresses negative trends in his or her country’s development. The extreme type is featured by unconditional devotion to the Fatherland and its authorities, and a “blind” advocacy of the state’s interests without their critical analysis. This type of the ideology is found in contemporary Russia. There is no salient academic discourse on patriotism in Ukraine. However, it is required to clearly understand which concept our patriotic education is based on.