Aleksandr Dugin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aleksandr Dugin
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Dugin in 2023
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| Born | 7 January 1962 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Russian philosophy |
| School | Neo-Eurasianism
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Main interests
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Geopolitics, political philosophy, conservative revolution, sociology |
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Notable ideas
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Aleksandr Gelyevich Dugin (Russian: Александр Гельевич Дугин; born 7 January 1962) is a Russian thinker focused on politics and philosophy. He is a main supporter of neo-Eurasianism in Russia. This idea suggests that Russia should lead a large "Eurasian empire" that includes many countries.
Dugin grew up in a family connected to military intelligence. In the 1980s, he was a dissident who disagreed with the communist government. He later joined a far-right nationalist group. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he helped start the National Bolshevik Party in 1993. This party combined nationalist and socialist ideas. He left the party in 1998.
In 1997, Dugin wrote his most famous book, Foundations of Geopolitics. In it, he argued that Russia should become powerful again. He suggested forming alliances and expanding its influence to challenge what he saw as a rival Western power led by the United States. In 2002, Dugin created the Eurasia Party. He continued to develop his ideas in books like The Fourth Political Theory (2009). His views are often described as far-right. He rejects both liberal democracy and Marxism. Instead, he supports a "conservative revolution" in Russia. He believes this revolution would go against ideas from the Age of Enlightenment. He has been inspired by writers like René Guénon, Julius Evola, Carl Schmitt, and Martin Heidegger.
Dugin was an early advisor to important Russian politicians. He worked at Moscow State University from 2009 to 2014. Since 2023, he has been a director at the Ivan Ilyin Higher School of Politics.
Dugin supports Russian president Vladimir Putin and his foreign policies. However, he has disagreed with the Russian government's economic policies. Dugin's actual influence on the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin is often debated. He has no official ties to the Kremlin.
Contents
Exploring Dugin's Early Life and Education
Aleksandr Dugin was born in Moscow on January 7, 1962. His father was a high-ranking officer in a Soviet military intelligence agency. His mother was a doctor. Dugin's father left the family when Aleksandr was three. However, he made sure they had a good life and sometimes helped Aleksandr with problems.
In 1979, Aleksandr started studying at the Moscow Aviation Institute. He left without finishing his degree. Some say this was due to poor grades or his activities as a dissident. After leaving, he worked as a street cleaner. He used a fake library card to read books at the Lenin Library. He studied many subjects on his own. Other reports say he worked in a KGB archive. There, he could access books on topics that were not usually allowed.
By studying on his own, Dugin learned several languages, including Italian, German, French, English, and Spanish. He was greatly influenced by the ideas of René Guénon and the Traditionalist School. At the Lenin Library, he found the writings of Julius Evola. Dugin translated Evola's book Pagan Imperialism into Russian.
Dugin's Career and Political Ideas
Early Political Activities
In the 1980s, Dugin was a journalist and a dissident who opposed communism. He became more involved in politics just before the fall of communism. In 1988, he joined a ultranationalist group called Pamyat. In the early 1990s, he worked closely with Gennady Zyuganov, who led the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Dugin likely helped shape the party's nationalist communist ideas. In 1993, he co-founded the National Bolshevik Party with Eduard Limonov. This party had a unique nationalist view of socialism. Dugin left the party in 1998 after disagreements with Limonov.
Publishing and Geopolitical Theories
Dugin published Foundations of Geopolitics in 1997. This book has been re-published many times. It is even used in some university courses on geopolitics, including at the Russian military's General Staff Academy. The book caused concern among political scientists in the United States. Some refer to it as "Russia's Manifest Destiny," meaning a belief in Russia's special role to expand its power.
Dugin also started his own journal called Elementy. This journal praised thinkers like Jean-François Thiriart, who supported a "Euro-Soviet empire." This empire would stretch from Dublin to Vladivostok and expand south to reach the Indian Ocean. Elementy often celebrated both the Tsarist and Stalinist Soviet Russia. It also showed Dugin's admiration for Julius Evola. Dugin also worked with the weekly journal Den.
Dugin's Core Ideology
Dugin was greatly influenced by the writer Jean Parvulesco. He dislikes liberalism and Western culture, especially the strong influence of the United States. He has stated, "We are on the side of Stalin and the Soviet Union." He describes himself as a conservative. He believes in a strong, stable state, order, healthy families, and positive values. He also wants to strengthen the role of religion and the Church in society. Dugin has said, "We want patriotic radio, TV, patriotic experts, patriotic clubs. We want the media that expresses national interests."
Political scientists like Marlène Laruelle describe Dugin's ideas as far-right. They draw from various historical and philosophical traditions. Dugin uses Martin Heidegger's idea of Dasein (Existence) in a geographical and philosophical way. He believes that liberal and capitalist Western civilization represents hubris, which is a kind of excessive pride. He sees this as opposing a more ideal, spiritual form of existence. Dugin argues that Western ideas like democracy, human rights, and individualism are not universal. Instead, he sees them as unique to the West.
In 2019, Dugin debated French thinker Bernard-Henri Lévy. They discussed topics like the "crisis of capitalism" and the rise of nationalist movements.
Eurasianism and Geopolitics
Dugin has proposed creating a "Euro-Asian empire." He believes this empire could challenge the Western world led by the United States. He was a key figure in the ultranationalist National Bolshevik Party from 1993 to 1998. Later, he led the National Bolshevik Front and the Eurasia Party. Dugin's Eurasian ideas aim to unite all Russian-speaking peoples into one country.
Religious and Spiritual Interests
Dugin was baptized into the Russian Orthodox Church when he was six. Since 1999, he has followed a branch of the Old Believers. This Russian religious movement rejected changes made to the official Russian Orthodox Church in the 1600s. Dugin's Eurasian philosophy is influenced by Traditional Integralism and other movements. He is interested in Neopaganism, which includes movements like Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery).
Dugin's Eurasianism is often seen as part of these movements. It also draws from Hermetic, Gnostic, and Eastern traditions. He believes in using "Eastern theology and mystical currents" to develop his "Fourth Political Theory."
According to Marlene Laruelle, Dugin's connection to the Old Believers allows him to explore both Pagan and Orthodox Christian ideas. He believes that Russian Orthodoxy, especially the Old Believers, kept a special, hidden spiritual character that was lost in Western Christianity. He thinks this Russian Orthodox tradition can combine with Neopaganism. This combination, he believes, can give it a nationalist strength rooted in Russian soil.
Political Parties and Movements
National Bolshevik Party
In 1992, Eduard Limonov founded the National Bolshevik Party. Aleksandr Dugin was one of its first members. He helped convince Limonov to enter politics and signed the party's founding declaration in 1993. The party gained attention for its activities, including a campaign to boycott Western goods.
The National Bolshevik Party joined forces with the National Salvation Front, a group of Russian communists and nationalists. In 1998, Dugin left the party after disagreements with other members. This led the party to move further left in Russian politics. Some members began to call Dugin and his group fascists.
Eurasia Party
The Eurasia Party was launched in April 2001 to promote neo-Eurasianist ideas. Dugin founded the group. He stated that the movement would focus on cultural diversity in Russian politics. It would also oppose "American style globalisation" and resist returning to communism or nationalism. The Russian Ministry of Justice officially recognized it on May 31, 2001. The Eurasia Party claims support from some military groups and leaders of the Orthodox Christian faith in Russia.
In 2005, Dugin founded the Eurasian Youth Union of Russia. This group serves as the youth branch of the International Eurasia Movement.
Ideas on "Fifth Column"
Dugin often uses the term "fifth column" to describe groups he believes are secretly working against Russia. He sees these groups as agents of foreign powers.
He believes the United States is behind many of these groups. He states that the US embassy is a center for funding and guiding these "fifth columns." According to Dugin, these groups helped break up the Soviet Union. He claims they gained power under Boris Yeltsin and led Russia as a liberal elite until the 2000s.
Dugin has suggested strong measures against those he sees as opposing Russia's interests. He also introduced the idea of a "sixth column." He defines this as a "fifth column" that pretends to be different. These are people who support Putin but want him to uphold liberal values. Dugin believes Russia needs to fight against both the "fifth and sixth columns."
He has also expressed unusual views on technology and science. He once suggested that the entire Internet should be banned, saying it "gives nobody anything good." In a 2012 lecture, he claimed that chemistry and physics are "demonic sciences." He called for all Orthodox Russians to unite around the president in a final battle between good and evil.
Losing a University Position
In 2008, Dugin created a Center for Conservative Studies at Moscow State University. This center focused on conservative ideas from thinkers like René Guénon, Julius Evola, Carl Schmitt, and Martin Heidegger. It also explored how these ideas could apply to Russian politics. In 2014, Dugin lost his academic position. This was due to controversy after an interview where he made strong statements.
Dugin claimed he was fired. The university stated that the offer for him to head the department was a technical error and was canceled. They said he would remain a professor and deputy department head until September 2014. Dugin resigned from his faculty position. Since his appointment as department head was canceled, he was no longer a staff member of the faculty or the university.
Role at Tsargrad TV
Dugin became the chief editor of Tsargrad TV soon after the station was founded in 2015. The businessman Konstantin Malofeev appointed him to this role.
Personal Life
Dugin's first wife was Evgenia Debryanskaya, a Russian activist. They have a son named Artur. Dugin had a daughter, Darya Dugina, with his second wife, Natalya Melentyeva. On August 20, 2022, Darya Dugina was killed in a car bombing near Moscow. It is not clear if she was the intended target. Her father was expected to travel with her but switched to another car at the last minute.
Filmography
- Dugin (2023)
- The Wolf in the Moonlight (2020)
- Dugin's House (2020)
- Chaos Theory (2019)
- Paradogma (2018)
See also
In Spanish: Aleksandr Duguin para niños
- All-Russian nation
- Anti-globalization movement
- Eurasianism
- Igor Panarin
- Intermediate Region
- Pan-Slavism
- Rashism
- Russian irredentism
- Russian world
- Russophilia
- Slavophilia
- Statism
- List of Russian philosophers
