The Decline of Europe (Following Spengler’s Ideas)

Belykh Vladimir S., Doctor of Law, Professor, Honoured Worker of Science of the RF, Head of Euro-Asian Scientific and Research Centre for Comparative and International Entrepreneurial Law, Head of Entrepreneurial Law Department, Ural State Law University, Yekaterinburg, Russia

The article analyses the main concepts in the most famous work by an outstanding German philosopher Oswald Spengler. It is well-known that his philosophical and cultural research was devoted to “the morphology of the world history”, namely, to the peculiarities of various world cultures (or “spiritual epochs”). In Spengler’s view, there are two stages in the development of a civilization: culture (ascent) and civilization (descent). Every culture has its own childhood, youth, maturity and old age. Spengler differentiated among eight great cultures: Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Antique, Arabic and European. The ninth great culture still awakening was, in his view, the Russian-Siberian civilization. The article dwells on the main features of the decline of civilization in the contemporary Europe: immigration expansion, the decline of the traditional family, same-sex marriages, mass culture, militarization, and military interventions.

Key words: “Decline of Europe”, culture and civilization, tcriticism of Spengler, conceptual ideas of “The Decline of Europe”, decline of civilization, intellectual hunger, practical rationalism, replacement of spiritual reality by intellectual one, worship of money, lack of faith, militarism.

The philosophical and cultural research by Spengler was focused on ‘morphology of the world history’: uniqueness of world cultures (or ‘spiritual epochs’) regarded as original organic forms that can be understood through analogies. His  research was  published in the book entitled ‘The Decline of Europe’ (sometimes known under the title ‘The Decline of the West’). It was published in 1918, the year when Germany lost in the First World War. Spengler was writing his book at nights and put a note on his door saying ‘Out On Vacation’ not to be disturbed. And it was worthwhile! His book was a real breakthrough; it made Oswald Spengler famous worldwide.

First of all, I would like to analyse the assessments of ‘The Decline of Europe’ by domestic and foreign scholars. For example, Fyodor Avgustovich Stepun, a Russian philosopher, sociologist and historian, says that “Spengler’s book is not just a book: it is an original form different from the dead one often used by scientists of last decades. His book is a work of art if not by a great artist, then at least by a great actor… Spengler’s book is a piece of art; consequently, it is an organism, and, therefore, a live face. The expression of its face is the expression of sufferings”[1]. Similar ideas are expressed by another famous Russian philosopher and a religious thinker Semyon Lyudvigovich Frank: “Spengler’s book, literally speaking, has been undoubtedly the most brilliant and remarkable book of the European literature since Nietzsche’s times, though it is far from being the most profound and fruitful”[2].

In this connection, we cannot ignore considerations of Nikolai Aleksandrovich Berdyaev, a Russian religious and political philosopher, a representative of existentialism[3]. On the one hand, he says, “After Nietzsche, Weininger, Chamberlain and Spengler are the only authentically original and the most significant phenomena in the German spiritual culture”[4]. On the other hand, he mentions that “Spengler has a huge intuitive gift, but he is blind. As a blind man who does not differentiate light from darkness, he plunges into the ocean of cultural and historical reality”[5]. N.A. Berdyaev describes Spengler as a person of late and falling culture. “Spengler is a German patriot, a German nationalist and an imperialist”[6]. So the conclusion is that Spengler believes that during the period of civilization prior to the Decline of Europe, Germany can still acquire world power. This is an interesting conclusion, especially in   the current conditions of the development of European countries. The main aim of America is to establish a new Europe based on the union of France and Germany and subject to the US interests.

However, Germany occupies the leading position in this union in Europe. It seems that Germany is again trying to become a leader and expand its influence on the East. In the geopolitical sense, the  USA does not approve it.  V.A. Pechenev is right when he points out that, Germany is persistently and continuously expanding its economic influence on the countries of East Europe without making any loud claims[7]. Germany has already strengthened its positions in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. Now Germany not only looks at Russia and Ukraine but takes some actions. For example, the share of German loans and investments (in comparison with other nations) in the Russian economy is quite big[8].

Now let us consider the main conceptual ideas of  “The Decline of Europe”[9]. First of all, Spengler insists on non-linear vision of history. The subdivision of history into “ancient – medieval – modern’ is such a meaningless scheme that unconditionally dominated our historic mind and prevented us from understanding the real place,  rank, a gestalt, and, first of all, a short lifespan of a small part of the world…”[10].

Second, there are two stages of the civilization development: culture (ascent) and civilization (descent). Civilization is the unavoidable destiny of culture[11]. At the same time, Spengler believes that “civilizations are the most external and artificial states of which a species of developed humanity is capable. They are a conclusion, the thing-become succeeding the thing-becoming, death following life, rigidity following expansion…petrifying world-city following mother-earth and the spiritual childhood… They are an end…”, without the right of appeal. In a word, civilization is the end, mental degradation.

Third, every culture goes through different age stages of a person. “Every culture has its childhood, youth, adulthood and old age”[12]. If culture is the ascent while civilization is the descent, there is a logical question: how can we speak about the old age of culture? As Spengler says, only old civilizations remind of giant dry trees which spread their rotten branches throughout the virgin forest.

Fourth, Spengler distinguishes among eight great cultures: Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Antique, Arabic and European[13]. The ninth great culture still awakening was, in his view, the Russian-Siberian civilization[14]. His favourite Russian writer was Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Thus, Oswald Spengler consistently contrasts adjacent notions of ‘culture’ and ‘civilization’. It is well known, however, that the correlation of these notions (as well as their definition) is a subject of hot debates in culturology. For some scientists, civilization is a cultural and historical type; for others, it is a synonym to the notion of culture as a set of tangible and intangible achievements of a society in its historic development, and for some others, it is interrelation of mentality and economic structure, etc. But at present, it is the culture that is more often taken as the foundation for classification of civilizations. Based on this criterion, there are traditional and technogenous civilizations with their typical features[15].

And finally what does Spengler see as the main reason for the decline of Europe? What are the main features of the decline of civilization? Reading ‘The Decline of the West’, one cannot find easy  answers to these questions as it may seem at first. The main reason is the way the famous German philosopher presents his information. ‘The Decline of the West’ is not a common type of academic philosophical writing. It is not ‘a treatise’ but ‘an intellectual novel’ as it was labelled by Thomas Mann, a master of epic novels, who was greatly opposed to Spengler’s ideas[16]. Spengler has a poetical and philosophical metaphorical style based on the deliberately limited choice of words, most of which are used as multi-meaningful ‘first verbs’ - verbal mythologemas.

All in all, Spengler thought that the main features of civilization were “extremely cold deliberativeness”, intellectual hunger, practical rationalism, the replacement of spiritual existence by the mental one, the cult of money, and lack of religiousness. A contemporary city  resident is “a new wanderer, a parasite, a big city dweller, torn away from traditions and who is appearing in a shapeless fluctuating mass, a person of facts, lacking religion, a representative of the intellectuals, fruitless, filled with an antipathy to peasants…”[17].

Spengler was pessimistic about the future of Europe: it was going to face decline and degradation against the background of the joy of young peoples and foreign conquerors. And not only that. Wars to acquire world leadership, tyranny in the sphere of politics and power, self-destruction of democracy through money, oversaturation with machines (a man as a slave of machines) are some of the philosopher’s ideas.

Unfortunately, today Spengler’s predictions come true and show themselves in various forms and directions. Since nowadays Europe sees the predominance of left and liberal values, it has officially adopted the ideology of tolerance, multi-racial and multi-cultural approaches . As a result, Europe has been “flooded by a wave” of immigrants from Asia, Africa and Latin America. So, the population of Germany is about 82 million people, most of whom are immigrants: about 6% of the population has moved to Germany during the last decade. The prevailing ethnic immigrant communities are from Turkey (2 million people), the Balkan countries (1.2 million people) and Italy (600-650 thousand people). However, the record is beaten by the Russians. Nowadays, about 2.5 million Russian-speaking people live in Germany. Among them are ethnic Germans who immigrated from the former USSR, as well as former citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Belorussia, part of whom has taken advantage of the right to immigration by being Jewish[18].

France is one of the largest European states. The population of France is 65 447 374 people (the population of the European part of the country is 62 793 432 people), with 90% of them being the French. For comparison: by 1976, France had about 4 million immigrants (7% of the population), and among them 22% were from Portugal, 21% from Algeria, 15% from Spain, 13% from Italy, 8% from Morocco, 4% from Tunisia, 2.5% from Africa and 1.5% from Turkey[19]. By estimates of the French National Institute of Statistics , 4.9 million immigrants have lived in France since 2006 (about 8% of the population). Most part of the immigrant population has European roots (mostly from Italy, Spain and Portugal as well as Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and former Yugoslavia). With time, most immigrants were  African and Arab immigrants. To a big extent, it was accounted for by a war in Algeria when a huge number of the French and Northern Africans began moving to France.

Now let us have a look at the population of Great Britain. The 2011 census showed that the population amounted to 63 181 775 people, including 53 012 456 people in England, 5 295 000 in Scotland, 3 063 456 in Wales, and 1 810 863 people in Northern Ireland. The structure of the population is multiethnic and multicultural, and involves irregular settlement of immigrants and native people. Detailed reports may be found on the official statistics site[20].

For the first time, Great Britain included the question of ethnic identity in the 1991 census. The findings are quite interesting: 76.8% (5.3 mln people) of the population of Big London were ‘white’, 5% (347 000 people) were mulatto and immigrants from the Caribbean region, 2.4% (164 000 people) were from African countries, 1.3% (88 000 people) were from Pakistan, 1.2% (86 000 people) were Bengalese, and 0.8% (57 thousand 000) were Chinese[21]. By the 2011 census, 45% of Londoners considered themselves ‘white British’, while another 15% considered themselves ‘other white’ people, among whom there were immigrants from the Republic of Ireland. For consideration: though most foreigners usually move to the suburbs of London, the British seem to have been displaced from some most prestigious districts of the city. Russian tycoons and Arab sheikhs have made property prices so high that many native British cannot afford to live in the centre of the city anymore. More than a half of the population of such districts as Chelsea, Kensington and Westminster are foreigners. We may say that ethnic revolution has already taken place in the capital of Great Britain: how to live in London is determined by foreigners[22]. Consequently, the image of London, its customs and traditions have dramatically changed. For example, it is quite customary to see an Arab sheikh with his numerous escort and harem in the well-known Hyde Park. What is the conclusion? Tolerance in practice.

London is a contemporary Babylon. Therefore, you can live in London for a long time but still not know what it means to live there.

However, such ethnic changes in the Western countries are not so dangerous and even seem harmless in comparison with other factors and circumstances. First of all, alongside with the immigration expansion, there is a collision of different cultures and religions. How is it manifested?

The abovementioned collision and opposition are reflected in various forms. The simplest form,  to put it mildly, is impolite (indecent) behavior of immigrants in public places. Everyone who comes to visit Europe and Great Britain immediately feels that: take the London tube, take a walk around Geneva or Paris, watch a movie and you will see how much litter is left after that.

In multiethnic countries, there is a growing tension between different ethnic groups as well as an increased crime rate. Europe has seen numerous mass disturbances: from October 28 to November 15, 2005 in France; in 2011 in Italy and Great Britain. So, in France, such disturbances were caused by the death of two teenagers of the Northern African origin who tried to flee from the police. November 6 was the peak of such disturbances: just during one night 1408 cars were burnt down, 300 people were arrested, and 36 policemen were wounded. The police closed down a factory in the suburbs of Paris which produced explosive cocktail bottles (Molotov cocktails). Unrest in France led to sporadic disturbances in other European cities. Similar outbursts of rage were in Belgium, Germany and Denmark[23].

The increased crime rate in European countries is closely connected with the problem of immigration there. Speaking about Norway, many European countries may envy it because of a low crime rate: 0.71 murders per 100 thousand people. Besides, the level of juvenile delinquency, theft and vandalism is also quite low[24]. At the same time, the Norwegian authorities initiated a campaign against Islamophobia which was caused by the indignation of the locals because of the increased number of rapes of Norwegian women by Muslim male immigrants. “Oslo was shocked by a huge number of rapes of Norwegian women. The rate of such crimes was steadily increasing over time; however, it has reached its peak over recent months. The number of rapes in the Norwegian capital now is six times higher than in New York which has traditionally been considered a record-breaker in this respect…”[25] 80% of those raped are native Norwegian women who often do not differentiate the faces of immigrants, for they look alike to them … Therefore, victims to such a crime are often unable to identify the rapist, and arrests of immigrants are often interpreted as racism.

From the viewpoint of crime rate, such countries as Great Britain, Germany and France are unlikely to compete with Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan and other countries which are among the 10 top safest countries of the world.

Nowadays, we hear about the collapse of the multicultural and multireligious idea in the developed countries of Europe more and more often. So the proponents of unlimited immigration speak about possible integration of all immigrants into the socium, i.e. the possibility of their reeducation as if they were natives. However, under the pretext of doing something good for the immigrants, there is a huge waste of money, which has been  publicly confirmed by the leaders of some European countries. Thus, speaking on October 10, 2010 in Potsdam, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel said that the idea of building a multicultural tolerant society appeared to be an utopia. She underlined that those who immigrated to Germany had to learn the language and absorb its traditions. Angela Merkel confessed that at "the beginning of the 60s our country called the foreign workers to come to Germany and now they live in our country…We kidded ourselves a while, we said: 'They won't stay, sometime they will be gone', but this isn't reality… And of course, the approach [to build] a multicultural [society] and to live side-by-side and to enjoy each other... has failed, utterly failed"[26]. At the same time the Chancellor underlined the necessity to invite to Germany highly qualified specialists who are able to compete on the labour market. In her opinion, every year about 200 000 Germans retire, causing a shortage of labour in the country. So the conclusion is that Germany should change its immigration policy. She specifically referred to recent comments by German President Christian Wulff who said that Islam was "part of Germany", like Christianity and Judaism[27].

Speaking at a conference  on European security, British Prime Minister David Cameron supported Angela Merkel’s words calling on all the British and other Europeans to “wake up and realize what is happening in our countries”. He said that the previous government  had made a mistake by  providing immediate unlimited access to the British labour market for Poland, Hungary and some Baltic countries. “People just did not predict that 1.5 million people would move away from one part of Europe when they joined the EU”[28]. Cameron was severely criticized for his words.

David Cameron believes that it is necessary for his country and Europe on the whole to turn a new leaf and abandon the policy that failed. Instead of “passive tolerance” still practiced by the Europeans, it is necessary to turn to what the British Prime Minister called “active, muscular liberalism”.

Angela Merkel and David Cameron seem to be balancing on the verge of nationalism in the matters of immigration policy. However, it is hardly possible to claim that the German electorate can potentially support the neofascist revanche The possibility that the National Socialist party of Germany can win the elections is virtually nil, which is,  first of all, explained by the bitter experience of Germany. Second, Germany has no leader like Jorg Haider, the famous Austrian politician, or like a famous Dutchman – Geert Wilders, Leader of the Party for Freedom[29].

The decline of Europe is directly connected with the collapse of the traditional family model. The research recently conducted in the European countries shows two evident trends: increased common-law marriages without official registration and an increased number of divorces. One out of two marriages in England, Germany and France ends in a divorce. The record-breaker in this respect is Belgium: two out of three families fall apart. Catholic Spain and Hungary follow Belgium. On the other side, there are Italy, Greece, Romania and Poland[30]. For comparison: Russia had 153 406 divorces against 185 969 marriages in 2010, i.e. the percent of divorces in Russia was 80%.

The key point is  the decline of the traditional family rather than the increased number of divorces. It is accounted for by the fact that many European countries have legalized same-sex marriages. The Netherlands was the first country in this respect. The law legalizing the same-sex marriages and adoption of children by such families has been effective since 2001. Similar laws have been adopted by Belgium, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Denmark, France, Great Britain and some other countries[31]. For example, the British House of Commons voted for legalizing the same-sex marriages on February 5, 2013, and then it was approved by the House of Lords. Finally, on July 16, 2013, it received the royal assent and came into force.

In this, connection we would like to focus on a few points. First of all,  same-sex marriages are allowed only in those countries where Christianity is the major  religion. In Muslim countries, such marriages are not acceptable. Moreover, some Islam states (for example, Iran) impose death penalty for homosexual and lesbian contacts.

However, there are some Muslim figures who think that homophobia spoils the image of Islam in the world[32]. However, Islam regards marriage as a natural bond between men and women. Muhamed Salyakhetdinov, a famous Muslim figure and Head of the Association of Public Unions “Sobraniye”, said:

“Any retreat from divine laws leads to degradation: same-sex marriages and the decline of the institute of the family, lead to severe crises in economy and other aggravating circumstances”[33].

This is the rule: we have to live not only by legal rules but to follow those given by  God.

An example of cynicism and vulgarism, in my view, is the contemporary pop-culture (mass pop-culture) which is a set of neo-avant guarde views on art which ignore the experience of previous generations, strive for new forms in art and a new life style, and protest against the moral standards of the contemporary society[34]. Mass culture is expressed in a variety of ways: it floods us from TV and movie screens, popular concerts and contemporary art literature. Moreover, it penetrates contemporary theatrical performances and, to put it mildly, modernizes classical works, “leaving no one spared” and trying to embrace all the events and needs of the majority of the population. Mass culture is opposed to “elite culture” the representatives of which are the so-called “creative elite” who naturally make up the minority of the population. The term “mass culture” appeared in the 1940s in the works by M.Horkheimer and J.MacDonald criticizing television. The term has become widely accepted also because of the works by the representatives of the Frankfurt school of ‘sociology[35].

It should be noted that there are different views on mass culture in the contemporary philosophy and culturology. For example, Karl Theodor Jaspers, a German philosopher and psychologist, one of the main representatives of existentialism, said that mass culture is “the collapse of the very essence of art”[36]. On the contrary, Jean Baudrillard, a French sociologist and a post-modernism philosopher, considered all the spheres of contemporary art to be “included in the trans-esthetic sphere of simulation”. However, these conceptions have been reconsidered in the epoch of post-modernism, the main peculiarity being the elimination of the difference between “high” and “mass” cultures[37].

But there is “the highest form of modern”. “Nowadays, it is not necessary to have a special talent to be a successful scholar: you just have  to acquire the techniques of scholarly research, methods to conduct it, describe experiments and make conclusions, and you are able to make some discoveries, write books and defend a thesis”[38]. Therefore, now we have numerous “mass” writers, poets, scientists, etc.

In our view, the best example of the cultural decline of Europe is the victory of Conchita Wurst at the 2014 Eurovision. The image of “a bearded woman” was created by the Austrian singer Thomas Neuwirth in 2011. In such a way, the singer wanted to make the public think about distinction, xenophobia and tolerance. The reaction to the victory of Conchita Wurst was not unanimous. She (he) has many admirers. It can be proved by the fact that Conchita Wurst was congratulated on her (his) victory by the Austrian President Heinz Fischer, Federal Chancellor Werner Faymann, and Minister of Culture Josef Ostermayer who said that the victory of Conchita Wurst was the victory of diversity and tolerance[39].

For the sake of justice, it should be said, however, that not all Austrian statesmen share this point of view. Ewald Stadler, a member of the European Parliament from Austria, said that he felt ashamed of Austria and such a victory[40]. Not much, but at least this gives hope that not everyone shares this shame.

In a word, the world is going crazy.  Women have beards while men become womanlike and as beautiful as Alexander Blok’s mysterious woman (Neznakomka).

Let the West profess such things as violence, stupidity and vicious practices in pursuit of total tolerance and multiculturalism. But we do not like such an approach. Russia needs its own national project - the project of its national and spiritual revival. Russia has a historic (civilized) mission to unite the East and the West. It is the geographical position of our country that has predetermined its way of historic development. Situated between western and eastern worlds, our country plays a linking role. Two worlds – the West and the East – are like two lithospheres at the joint of which a unique world – the Eurasian civilization – was created. Successfully combining both cultures, Russia is a natural bridge between the traditions of the West and the East[41]. This combination works not only within Russia but beyond its borders as well.

The United States of America considers that the only place for Russia on the geopolitical map is the new Europe: the transatlantic Europe based on the union of Germany and France with the expanding EU and NATO (read between the lines: under the auspices of the USA). As for the contemporary Russia, the former national security advisor Zbigniew  ,Brzezinski who consulted the US president during the Cold War, called Russia “a black hole” (before that, the USSR was depicted as “the empire of evil”)[42]. Dear former advisor, you should read Fyodor Tyutchev’s poem about Russia:

You will not grasp her with your mind

Or cover with a common label

For Russia is one of a kind –

Believe in her, if you are able…

What about Oswald Spengler? In his view, “Russia is Madame Asia. Russia is Asia itself.” So, Russia has no Europe but only Asia? This idea  is not  very clear, following the speculations of the German philosopher.

And, finally, let us consider Spengler’s predictions concerning wars for dominance in the world. He witnessed  World War I, one of the large-scale armed conflicts in the history of the humanity. It is well known that the total casualties among all participants of the world war amounted to 10 million people. World War I led to the February and October revolutions in Russia, the November revolution in Germany, and the elimination of four empires: the Russian, the German, the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with the latter two being divided. Germany, which had ceased to exist as a monarchy, became territorially smaller and economically weaker. The unbearable conditions of the Versailles treaty (the payment of reparations, etc.) and the humiliation suffered by the nation provoked revanchism moods that became one of the reasons why the Nazis came to power and later were able to wage World War II[43]. There were military, economic, geopolitical, even ecological and other consequences. But the heaviest burden was borne by Russia. Even Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill had to admit that “no other country had such a severe destiny like Russia. Its ship was sinking when a harbor was already in view. It had already survived the storm when everything collapsed: all the victims sacrificed, and the work done”[44].

Vladimir Putin called Russia’s losing in WW I unique. Speaking before the RF Council of Federation, Putin said that “our country lost the war to the losing side. It is a unique situation in the history of the humanity. We lost to losing Germany, in fact, surrendering to it but later Germany capitulated before the Entente”. It is a result of treason committed by the Bolshevist government that concluded a separate peace with Germany[45]. This year saw the 100^th anniversary of the beginning of the World War I.

World War II (September 1, 1939- September 2, 1945) was the war of two political and military coalitions and became the largest war in the history of the humanity. 61 countries out of 73 then existing states (about 80% of the population) took part in this war. Military actions were conducted on the territory of three continents and in the waters of four oceans. It is the only military conflict when the Americans used nuclear weapons.

As a result of the war, the role of Western Europe in the world politics was significantly diminished. The USSR and the USA became the main powers in the world. The position of Great Britain and France, though they also won, was rather weak. Europe appeared to be divided into two camps: the western capitalist camp and the eastern socialist one. The relations between the two blocks sharply worsened. A few years later after the end of the war, the world witnessed the Cold War. In this connection, we cannot avoid  mentioning the Iron Curtain Speech made by Winston Churchill on March 5, 1946 at Westminster College in Fulton, the US state of Missouri. The USSR considered this speech as a signal to the beginning of the Cold War.

 The casualties of the USSR were enormous – 6.3 mln soldiers were killed on the battlefields and died of wounds, 555 000 people died of different diseases, in accidents, sentenced to death by shooting and 4.5 mln people held in captivity or missing. The total demographic losses (including civilians killed on the occupied territory of the USSR) amounted to 26.6 million people[46]. We remember the lines from Yevgeniy Yevtushenko’s poem “To the Memory of Yesenin”:

In the unfair war we lost twenty millions

and millions in the war with people we’ve lost.

Can we forget about it deleting memory about?

Only the Russians saved the others more often,

more often do we destroy ourselves.

For comparison: Germany lost 4.270 mln soldiers – they died on the battlefields, of wounds, missing (including 442.1 000  people who died in captivity). At the same time, such losses do not take into account losses among those who volunteered to take part in military units. At least, there is no definite data in the German statistics.

In the contemporary world, the military expansion of the USA and the West is still going on. The scenario of overthrowing the legitimate governments of Iraq, Libya and Egypt followed  the same pattern: 1) it was planned by the USA and the West under the pretext of the fight against the totalitarian regime with the purpose of democratizing the society; 2) their measures include peaceful demonstrations and protests at the first stage of the fight, and military actions with the joint participation of the NATO troops and forces of the opposition coalition at the second. For example, the 2012 presidential elections in Egypt were won by Mohammed Morsi, a candidate from the Muslim brotherhood, who was Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (which was formed by the Muslim brotherhood on April 30, 2011 after the revolution in Egypt)[47]. The worst enemies of the USA and the West - the Muslim brotherhood – appeared useful at a certain stage of “the fight for democracy”. The same scenario was in Libya where the so-called “insurgents” or, to be more precise, volunteers or veterans who had participated in different jihads became the allies of the USA and the West. Recently they have turned against the USA and their European allies, and they are considered to have the largest military experience among the opponents of the Gaddafi regime[48]. Thus, the enemies of the USA and the West turned into the enemies of Gaddafi for money. Everything got mixed like in the Borodino battle.

Now let us shortly speak about the events in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government suspended the process of signing the agreement of association between Ukraine and the European Union. In response to that, the population in other cities and towns throughout Ukraine supported the mass and many-month protest in Kiev which began on November 21, 2013. Further, the events developed fast: after the Vilnius summit “The Eastern Partnership” (November 28-29), attempts to demolish the tent camp and the adoption of certain laws (on January 15, 2014) by the Verkhovnaya Rada which provided for more severe sanctions in the case of mass disorders, such protests against the government and the president became more radical. As a result, in Ukraine a coup d'etat took place in February 2014, and the former opposition came to power. On February 22, 2014, the Verkhovnaya Rada issued a decree which stated that V.F.Yanukovich “unconstitutionally refrained from performing his authorities granted by the constitution” and as such failed to perform his obligations and, therefore, the Rada established a date of pre-term elections – May 25, 2014[49]. In their turn, the radical political decisions of the new Ukrainian government led to the mass protests in the southern and eastern parts of the country as well as to the Crimean crisis[50]. The further, the worse. The southeast of Ukraine has become “an experimental site” of civil war between volunteer military forces and Ukrainian militias with numerous casualties among civilians and warring parties. The military operation which began in mid-April did not give quick results.

The analysis of the events in Ukraine shows that the USA and their European allies in the NATO have again used those techniques which they applied in overthrowing the legitimate government in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Egypt. And not only in those countries. A similar (Yugoslavian) scenario was applied in the Balkans[51].

In the conditions of military, economic and informational confrontation in regard to the events in Ukraine, the USA and Western countries have taken quite a tough stance towards Russia. It is evident that the West is interested in Ukraine because, first and foremost, it is Anti-Russia, some sort of an alternative project that prevents Russia from gaining its former power[52]. The USA and the Western countries  see Ukraine. with its population of 45 million people. also as an attractive market. Therefore, Washington and Brussels are not willing to give Russia and the Customs Union “such a big piece of the pie”. This is the price for the integration to Europe! But the current pseudopatriots of Ukraine seem to understand nothing. They think that under the wing of Europe they will start living better and happier. It is a pity that the many-century history of Russia and Ukraine, the two fraternal peoples, is manipulated by criminals and vandals. By the way, the Investigation Committee of Russia has initiated criminal proceedings against some Ukrainian militias on the basis of the facts which prove that some forbidden substances and forbidden methods of war have been applied on the territory of certain Ukrainian cities as well as in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. In particular, criminal proceedings were initiated against Governor of the Dnipropetrovsk oblast Ihor Kolomoyskyi and the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov. Besides, the RF Investigation Committee initiated criminal proceedings against some unidentified soldiers of the Ukrainian military forces as well as against some representatives of the National Guards of Ukraine and the Right Sector because of shelling of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Donetsk, Mariupol and other settlements in Ukraine pursuant to P.1 Art.356 of the RF Criminal Code (the application of forbidden means and methods of conducting war)[53].

Thus, here are some conclusions: 1. The decline of contemporary Europe should be considered, first of all, from the point of view of culture and human values. Figuratively speaking, Western Europe today is the Roman Empire in the times of its collapse, particularly during the reign  of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the Emperor, more well-known under his agnomen Caligula. Caligula is a symbol of unlimited viciousness and domination of the power.

2. At the same time, “the degradation of the western culture” is ultimately the end of one of its trends though it encompasses several centuries. This is the end of “the new history”. But this end is the beginning, like the death is at the same time the birth[54]. Reasonably, there is a question: the birth of what? Of a new trend, of a new culture. It looks like people’s culture is the new trend, which  is logical: the old trend dies away (hence rebirth) giving its way to the new. That was the reason why Sergei Frank criticized the views of Oswald Spengler saying that “…the book by Spengler by its very existence and unusual success works against his success”[55].

3. Under the conditions of the planetary globalization, the USA and the Western countries directly interfere, including in the military way (often without any sanctions of the UN), with the internal affairs of those sovereign states which, for some reasons, do not fit in the Procrustean bed of western values and democracy. Therefore, it seems to the USA and the military and political block of the NATO that they should put everything into  “right places” and “correct some defects” in the government  and public systems. As we know, they have already “put things in  order” in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya (and now in Syria). However, they should not make the rest of the world conform to their western democracy principles. Western democracy is not an ideal to follow. Answering the question of a Spiegel journalist, Alexander Solzhenitsyn said:“So, the perception of the West as a Knight of Democracy has been replaced by  disappointment that the western policy is primarily based on pragmatism which is often very mercenary and cynical. Many people in Russia perceive it as destruction of ideals”[56]. And not only people in Russia. Unfortunately, it has not been understood by a significant part of the Ukrainian population as well as by the Ukrainian political elite. In a word, suum cuique!

In the conditions of globalization and military confrontation, Russia has to build up its military potential. Russia needs a complex of measures to be undertaken, including the delivery of new and more technologically advanced equipment, the development of the military on the contract basis, increased military financing, the creation of military bases close to the USA and the Western countries. Russia does not need their love. If they fear us, they will consequently respect us.

“Russia has only two allies: the army and the fleet”, said Emperor Alexander III, the Peacemaker. This statement is true even nowadays.

4. The geopolitical interests of Russia are determined by its geographical position, its territory, its population, the economic development, its participation in the world and European political and economic processes. And, certainly, geopolitics is objectively not dependent on who is the head of state.

The geographical position of our country has predetermined the way of its historic development. As it was said above, being situated between the West and the East, Russia plays a linking role. Therefore, at present and in the future, Russia has to fulfill a historic (civilized) mission to unite the East and the West.

Taking into account natural contradictions of the West and the USA, Russia has to play its role and unite collective efforts of Western countries against the USA. The increased American influence is dangerous not only for Russia, but for the Western countries as well. Political adversaries cannot be friends, since they pursue their own interests.

5. After the exchange of the recent economic sanctions, Russia has preferred to deal with those countries which have resisted the pressure from the USA and the West. It is very important that such a choice has to be made not on a short-term, but on a long-term basis. In this case, we cannot speak about concessions or backoffs: the West will not understand that, or even if it does, it will perceive such a step on our part as a weakness. Moreover, the political leaders of Russia have to intensify business relations with China, Brazil and other countries, the BRICS members. They are our strategic partners. And equally, they are the members of the Customs Union.

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