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Пролегомены к «встречной идеологии». Размышления над книгой: А. В. Щипков. Незавершённый нацизм. Генезис, трансформации и родственные явления DOI: 10.53822/2712-9276-2025-1-102-121
This article offers reflections on A.V. Shchipkov’s
book Unfinished Nazism: Genesis, Transformations, and Related
Phenomena. In it, the author proposes a quite paradoxical thesis,
identifying liberalism as the ideological “root” of contemporary
Nazism. Previously, drawing connections between liberalism
and fascism was an intellectual move typically confined to leftist
academic circles. However, the author emphasizes that this
particular interpretation of the connection between fascism and
liberalism is both original and independent in its own right. As a
necessary condition for the discussion, he emphasizes the need
to recognize liberalism as an external ideological “protective belt”
that shields and legitimizes Nazi doctrines. A serious conceptual
framework for understanding modern Nazism, therefore, must
be immune to the liberal–neo-Nazi perspective and must exclude
any liberal constructs at its very foundation. This methodological
distancing enables the author to challenge the most widespread
clichés about Nazism. For instance, that it emerged in Europe
unpredictably and by accident, as an anomalous exception
within Western civilization. In his book, Shchipkov argues instead
that Nazism did not arise as a historical reaction to Marxism or
L. V. POLYAKOV120mmmORTHODOXIA. 2025. No 1
communism, but much earlier, as a racist, political-ideological
form inherent in the colonial model of capitalism. According to this
view, Nazism is not a historical aberration or a systemic failure of
society, but a natural product of Western modernity. The imperial
and expansionist pathos of fascism, in this light, can be traced back
to Europe’s colonial conquests that began in the late 15th century,
culminating in the famous notion of the “white man’s burden”.
Thus, racism, Nazism, and liberalism share a common value
system, one based on the division of the world and the hierarchical
classification of “human material”. One of the key points in the
book is that the historical kinship between fascism and liberalism —
i.e., the European complex of civilizational superiority — ultimately
has religious roots, which lie in Protestantism and the Reformation.
(This, however, does not imply that individuals with Protestant
beliefs and (or) worldviews are inherently inclined toward Nazism
or racism). Shchipkov’s attempt to “theoretically complete” the
concept of Nazism comes at a time when this sinister phenomenon
is not only re-emerging before our eyes but is also receiving
comprehensive support from the liberal West. The “battleground”
today includes the mental and ideological sphere, where a struggle
is underway for the minds and souls of our people. For this reason,
Shchipkov’s book also serves an applied purpose: it contributes to
the development of a counter-ideology.
Keywords: Nazism, fascism, liberalism, socialism, totalitarianism,
Protestantism, A. V. Shchipkov
For citation: Polyakov, L. V. (2025). Prolegomena to a “Counter-
Ideology”. Reflections on the Book: A. V. Shchipkov. Unfinished
Nazism. Genesis, Transformations and Related Phenomena.
Orthodoxia, (1), 102–121. [In Russian]. DOI: 10.53822/2712-9276-2025-
1-102-121