The semantic shift from “fascism” to “Nazism”: anecdote or synecdoche? A conceptual and historical analysis of Putin’s propaganda
Herrmann, Irène
The semantic shift from “fascism” to “Nazism”: anecdote or synecdoche? A conceptual and historical analysis of Putin’s propaganda - 2024.
64
On 24 February 2022, Vladimir Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine by invoking the need to “denazify” the country. In so doing, he used a term that Stalin himself discarded, since the elites of the Soviet Union – whose memory is so highly valued by the current President – always spoke of fighting fascism. This seemingly insignificant difference in language serves as the starting point for research in conceptual history tracing the rhetorical power and genesis of the notions brandished in this anti-Western crusade. This investigation provides a different perspective on the war aims invoked by Russia and highlights the importance of a factor not fully explored so far: the need to call upon the world as bear witness in order to find supporters – even in the West!
The semantic shift from “fascism” to “Nazism”: anecdote or synecdoche? A conceptual and historical analysis of Putin’s propaganda - 2024.
64
On 24 February 2022, Vladimir Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine by invoking the need to “denazify” the country. In so doing, he used a term that Stalin himself discarded, since the elites of the Soviet Union – whose memory is so highly valued by the current President – always spoke of fighting fascism. This seemingly insignificant difference in language serves as the starting point for research in conceptual history tracing the rhetorical power and genesis of the notions brandished in this anti-Western crusade. This investigation provides a different perspective on the war aims invoked by Russia and highlights the importance of a factor not fully explored so far: the need to call upon the world as bear witness in order to find supporters – even in the West!
Réseaux sociaux