Russian Experience of Patriotic Education: Generalization Tendencies of the Consensus around Militarism

In this article, the authors attempt to analyze the facts that indicate a tendency to militarize the patriotic education of Russian young people. Luhmann's institutionalization concept was chosen as a theoretical model and methodological basis for the study. Based on empirical data collected at the XIV-th City Interdepartmental Competition of the Patriotic Song "I Love You, Russia!" concerns were expressed that along with the relative ease of generalizing consensus, military patriotism, especially naturally consolidated around the Great Patriotic War, is a direct threat to the militarization of young people and the reduction of society's need for apperception of non-violent methods of resolving inter-ethnic and interpersonal conflicts. In turn, the meaningful and selective representation of the consolidated "us" / "them" system can lead to the self-reproducing substitution of the concept of "love for the Motherland" for "defense of the Motherland," which despite its relative simplicity in generating a consensus around military patriotism for state bodies and programs cannot be called a positive trend.