Homo Sovieticus

Homo Sovieticus

Homo Sovieticus (pseudo Latin for "Soviet Man (human)") is a sarcastic and critical reference to a category of people with a specific mindset that were allegedly created by the governments of the Soviet bloc. The term was coined by well-known Soviet writer and sociologist Aleksandr Zinovyev as the title of his book of the same name. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4760109.stm] A similar term in Russian slang is "sovok" (Совок), which is derived from "Soviet" but also means "scoop".

The idea that the Soviet system would create a new, better kind of person was first postulated by the advocates of the Soviet system; they called it the "New Soviet man". "Homo Sovieticus", however, was a term with negative connotations, invented by opponents to describe what they said was the real result of Soviet policies. In many ways it meant the opposite of the New Soviet man, someone characterized by the following:

*Indifference to the results of his labor (as expressed in the saying "They pretend they are paying us, and we pretend we are working"), and lack of initiative.
*Indifference to common property and petty theft from the workplace, both for personal use and for profit. A line from a popular song, "Everything belongs to kolkhoz, everything belongs to me" ("все теперь колхозное, все теперь мое"), meaning that people on collective farms treasured all common property as their own, was sometimes used ironically to refer to instances of petty theft. The Law of Spikelets, which made stealing from the collective punishable by ten years’ imprisonment, was a failed attempt to break this attitude.
*Isolation from world culture, created by the Soviet Union's restrictions on travel abroad and strict censorship of information in the media (as well as the abundance of propaganda). The intent was to insulate the Soviet people from Western influence; instead, "exotic" Western culture became more interesting precisely because it was forbidden. Soviet officials called this fascination "Western idolatry" (идолопоклонничество перед Западом).
*Obedience or passive acceptance of everything that government imposes on them (see authoritarianism). Avoidance of taking any individual responsibility on anything.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, many social and economic problems in Russia were blamed on "Homo Sovieticus"’ alleged failure to adapt to a capitalist society.

See also

* New Soviet Man

References

* Cambra, Fernando P. de. Homo sovieticus. La vida actual en Rusia. - Barcelona : Ediciones Petronio, 1975. - 296 p. ISBN: 8472503992
*
*
*pl icon cite book | author =Józef Tischner | coauthors = | title =Etyka solidarności oraz Homo sovieticus | year =2005 | editor = | pages =295 | chapter = | chapterurl = | publisher =Znak | location =Kraków | id =ISBN 83-240-0588-9 | url = | format = | accessdate =
*cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4529073.stm|publisher=BBCRussian.com|title=Thorny legacy of 'Soviet Man'|last=Ragozin|first= Leonid|date=9 May, 2005


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Homo sovieticus — (en ruso simplemente Советский человек, transliterado como Sovietskiy chelovek, también significando “hombre soviético”) es una frase sarcástica pseudo latina para referirse de manera crítica a un estereotipo o una categoría de gente promedio de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Homo sovieticus — (pseudo latin pour « Homme soviétique ») est une expression critique et sarcastique, qui désigne une catégorie de personnes ayant une certaine mentalité et serait la création du régime soviétique. Le terme fut popularisé au début des… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Homo sovieticus — „Mit jedem Tag wird das Leben besser!“ „Ruhm den Volkshelden der Potemkin!“ Homo Sovi …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Homo sovieticus — …   Википедия

  • Novus homo — Homo novus (or: novus homo, Latin for new man ; plural homines novi) was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul. When a man entered public… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste der Homo-Epitheta — Die Liste der Homo Epitheta (der Beiwörter zu dem lateinischen Wort homo „Mensch“) erfasst alle Ausdrücke, die aus dem lateinischen Substantiv homo („Mensch“) und einem spezifizierenden Adjektiv oder auch Substantiv zusammengesetzt sind. Dazu… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sovietization — is term that may be used with two distinct (but related) meanings: *the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets (workers councils). *the adoption of a way of life and mentality modelled after the Soviet Union. The term was… …   Wikipedia

  • Aleksandr Aleksandrowitsch Sinowjew — Alexander Alexandrowitsch Sinowjew. Alexander Alexandrowitsch Sinowjew (russisch Александр Александрович Зиновьев (IPA: ʌlʲɪk sandr ʌlʲɪk sandrəvɪʨ zɪ novj̞əf]), wiss. Transliteration Aleksandr Aleksandrovič Zinov ev; * 29. Oktober 1922 in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alexander Sinowjew — Alexander Alexandrowitsch Sinowjew. Alexander Alexandrowitsch Sinowjew (russisch Александр Александрович Зиновьев (IPA: ʌlʲɪk sandr ʌlʲɪk sandrəvɪʨ zɪ novj̞əf]), wiss. Transliteration Aleksandr Aleksandrovič Zinov ev; * 29. Oktober 1922 in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ZINOVIEV (A.) — ZINOVIEV ALEXANDRE (1922 ) L’œuvre littéraire de Zinoviev, logicien marxiste à l’origine, a été écrite à partir de 1972. Ses Hauteurs béantes , parues en 1976, lui apportent la célébrité alors même qu’il n’a pas encore émigré. Depuis cet ouvrage …   Encyclopédie Universelle

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”