Correlation of repressive and symbolic instruments in the dynastic struggle in Russia in the 15th century

Abstract

The problem of "canceling" a political figure or political structure has been extensively studied in relation to contemporary social processes. However, similar mechanisms of symbolic politics, which allow for influencing the perception of a competitor in the struggle for power, have also been used in past eras, most often during periods of institutional transformations and political crises. This article focuses on situations of political conflict in which the need for the symbolic "canceling" of a competitor arose. The objective of this article is to identify the tools used to "canceling" political competitors in crisis situations that arose during the 15th and early 16th centuries. Sources and Methods. In solving this problem, the key sources are chronicles containing accounts of political events in Russia in the 15th century, compiled in the late 15th and first half of the 16th centuries, supplemented by literary and journalistic works of that era. The study of the sources was conducted using methods of sociocultural history, primarily semantic and semiotic analysis. Conclusions. The first result of the study was a characterization of the symbolic policy of "abolition" in Russia in the 15th and early 16th centuries as a complex and constantly changing combination of two mechanisms—demonstrative and repressive. The second result was the identification of the fundamental guidelines of the symbolic policy of "abolition." These guidelines include traditional and rational types of power legitimization, with a weakly discernible "charismatic" motive. The third result was the identification of tendencies toward strengthening the repressive instruments of abolition during periods of acute political crisis and tendencies toward weakening them (with a greater diversity of demonstrative instruments) during periods when the severity of the crisis abated and symbolic policy was applied as a preventative measure.