The Narrative of Oriental Despotism in French Foreign Policy in the first half of the 19th century: connections and analogies with Modernity

Abstract

The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of the French narrative of "Oriental despotism" in the first half of the 19th century with the modern political agenda of France in relation to Russia and the Special Military Operation (SVO). The subject of the study is the ideological justification and media coverage of French international campaigns in the first half of the 19th century and today. The object of the study is the narrative of "Oriental despotism" in the ideology of the political elites of France. The relevance of the research topic is justified by the wide spread of historical anti-Russian narratives in the politics of Western powers. The article examines the plot of "oriental despotism" as a justification for the population of the expansionist policy of France in the first half of the XIX century. A study is being conducted on the formation of the narrative of "Oriental despotism" in the political culture of the West and France in particular. The main elements of the narrative are determined, consisting in the dehumanization of the enemy, by constructing the image of his state and population as a barbaric uncivilized world, which needs to bring the benefits of civilization and the Christian faith.   The research methodology is based on systemic, geopolitical and civilizational approaches. Both general scientific research methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison) were used in the work so it is specialized. The specialized ones include qualitative content analysis, historical and comparative method. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that the narrative of "Eastern despotism" is a process of creating a dehumanistic image of an enemy or a political regime based on the antagonistic opposition of civilization and barbarism. Given the status of the French state as one of the main protectors of the Catholic faith, which has persisted throughout its centuries-old history, the narrative was supported by a religious component. The general formula of the ideological justification of the French imperialist expansion was the positioning of the initiation of hostilities by the need to protect the Christian faith and the local population from the despotic regime. In the case of the invasion of Algeria and the Crimean War of 1853-1856, French propaganda used the image of a "crusade", thereby giving the military operation the status of the highest "civilizing mission". At the present stage, France is actively using the narrative of "Oriental despotism" against Russia, which is manifested in a whole range of publications seeking to create in the eyes of the French public a picture of the Russian state as a "despotic, Asian monarchy" with pronounced expansionist aspirations.