Political Myths: Nation, Hero, Enemy

Myth as a Political Instrument

Ernst Cassirer, in "The Myth of the State" (1946) — written in the last year of his life, under the impression of Nazism — made a diagnosis: modern political movements create myths deliberately, as a mobilization technology. This is not spontaneous folk creativity, but a constructed instrument of power.

Political myth always works with three elements: hero (leader, people, nation), enemy (scapegoat, "they"), and golden age (the past to which one must return or the future to be conquered). This structure is universal — it operates in nationalist, revolutionary, religious, and democratic rhetoric.

The Narrative of the Nation

Ernest Gellner and Benedict Anderson demonstrated: the nation is an "imagined community". The nation does not exist as a biological or natural given — it is constructed through common narratives, symbols, rituals, education, media. Citizens who have never met feel a connection because they share a myth of common origin, shared destiny, and common character.

This myth is created through: history (often rewritten); language; symbols (flag, anthem, coat of arms); holidays (remembering the "foundation" and "sacrifice"); education (school history forms "our" narratives); enemy (national identity is always defined by contrasting "us" to "others").

This does not mean that the nation is "just" fiction. Imagined communities are real in their consequences — people die for the nation, which makes it one of the most powerful political forces in history. But understanding its constructedness is important for critical thinking about politics.

Myth of the Golden Age and Resentment

Nietzsche described resentment as a toxic form of reactive morality: "they" are to blame for why "we" do not thrive. The political myth of the golden age is often structured through resentment: there was a great past, "enemies" arrived (foreigners, elites, minorities, globalists), and destroyed it. The leader's task is to restore lost greatness by removing those responsible.

This structure is applicable to a wide variety of movements: nationalist populism, revolutionary Marxism (golden age — primitive communism or the future classless society; enemy — bourgeoisie), religious fundamentalism (golden age — the era of the prophet or founding fathers; enemy — modernity).

Cinema and Modern Mythology

Hollywood is a factory of myths. George Lucas created "Star Wars", consciously following Campbell's monomyth. The Marvel studio constructs a universe of archetypal heroes — each represents one aspect of human potential (intellect — Iron Man; strength — Thor; moral purity — Captain America). Their conflicts are psychological and ethical dilemmas enacted in the mythological space.

This is not trivial: mass culture is a mechanism for transmitting values and shaping identity in secular societies. When billions of people watch the same narratives, it forms a common symbolic space — a global mythology.