Why?

Reasons

Presence of doubt and critical thinking

After the analysis, we concluded that one of the fundamental, underlying problems of people raised up in Russia is a lack of critical thinking. It is a complex issue that can be attributed to several factors.

The systematic propaganda of the Russian government plays a significant role in shaping public opinion and limiting citizens’ perspectives. This propaganda promotes a particular narrative that reinforces the government’s power and suppresses alternative views. The Soviet era’s legacy of repression, coupled with communist and socialist ideologies, created a culture where conforming to the government’s directives without questioning them was expected.

The generation now making decisions has grown up with limited access to the global pool of information. The exchange of knowledge between countries during the Soviet times was tightly controlled and restricted, which could not positively influence the development of a broad outlook, which is one of the keys to having a healthy critical mind.

In Russia there is a deep-seated cultural belief in the importance of strong leadership and centralized decision-making. During the Soviet era, the government promoted the idea of a strong and unified state, and citizens were taught to prioritize the interests of the collective over their own individual interests.

In the post-Soviet era, the transition to democracy and market capitalism has been combined with political instability, economic turmoil and widespread corruption. This has led to a sense of frustration among the population and a belief that stability and strong leadership are more important than individual freedoms and rights. In many ways, Putin has won the love of the population by “pulling the country out” of that instability, which has only confirmed people’s view that “they know better at the top”.

These historical and contemporary factors have contributed to a culture in which many Russians view the government as the ultimate authority and are reluctant to question its decisions.