PRESIDENT E. MACRON'S "EIGHTEENTH BRUMAIRE" IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: THE SYMBOLISM OF THE PAST IN THE REALITIES OF THE PRESENT
Authors:   State University ", Grubov Volodimur ,   Zhytomyr Polytechnic", Khraban Igor ,   State University "Zhytomyr Polytechnic"
Published: November 2024

“The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte” [“Brummer”] by K. Marx is a work not only about the class struggle in France at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries, it is also a work about “symbolic action”. Its content [symbolic action] J. P. Riquelme (French researcher) saw in the inability of the class struggle to materialize into social justice as desired by the majority. The roots of this problem should be sought in the “diseases of the spirit” of humanity (K. Noika). In a person, they [“diseases of the spirit”] are present a priori due to differences in the understanding of the world, opportunities for self-realization, aspirations and interests. That is, we are talking about the peculiarities of the nature of a separate existence in its entire gamut which correlates and competes with other existence. In systems of a more complex order, such as the state, politics, international relations, such diseases manifest themselves through the aspirations of national elites, political forces and financial and industrial groups, which shape national interests through democratic mechanisms of power. Great historical personalities and their cultural and political heritage also play a significant role in this process. The history and present of France is a vivid example of how it happened in the past and is happening today. politics, international relations, such diseases manifest themselves through the aspirations of national elites, political forces and financial and industrial groups which shape national interests through democratic mechanisms of power. Great historical personalities and their cultural and political heritage also play a significant role in this process. The history and present of France is a vivid example of how it happened in the past and is happening today.Since the time of President De Gaulle, the first head of the Fifth Republic, the foreign policy priorities of France have been determined by the head of state and a narrow circle of his advisers. This tradition is supported by all subsequent owners of the Elysee Palace. To preserve and multiply the conquests of De Gaulle means to follow the path of the “greatness of France”, the content of which was determined by the time and its challenges. In the persons of the presidents of the 21st century, it [the path of “greatness” of France] made itself felt in the figures of J. Chirac, N. Sarkozy, F. Hollande and E. Macron, who manifested themselves both in the areas of traditional interests of France – the Middle East and Africa, as well as in the post-Soviet space, where, starting from the 90s of the last century, the processes of formation of new state entities took place. The new space of France’s external interests was defined by economic interests, military conflicts in the Caucasus and the war between Ukraine and Russia. Since the time of President De Gaulle, the first head of the Fifth Republic, the foreign policy priorities of France have been determined by the head of state and a narrow circle of his advisers. This tradition is supported by all subsequent owners of the Elesiiv Palace. To preserve and multiply the conquests of De Gaulle means to follow the path of the “greatness of France”, the content of which was determined by the time and its challenges. In the persons of the presidents of the 21st century, it [the path of “greatness” of France] made itself felt in the figures of J. Chirac, N. Sarkozy, F. Hollande and E. Macron, who manifested themselves both in the areas of traditional interests of France – the Middle East and Africa, as well as in the post-Soviet space, where, starting from the 90s of the last century, the processes of formation of new state entities took place. The new space of France’s external interests was defined by economic interests, military conflicts in the Caucasus and the war between Ukraine and Russia.In the foreign policy of France the Caucasus began to gain weight starting with J. Chirac, when the “captains” of French business came to the countries of the region. The merit of N. Sarkozy is the “Sarkozy-Medvedev” peace plan which stopped the Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008. Against challenge to the interests of Baku and the traditional players of the regionwhich are Turkey, Russia, and Iran.Practical implications. The results of the study can be used in the block of humanitarian disciplines that consider issues of international politics and regional security.Value/originality. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the disclosure of the ontological foundations of the phenomenon of “brummer/brumera” and the related socio-political transformations in France that took place at the beginning of the 19th century. The role of Napoleon Bonaparte in the formation in the consciousness of French society of the phenomenon of “greatness” of France as a special moral and psychological sense of responsibility by the citizen for the fate of the state and everyone’s place in its achievements is revealed. The ideal of such a person was a soldier in the army of the emperor’s great conquests. His moral imperative was “a parcel of land and a marshal’s baton”. In the parallels of time, views on the phenomenon of the “greatness” of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, and presidents De Gaulle and I. Macron are revealed.Conclusions. In French society, the era of the “brumeriade” is positioned with the birth of the “third estate” and the establishment of a fairer order in the sphere of economic relations between the main social groups of the population. The expression that “since that time it has become possible to eat” states the new approach of the French authorities to the problem of social justice as a central issue of “public security”. However, the government’s steps “toward during the “brumeriade” were frank to the extent that they “do not limit the rights of others and the state of public security” and the harmony of individual freedoms. It is symbolic that these slogans and modalities are consonant with the present rules of life in the French society. However, one part of it accepts them, and the other rejects them.Since the time of Napoleon Bonaparte France has been in the grip of the shadow of the “greatness” of the Roman Empire. Filling this term with a national spirit started with President De Gaulle and continues in the activities of all subsequent presidents. For this purpose, the list of tools and the geography of its use is expanding. Since the 1990s the South Caucasus has become a new region of France’s “greatness” policy. However, the conflict of interests of Paris, Yerevan and Baku and its allies as a result of the Karabakh war and the terms of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan became a “stumbling block” not only for peace in the region, but also a trigger for a new war in the Caucasus.