Authors : Yuliya Yu. Danilova, Aydar M. Nurmiyev, Nikita D. Staroverov and Pavel S. Uchirov
Abstract: The phrase “Die Russen kommen” gained the status of a special mental unit in the consciousness of the citizens of Germany during the completing stage of the Second World War when the Russian army started rushing towards the German boundaries. The perception of the image of a Russian soldier instigated by the efforts of the German military propaganda for a long time remained connected with such associations as barbarism, violence, destruction. In this study, the researchers attempted to analyze the evolution of the phenomenon “Die Russen kommen” as a special form of objectification of relationships between Russia and Germany. The study was performed on the basis of comparative analysis by which the modern functioning of the phrase “Die Russen kommen” in the culture and journalism was projected to the historical facts that caused formation of the stable mental unit in the German consciousness. During the study we managed to establish that in the modern German journalism the phrase “Die Russen kommen” is a frequently used marker focusing attention on the information relating to Russia. Moreover, the historical context of this phrase allows efficiently using it in the cases when it is referred to for example, the striving of the Russians to occupy a niche in any sector of the German (European) economy.
Yuliya Yu. Danilova, Aydar M. Nurmiyev, Nikita D. Staroverov and Pavel S. Uchirov, 2015. Die Russen Kommen: The German View of the Russians. The Social Sciences, 10: 910-918.