The Conspiracy Theory of History as Argument: Vladimir Putin's September 30, 2022, and February 21, 2023, addresses or The Paranoid Style in (Putin’s) Russian Politics (with apologies to Richard Hofstadter)

Author(s):
Young, Marilyn J.; Williams, David Cratis; Launer, Michael K.
Editor(s):
Boogaart, Ronny; Garssen, Bart; Jansen, Henrike; Leeuwen, Maarten van; Pilgram, Roosmaryn; Reuneker, Alex
Published
2024
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

Abstract

We explore the confluence of conspiracy theory and Vladimir Putin's justifications for war against Ukraine. Elements of conspiracy arguments began to appear in Putin’s rhetoric early in his second term, but they became a fundamental feature prior to the start of war in 2022. We analyze Putin’s use of conspiracy arguments in the runup to the invasion and as justification for the war amid the growing popular acceptance of conspiracy theories, in general.

conspiracy rhetoricconspiracy theoryCrimea speechEuromaidanMunich Security Conferencemythical Russia-of-a-Thousand-YearsnarrativityNATOVladimir Putinwar in Ukraine
Date issued
2024
Language
English
Is part of
Proceedings of the Tenth Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation (2024), p. 992-1002
hdl
1887/4107923

Conference

Meeting name
10th Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation (ISSA 2023)
Meeting location
Leiden, The Netherlands
Meeting date
2023-07-04 - 2023-07-07