The expression "fifth column" in modern world associated with propaganda and means a group of people working in the interests of another state against their own. If earlier this term was understood only as the armed forces of the enemy, then later the meaning changed, and spies and intelligence officers began to be called the “fifth column”. Nowadays, this statement has acquired a pronounced biased coloring and has come to mean all those who disagree with the current policy of the state.
Alexei Navalny is a Russian opposition politician, organizer of several anti-corruption rallies. In the domestic media is synonymous with the phrase "fifth column"
Four columns of General Mola
Why in recent history Is it customary to call all opponents of the state the “fifth column”? This expression appeared during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 during the Franco attack on Madrid. General Emilio Mola spoke on the radio, addressing the inhabitants of the city, and stated that in addition to the four military columns that he commanded, he had one more - the fifth, operating in Madrid itself. The general claimed that at the right moment she would strike from the rear and help the Francoists capture the city.
The general's army came very close to Madrid, but did not have enough men and ammunition to start an assault on it, so they retreated. It is currently unknown if Mola actually had a secret army or if he used the expression to intimidate his enemies.
Another version says that the phrase "fifth column" was uttered a few weeks before Mola by the English baron St. Oswald, who also fought on Franco's side. Soviet publicist Mikhail Koltsov stated that these words belonged to another nationalist general, José Varela. And Ernst Nohl, in the book "Fascism in His Age", claims that Benito Mussolini also mentioned the "fifth army" during the First World War. So he called the secret division of Germany, created in the rear of the Entente (Germany was then part of an alliance of four states).
Organized revolutionary cell
Today, according to journalists, the “fifth column” has a clear organization, good funding and a well-thought-out plan of action, the final of which should be a change in the political system. According to media reports, different countries There are entire universities teaching their students how to special programs, focusing on psychology and oratory.
Such graduates are then sent to various states, sponsored at the expense of the enemy, disguised as charitable and public organizations as well as the media. They conduct subversive anti-state activities using any tools: social networks, newspapers, books, PR campaigns, large events such as rallies and processions.
In the history of any coup, one can find a small group of people who pushed the main masses to revolt, whether it be the French, October, Cuban or Orange revolutions. And if for some citizens they act as fiery orators-liberators, then in the eyes of others they are national traitors.
Contemporary Opponents of the Regime
Today, the phrase "fifth column" is used in journalism and publicism, still denoting opponents of the state, but not in the sense of enemy armies and spies. So, for example, it is customary to call:
- terrorists. And here we have in mind not only those criminals whose crimes are taken by large terrorist organizations, but also “loners”, mass murderers, etc. In this case, biased journalism usually finds a connection between terrorists and ideological opponents of the state in which the crime was committed. terrorist attack;
- political groups, as a rule, opposing the authorities. Journalists are once again looking for a connection between the opposition and representatives of the special services of the enemy country;
- businessmen and officials with interests abroad;
- subversive agents of enemy countries, both existing and invented in the interests of propaganda.
AT Russian Federation this statement again acquired a sharp propagandistic color and, depending on the situation, generally refers to all opponents of the current government, changing its connotation from time to time.
"Fifth Column" in Russia
The main opponent of the current Russian authorities is oppositionist Alexei Navalny. Saying the "fifth column", in most cases they mean it, recalling anti-corruption rallies and statements against the President of the Russian Federation, trying to immediately find a relationship with Western public funds and special services.
Until recently, so stigmatized former presidents- Boris Yeltsin and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, blaming them for the collapse of the country, as well as their ministerial apparatus. During the Stalinist repressions, the "fifth column" was called former major political figures Soviet Union- Zinoviev, Trotsky, Kamenev.
Representatives of the "fourth power" (mass media and media) are very fond of using this expression in relation to all "dissenters", regardless of what their views are. Sometimes anyone is stigmatized as a "fifth column" - from the street non-systemic opposition to major ministers loyal to the government. Among them, for example, you can find:
- actor Leonid Yarmolnik - because of his opinion on the Crimean issue;
- the politics of Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the opposition Yabloko party;
- Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov, implicated in a number of corruption scandals;
- writers Dmitry Bykov and Viktor Shenderovich;
- Mikhail Khodorkovsky, opposition businessman;
- directors Alexei Uchitel and Kirill Serebrennikov;
- musicians Yuri Shevchuk and Andrei Makarevich for their criticism of Vladimir Putin;
- Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.
As you can see, these people can have a different position in society - from a writer to a prime minister, and different political views. But engaged journalists, writers, politicians and public figures still call them the “fifth column”.
Public opinion management
"The Fifth Column" is a phrase referring to the language of propaganda. Therefore, it is easy to understand that different personalities fall under this definition, depending on the current policy of the state. Nowadays, it no longer means spies or other people engaged in subversive activities within the state. Now it is customary to understand in general the entire opposition, all the ministers objectionable to the government, as well as random people who allow criticism of the government and harsh statements addressed to it.
In the Soviet Union, counter-revolutionaries were considered not only enemy soldiers and spies, but also parasites, simulators and other unscrupulous elements of society.
The stronger the propaganda apparatus deployed in the state, the more people are called national traitors. Here one immediately recalls, for example, Stalin's purges of the War Department, Hitler's policy of eliminating officials objectionable to him, or the American hunt for communists during the time of President Joseph McCarthy. In other words, the “fifth column” is a very convenient phrase, allowing politicians to untie their hands and direct public anger against certain people, diverting attention from their own mistakes and political miscalculations.
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The term "fifth column" originally arose during the Spanish Civil War and denoted a network of pro-fascist elements that undermined the defenses of the Republicans from within. Later, the term "fifth column" was firmly entrenched in the fascist networks that operated in various European states during the period of the Third Reich's dominance.
Subsequently, the term "fifth column" lost its attachment to specific events or the ideology of fascism / Nazism and became a generally accepted designation for internal subversive elements acting in the interests of a foreign state.
Here we must understand the following - the fifth column is not a thing in itself. It does not exist by itself, it always acts in someone's interests. Therefore, speaking of the fifth column, one should indicate whose fifth column it is. In whose interests is it acting?
If the subversive elements act in their own interests, then this is no longer a fifth column, but something else.
Speaking of Russia, most often in conjunction with the term "fifth column" you can meet the United States. Accordingly, if we are talking about modern threats to Russia, then we mean, first of all, the fifth column of the United States, that is, a certain network structure conditionally including legal, semi-legal and illegal organizations created and functioning within the framework of network structures, as well as individuals acting in the interests of the United States. Therefore, in the future, in the text, the "fifth column" should be understood as the fifth column of the United States.
What are the challenges facing the US fifth column?
1. Replacing the existing government. There are different degrees of control. With all the obvious claims to the current elites, the United States needs an even more controlled course, associated with the removal from power of those parts of the elite that have one or another opposition.
talking plain language- The pro-Western course of Putin-Medvedev should be replaced by an even more pro-Western course in the spirit of Yeltsin-Kozyrev or Gorbachev-Shevardnadze. Obviously, if we consider these three "tandems", then the first two were much more profitable than the last.
Therefore, it is in the interests of the United States to plant a more dependent, weak and controlled power in Russia. It is not intended to glorify Putin or his puppet Medvedev.
An analysis of the foreign policy course of the Russian Federation over the past 10 years indicates that, along with a long series of direct or indirect concessions from Russia, in a number of episodes the position of the Russian authorities indicated that due to certain circumstances (even if based on fear of internal discontent ), the country's leadership in one way or another provided one or another opposition to the US strategy. Under the current conditions, such selective dependence of the Russian authorities is unacceptable for the United States, and that is why we see both an increase in external influence, such as the promotion of missile defense and the drawing of the Russian Federation into an arms race in conditions that are obviously unfavorable for the Russian Federation, and the activation of the American fifth column aimed at undermining the foundations of the regime from within. In the minds of citizens, however, such fragmentary protection of national interests by the current authorities does not get along well, which reasonably gives rise to mass dissatisfaction with such a policy.
2. Why does the US need a change of power in Russia? First of all, to weaken/dismantle the Russian Federation, including the separation of a number of territories from it. For example, with all the claims to the current government, it opposes (no matter how and why it does it) the rejection of the Caucasus and the Kuril Islands from Russia. Accordingly, from the point of view of the task of tearing the Caucasus away from Russia, a change of power in the country with the advent of more dependent persons to the first posts seems necessary.
Of course, the weakening of the Russian Federation as a task includes not only the rejection of certain territories - Kaliningrad, the Kuriles, the Caucasus, the granting of broad autonomy to Tatarstan / Bashkiria, but also the acceleration of the processes of de-industrialization, the atomization of society, the dismantling of systemic social institutions - education, medicine, science , armies - that is, the complete defeat of all structures that hold the population together into a people. The policy of the current regime, for all its destructiveness, is stretched out in time and, within the framework of a changing world, no longer suits the United States, even with all those levels of dependence of the Russian Federation on the world hegemon.
Politically, it is a transition from dependence to complete control. Putin is a figure dependent, but not controlled. The same dependent, but not controlled figures were / are Mubarak, Gaddafi, Assad.
Therefore, the US needs a controlled figure instead.
Therefore, from the point of view of achieving the goals of the United States, the fifth column should seek the overthrow of Putin (which will mean the complete destruction of the existing political system) to replace it with a controlled piece. Moreover, one must understand that the United States needs a very specific controlled figure within the framework of the processes that they manage. The US does not need a repetition of the situation with the Bolsheviks. For example, the establishment of an anti-Western military dictatorship, an anti-Western nationalist regime, or some kind of left-wing revolutionary dictatorship in Russia while trying to overthrow Putin is just as unpleasant for the West (if not more) than the failure to remove Putin. There is a risk, instead of a dependent politician or controlled by the PNS, to get someone like Chavez or Ahmadinejad with a heavy Russian accent, or even worse, some new Lenin or Stalin, and then fight long and hard with the unexpected consequences of the "color revolution" in this mysterious Russia .
Participation in the fifth column has an important feature - it is conscious participation - that is, a person / group of persons acting in the interests of the United States is aware of what they are doing and why. This is their conscious choice. They may have their own lower-level goals - power, property, fame, ideological dogmas, etc., but in relation to the interests of the organizer and sponsor of the fifth column, these goals are of a subordinate nature.
Who is the fifth column?
1. Citizens of foreign states.
2. Citizens of the Russian Federation.
a) Creation of the initial network of controlled discontent, its expansion to the level of self-functioning.
b) Organizational support for the activities of the created network - financing, recruiting, promotion of leaders, media support, legalization.
c) General management of ongoing field operations.
This activity has 3 levels. Legal, semi-legal and illegal and is carried out within the framework of managerial functions in relation to the domestic Russian component of the fifth column.
The main line of control is primarily money, without which the full functioning of the fifth column is impossible. Funding is provided by various NGOs and private foundations through which government bodies United States (State Department or Central Intelligence Directorate) provide financial support to persons and organizations carrying out controlled subversive activities in Russia.
The distribution of these funds is carried out both by foreign citizens themselves, who control the flows of funding and distribute these same flows, as well as by especially close people from among the locals, who, in terms of trust and professionalism, are suitable for such delicate cases.
Some of these financial flows are transparent, some are not.
The same important role is played by employees of special services engaged in undercover and subversive work and acting in coordination with other structures and persons exercising organizational and financial control of the fifth column.
The second category, consisting of Russian citizens, plays the role of extras (organization and conduct of public actions promoting the public part of the ideologemes of the fifth column to the general public + the most banal propaganda through controlled media and the Internet) with partial self-government (implementation of organizational and managerial functions of the lower and middle levels, where along with a subordinate function in relation to the goals of the United States, there are also their own goals, views, positions that the participants of the fifth column are trying to implement along with the main goal. Their activities are also legal, semi-legal or illegal. It must be clearly understood that those actions or the actions of the fifth column that get into the media represent only part of the picture, and the part that is de facto the least dangerous, since publicity not only allows the fifth column to promote subversive ideas to the masses, but also reveals their destructiveness, which for most of society unacceptable. Actually, those characters who they are mediators of the fifth column in the field of public non-systemic opposition, in some ways they are even convenient for the authorities, since by scaring the society with them, it is very convenient to "not notice" the real discontent, writing it off as the machinations of the fifth column. But this is more a public media position of the authorities than a deep inner conviction, since the authorities are well aware of the difference between the fifth column and ordinary dissatisfied, although this does not prevent them from playing the traditional card of a "besieged fortress" or intimidating society with "Kyrgyz".
Of course for the state and society. The greatest threat is posed by actions of a semi-legal or illegal nature:
a) Indirect incitement of discontent along the lines of national, social or religious hatred - the main task of the organizers is to present the matter in such a way that tension has grown for a short time on its own without external influence. The artificial growth of discontent (when it occurs not as a result of the policy of the authorities, but for reasons of an external nature), with all the obviousness of its man-made nature, should be as natural as possible, so that the masses, on the excitation of which such actions are calculated, perceive this artificial discontent as another factor that speaks of an imminent fall mode. In this regard, it should be pointed out that it does not matter in principle what kind of factor it is - religious, national or social - within the framework of the actions of the fifth column, these issues are considered from the point of view of technology, where the main criterion is efficiency in achieving the set goal.
b) Hidden work with key public figures of ordinary mass discontent in order to attract certain individuals to the program project of the fifth column. At the same time, the actual reorientation of such persons to new goals is carried out, while maintaining the previous rhetoric. In fact, this can be regarded as a variation of the banal recruitment or re-recruitment, which is also carried out by intelligence agencies.
c) Involvement in the project of persons built into state system management and power structures. This involvement can be carried out both voluntarily and involuntarily.
The indoctrination of individual human elements of the system or the establishment of financial dependence (in the presence of deposits in foreign banks or the presence of unearned income) serve a single goal - in a situation of open implementation of the "color scenario", such human elements of the system must either join the rebellion / revolution / coup, or help them by their inaction.
In all the "color revolutions", without exception, we could observe how a part of the administrative and law enforcement apparatus, which was designed to ensure the stability and security of the regime, either directly supported the "color scenario" or completely removed itself from direct duties. As a result, at the moment of an organized and controlled protest, not only the legitimacy of the authorities in its various manifestations, but also the actual pillars of the current government, simultaneously sank.
It must be understood that not all persons who sympathize with or directly participate in the implementation of the goals of the fifth column are direct intelligence agents of foreign states. Not at all - rather, on the contrary, the majority of persons from among those who act within the framework of the implementation of the goals of the fifth column and built into the state administration system or the power bloc - can do this quite voluntarily, since they may have their own ideological, commercial, political or other goals that they expect to realize by collapsing the existing state system.
The work of the State Security bodies is, among other things, to prevent the penetration of such elements into state authorities and their own ranks as much as possible, as well as to monitor the reorientation of those already there. But due to the specific nature of the activities of the fifth column, the effectiveness of the measures taken will always be fragmented and therefore it is not surprising that during the next "color revolution" among the revolutionaries we see rapidly repainted officials and employees of the State Security Service. There is absolutely no guarantee that if the “color scenario” is implemented in Russia, acts of betrayal and sabotage will not occur on the part of persons already integrated into the state administration system or the power bloc (the simplest example is when active protests begin in one of the large cities of Russia, the head local police already built into the mechanism for implementing the "color scenario" when receiving an order to disperse the gathering crowd, withdraws itself from the execution of the order or gives the order not to oppose. or simply moral satisfaction from the sight of superiors flying out of their chairs).
It must be understood that the level of penetration of such elements directly or indirectly interested in dismantling the existing regime can reach, among other things, the level of the Government of the Russian Federation, not to mention the governing structures of the RF Ministry of Defense or the FSB.
But it is precisely these persons who represent the greatest practical danger, since at the moment of passing the bifurcation point, by their actions or inaction, they lower the ability of the ruling regime to resist. As the situation in Egypt or Libya showed, among the subversive elements were not only human rights activists or public leaders, but intelligence officers, law enforcement officers, mid- and high-level army officers, ministers and other high-ranking officials - who voluntarily or forcibly helped bring down the existing regimes . You can be sure that after the start of the active phase of events in Syria, we will see the same picture.
This, in my opinion, is the main intra-system element, which, along with objectively existing discontent, is capable, if properly combined, to collapse the entire system and ensure the implementation of US goals. The task of the fifth column in this regard is transparent - to ensure the synchronism of controlled action and subversive actions within the existing vertical of power, attacking it simultaneously from the outside and from the inside.
One can often see confusion when all those who disagree with the current state of affairs, criticizing the existing system in one way or another, are recorded in the fifth column. Here it is necessary to understand the following.
1. Every fifth column is an artificial formation. It does not appear on its own, but is organized through appropriate legal, semi-legal and illegal work.
2. What is the fifth column organized from? The fifth column is organized on the basis of this or that dissatisfaction with the existing state of affairs in society. as well as within the regime. Such discontent is everywhere. It can be seen both in Russia and in the USA. It is discontent that is primary - therefore, attempts to write off the existence of the dissatisfied masses on the machinations of external enemies deliberately distort reality.
3. As the "color revolution 2.0" scenario shows basic principle the overthrow of regimes that do not suit the United States is to identify critical points in the already objectively existing masses of dissatisfied, to assemble these critical points into a network that, by its work, accumulates already existing discontent for the organized overthrow of the current government.
4. Thus, within the framework of dialectics, objectively existing discontent is the basis. The fifth column is the superstructure. The task of the fifth column is to implement a set of controlled processes in this basis, in order to achieve the set goals. Therefore, the fifth column has never been, and cannot be a comprehensive structure that includes most of the dissatisfied.
With regard to the factors of instability and protest moods in Russia, the fifth column of the United States in numerical terms makes up a certain percentage that is difficult to determine (since a significant part of the activities of the fifth column are not transparent, including for the State Security authorities).
Her main hallmark is the dominance of US goals over all other goals, because the fifth column of the US is aimed primarily at achieving US goals (it is organized by the US and funded by the US), and only then at achieving the goals of all those participating and joining. Therefore, statements in the spirit of "everyone who criticizes the current government is an agent of the fifth column" is at best a delusion, which, in addition, plays into the hands of external forces interested in accumulating discontent around controlled individuals and structures.
All other protest moods accumulate within other vectors:
1. Molecular discontent is the most widespread phenomenon and is usually associated with certain aspects of the domestic or foreign policy of the authorities that cause hostility both among individual citizens and entire social groups. This is the most fertile ground for subversive work, since atomization and amorphousness make this mass of discontented the most susceptible to manipulation and sewerage. These are classic "dissatisfied in the kitchens" or "dissatisfied in the forums." As a rule, they are not members of any parties and organizations, do not participate in active protest or subversive activities, and as a rule, their dissatisfaction is only verbal.
2. Systemic discontent - structured discontent within the framework of development paradigms opposed to the current course. The largest of them today are the left-power imperial project and the project of the national Russian state expressed in various disparate organizational structures.
The molecular dissatisfied (abstract layman) is much easier to process in the interests of the goals of the fifth column than the systemic dissatisfied. Roughly speaking, it is easier to use a molecular dissatisfied person (to agree) than a structural one, acting within the framework of a project that sets other goals.
The systemic discontents of the left or nationalist persuasion, in fact, are competing both among themselves and with the fifth column for attracting into their ranks the "molecular dissatisfied", who is looking for expression of his aspirations and protest moods in existing organizations that correspond to his views on resolving contradictions in society.
The task of structural discontent organizations or the fifth column is to recruit people from the amorphous mass of molecular discontent in order to move the latter from verbal protest in the kitchens or on the Internet, to real practical activity (protest or subversive) - both in the kitchens and all on the same Internet .
It must be understood that, like the fifth column, both types of discontent actually undermine the existing system. But this is a different kind of subversion. At the moment, it is formulated in two common terms "orange revolution" - "Russian revolt". The notorious "Russian rebellion" (which can be understood as both left-wing and nationalist revolution/coup) is fundamentally hostile to both the current course and the course towards a "color revolution" in the interests of the United States. But this does not mean that both currents cannot converge at certain moments, because formally their goals - the dismantling of the regime - are identical. The goals of this dismantling of the natural diverge. If conditional sovereigns-patriots-Eurasians dream of, say, overthrowing the regime and starting the construction of a new Russian Empire, then the goal of the fifth column is purely antagonistic to them - preventing any attempts to turn Russia into a new Empire by dismantling it. And there is a tricky moment here - the current regime manages to both prevent plans for the direct dismantling of the Russian Federation, and prevent the reconstruction of Russia into a new empire. This is where dissatisfaction comes from in different directions - some are dissatisfied with the very fact of the existence of Russia as a state within its current borders, while others are dissatisfied with the fact that the authorities do not allow Russia to be the empire that it has always been.
It should also be understood that since the fifth column is a superstructure, playing a control function in relation to the basis, it can include both individual representatives and entire organizations of dissatisfied people of the first or second category, actually carrying out the process of recruiting or recruiting.
1. Playing openly (direct interaction) - people / organizations not included in the fifth column agree to cooperate with it, recognizing the dominant goals of the fifth column, expecting to realize their goals as well. This is a conscious collaboration. For example, some molecular or systemic dissatisfied wholly or partially agree with the thesis that Russia should be occupied by NATO troops, its resources should be controlled by "civilized humanity", and the country should be controlled by an external administration, since Russia cannot play a serious role. civilizational role. At the same time, they expect that when the US goals are realized through the fifth column, they will receive a "free society", "lustration of Chekism", "Russia turned into a civilized state." They are quite consciously ready to pay the above-mentioned price and therefore are direct allies of the fifth column, formally not being a member of it.
2. Playing in the dark (indirect interaction) - people / organizations not included in the fifth column are used to achieve the goals of the fifth column. This is unconscious manipulation. For example, nationalists-diminishers (without even taking into account direct agents and agents of influence) put forward the theses of building a reduced Russia based on ethno-nationalism, with a number of territories cut off from the country. They may not even have direct contact with the fifth column, but the goals of the nationalist reducers are quite in tune with the main tasks facing the fifth column, so the interaction is carried out even if the reducers do not realize it.
3. The game of interception - there is also another way of interaction, when representatives of the conditional "Russian rebellion" try to use the fifth column for their own purposes, to weaken the existing government. The motive is understandable - playing along with the fifth column, to eventually take control and implement their project. This idea is actively discussed in the patriotic environment. There is also a historical example, namely the October Revolution of 1917, when such an interception was actually carried out, which, however, does not tell us in any way whether this is the rule or this historical exception. There is absolutely no guarantee of the success of such a project.
One way or another, it is obvious that a certain unspecified percentage of those dissatisfied with the existing regime, to one degree or another, carry out one or another interaction with the fifth column. You can consider a person who criticizes the authorities to be a fifth column agent of influence, although he may not be one. And vice versa - we can consider a person sincere in his criticism of the authorities, but in reality, it will be just a well-worn mask. This, in fact, is the main difficulty in separating the wheat from the chaff, which, not only ordinary citizens, but even state security agencies, often cannot cope with. For these reasons, I did not focus on specific names and organizations that can be interpreted one way or another, but focused on the mechanism itself.
Let's summarize.
1. The US Fifth Column is part of an objectively existing mass of public discontent.
2. It acts primarily in the interests of the United States, but may also have its own local goals and interests.
3. The main goal of the fifth column within the framework of the US goals it is implementing is to dismantle the existing regime and the Russian Federation within its current borders.
4. The main activity of the fifth column is the synchronization of a controlled surge of public discontent and subversive activities of the elements of the fifth column inscribed in the existing regime.
In my opinion, at the moment, the implementation of the "color scenario" in Russia is many times more likely than the "Russian rebellion" in any of its forms and manifestations. The fifth column, despite the relative small number relative to the total mass of molecular or structural dissatisfied, has better funding, better organization, active external support, the widest media resource and support for direct/indirect agents or agents of influence built into the existing power vertical. From the point of view of the resource, the fifth column lacks only sufficient mass in order to convert its resource base into a practical result. The insufficient mass character of the fifth column is quite logical, since its goals (or rather, the goals of the United States carried out through it) are perceived by most citizens as destructive by default. And that is why the fifth column, by semi-legal and illegal methods, seeks to accumulate discontent without its visible participation, in order to subsequently ride the wave of the masses who have lost their bearings.
Thus, for the next few years, the main task of the fifth column (among others) will be precisely the recruitment of mass character in order to ensure the withdrawal of people to the streets at the right time to start the "color scenario", after which external managers actively and openly connect to it, followed by the transformation of leadership persons and structures of the fifth column to the Transitional National Council of the Russian Federation.
In the news every now and then they talk about some kind of “fifth column”. I would like to know what this term means?
Answer
The phrase "fifth column" is widely used in political phraseology and journalism to refer to various kinds internal enemy. In other words, the fifth column refers to people who cause alarm in the country and hide their foreign connections from the public. It can be saboteurs, saboteurs, internal enemies.
The term "fifth column" itself appeared in the 30s of the XX century during the Spanish Civil War. At some point, rumors began to spread in Madrid about traitors operating in the country. The Republican government arrested thousands of de facto supporters of General Franco, who led the anti-Republican forces, and people who simply fell under suspicion. Every morning, dozens of corpses were found on the streets of Madrid. There were rumors about the impending doom of the cause of the Republic. Therefore, maybe the accidentally dropped phrase fell on fertile ground.
It is believed that for the first time this term was used by the famous Brigadier General Emilio Mola, commander of the Nationalists. Speaking on the radio, he painted a picture of the fighting of four columns advancing on Madrid, and mentioned the presence of a fifth column, which was already in the city and would begin the offensive. After that, the rebel army came very close to Madrid, but due to the limited number of soldiers and ammunition, they did not dare to storm. Therefore, whether Mola told the truth about the presence of the fifth column is still unknown.
The activity that became known as the fifth column during the Spanish Civil War took place in a wide variety of countries in different historical periods. However, one of the most studied and famous is still the German fifth column of the Second World War. We are talking about Nazi agents in other states, which contributed to their capture by German troops.
In our time, there are fifth columns of China and Russia. And many Russian politicians declare that a fifth column of the United States is operating in their country.
In Ukraine, the concept of the fifth column has been widely used since the mid-2000s. As a rule, it is used to refer to pro-Russian movements. In independent Ukraine, the fifth column is called a row political parties that support foreign policy neighboring state. A striking example of their activities is the Severodonetsk congress, the main goal of which was the creation of a southeastern autonomous republic.
During the Russian-Ukrainian conflict of 2014-2015, the term "fifth column" became even more widespread. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko repeatedly uses it in his public speeches and addresses.
The concept of "fifth column" has found its reflection in art. In 1938, Ernest Hemingway, who was in Madrid during the civil war as an American war correspondent, wrote a play about Republican counterintelligence called The Fifth Column. In 1960, the play was made into a film starring Richard Burton.
The Spanish kingdom entered the 20th century with huge problems: a strong economic crisis was raging in the country, against which discontent and unrest of the people gradually began to arise. The peasants did not have the opportunity to acquire land and suffered from the arbitrariness of the landowners. The rights of workers in factories were severely infringed, wages were extremely low, and working conditions were almost hard labor. In addition, national minorities, which made up almost a quarter of the population of the entire Spanish kingdom, began to raise the issue of independence. Gradually, popular unrest began to develop into interethnic and even ideological hostility.
At the same time, the Spanish military forces existed quite apart, almost like a state within a state. had their own views on further fate Spain and often ignored the direct orders of the king. And after the Rif War of 1921-1926, some generals began to seriously think about how to get to power in the country. The king of Spain did not even try to carry out any reforms aimed at improving life ordinary citizens, and any protests and rallies were brutally suppressed with the help of the still loyal military.
In 1923, the situation in the country deteriorated so much that one of the famous Spanish generals decided to stage a military coup. Having dissolved the government and parliament, he introduced strict censorship in Spain and actually established military dictatorship. Then there were attempts to rehabilitate the country's economy according to the experience of the Italian fascists. The rejection of foreign production and the stimulation of domestic enterprises began to bear certain fruits, but with the onset of the global crisis, all efforts came to naught. After such a setback and strong pressure from the king and the public, General Primo de Rivera resigned.
A year later, the monarchy collapsed in Spain, and the country became a full-fledged republic. Elections were held in June, which were won by the Socialists and Liberals. From that moment on, a socialist course was clearly outlined in the Spanish Republic. The country was proclaimed a "Democratic Republic of all working classes", and active pressure began on the former elite of the state: priests, landowners and the military. Over the course of five years, Spain plunged deeper and deeper into a political and economic crisis, with repeated attempts to coup and seize power.
Civil War
In 1936, a whole wave of murders of supporters of the right forces swept through the country, and some leaders of nationalist movements were destroyed. In connection with these events, the military decided to stop the "red threat" and organize another coup, planning to suppress the socialists and eventually seize power. The rebel general Emilio Mola became the organizer of the resistance. According to his scheme, all the military involved in the conspiracy were supposed to seize all the government and other important facilities in the country at the same time and as quickly as possible. The date for decisive action was July 17, 1936.
Many colonies of the Spanish Republic quickly came under the control of the military, and by July 19, more than half of the country was under the control of forces loyal to the rebellious general. Madrid was stunned by the arrogance of the military, and the government did not know how to act in this situation. In just one day, three heads of the Spanish government were replaced. Liberal appointee José Giral found a not entirely obvious way to fight back against the rebellious military - immediately after his appointment, he ordered free weapons to be distributed to everyone who sympathizes with the popular front and is ready to fight for it. Thanks to such drastic measures, the putsch did not have much success, in many regions it literally failed. The authorities of the republic were able to restore their influence and retain more than 70% of the territories. Despite this, it was not possible to completely restore order, the country gradually began to plunge into a civil war.
While the fires of riots and popular unrest blazed in Spain, the rebels Emilio Mola and Francisco Franco were able to enlist the support of the Italian fascists and German nationalists in the person of Mussolini and Hitler. This made it possible to turn the tide of events in favor of the Spanish junta, and the rebels began to gradually move towards Madrid.
The origin of the term "fifth column"
The plan of the opposition traitors was extremely simple: having about ten thousand soldiers at their disposal, the nationalists intended to surround the capital of Spain and gradually narrow the encirclement until the resistance from the popular front ceased completely. During a full-scale attack, the agents of General Franco, who were located inside the city, were supposed to help the nationalists. Commander Emilio Mola has repeatedly stated that in addition to his four columns, there is also a fifth, inside the city, which will provide all the necessary assistance at the right time.
It was then that the expression "fifth column" was first used. The secret supporters of the junta could not engage in open battle ahead of time, instead they carried out all sorts of subversive activities. They staged explosions, distributed campaign materials and the like.
Other references
During the Second World War, the term was widely used in the propaganda of the allied countries. The "Fifth Column" was portrayed as a pest capable of causing serious damage to production, or disrupting the supply of necessary food and weapons under Lend-Lease.
Later, the term "fifth column" became a political cliche, which is very actively used in the territory of the countries of the former USSR. In the nineties, along with it, the expression "Jewish column" was also actively used, mainly in relation to the oligarchs and members of the intelligentsia of Jewish origin.
Modern media and political bloggers, especially in Russia, are framing everyone who tries to protest against dubious laws and government reforms, citizens with an active civic position, and even non-profit foundations under the concept of a “fifth column”. And if the usual ignorance takes place when labeling low-profile populists and loafers, then in some cases such negative assessments have very sad consequences.
The media and television today have a colossal influence on public opinion and attitude, this great power able to convince anyone and anything. The dangerous tendency to label everyone and everything sometimes leads to terrible things, such as some people not taking the threat of an AIDS epidemic seriously or even denying its existence.
Finally
Of course, one cannot completely deny the possible threats to the state integrity of the country, economic and political prosperity. It is impossible to deny the existence of the so-called fifth column, internal and external enemies. But at the same time, you should not lose your head and rely on facts. As any problem has causes and effects, so any information has prerequisites and primary sources. In the age of high-speed Internet and the endless pursuit of sensations, likes and views, you can’t take the first post or video that comes across as the pure truth.
For information, it is better to use the official websites of reputable publications and, oddly enough, Wikipedia. Contrary to the misconception that anyone can write anything there, this is not entirely true. Indeed, anyone can write and supplement articles, but a frank “gag” will not work there thanks to the established traditions of very strict moderation.
The term "fifth column" was first used during the Spanish Civil War. On October 15, 1936, the Nationalists were preparing to storm Madrid, which was then controlled by Republicans hostile to it. The commander of the Francoist army, Emilio Mola, said that in addition to the four columns of the army, which were known to his enemies, he also had a fifth. He claimed that this column was in the center of Madrid and was ready to follow his instructions at any moment.
Then Franco and Mola still did not storm the city of millions, because they had incomparably few weapons and ammunition. They stopped 10 kilometers from the Spanish capital. Therefore, no one ever found out about whether there is a fifth column.
Now the concept of "fifth column" is used to designate the enemy within the state. Of course, today's "fifth column" operating inside Russia in the interests of the United States and other Western countries is rather an exaggeration. The so-called "oppositionists" are hardly a well-coordinated and strong political force. Most representatives of the "fifth column" in modern Russia are ideological. They attribute their own career failures to government officials and are contemptuous of the state. It is from the representatives of the "fifth column" that one can hear the dismissive "Rashka" or "you need to get out of this country." But in the West, nobody needs them, and therefore they are trying to destabilize the situation inside the country.
Most often, the modern representatives of the “fifth column” are the politicians of the 90s who could not succeed. They made a career at the time of the decline of Russia and are now trying to regain their former status. Together with them, the “fifth column” includes various artists and social activists who constantly blame the current government for everything and imagine themselves to be “liberals”, although in reality they simply hate Russia. The most dangerous are representatives of Western NGOs who use money from the West and work it off by pouring mud on Russia.
Who is considered the "fifth column"?
First of all, the representatives of the “fifth column” were those who advocated tougher Western sanctions against Russia. Former Prime Minister M.Kasyanov, former and now deceased Deputy Prime Minister B.Nemtsov, ex-adviser to the President of the Russian Federation A.Illarionov and many others - they were talked about as Western agents. Kasyanov, by the way, even visited the United States and discussed the issue of sectoral sanctions against Russia. They initially worked not for the Russian audience, but for the Western one. Therefore, in Russia they have traditionally been condemned. Now the opposition leader A. Navalny is calling for tougher sanctions.
But not only politicians are working to denigrate Russia and lead to a change of power. The famous rock musician A. Makarevich also succeeded in this. He repeatedly accused Russia of "aggression", a military conflict in Ukraine, and even talked about the "annexation" of the Crimean peninsula. But in addition to Makarevich, well-known actors, musicians and artists oppose Russia. They all talk about their own homeland with ill-concealed contempt and do everything to denigrate Russia in the international arena.
The "fifth column" has nothing to do with the opposition, which is ready to sit down at the negotiating table and work to improve the lives of Russians. Representatives of the "fifth column", in turn, oppose the existence of the Russia that it is at the moment. They do not care about the Russians and they simply work out Western funding.
