What is the fifth column? Fifth column in Russia - what is it? Fifth column What is the 5th column in politics

From Spanish: Quinta columna. It is generally accepted that this expression is from a radio speech (autumn, 1936) by the Spanish general Emilio Mola (1887-1937), who led the rebel offensive during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Dictionary of popular words and expressions

In the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of General Franco's agents operated in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels were advancing on Madrid. During the 2nd World War, the fifth column was the conventional name for the fascist... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- “FIFTH COLUMN”, in the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of the agents of General Franco, acted in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels advanced on Madrid. During the 2nd World War, the “fifth column” was the code name... encyclopedic Dictionary

In the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of General Franco's agents operated in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels were advancing on Madrid. During the 2nd World War, the “fifth column” was the conventional name for the fascist... ... Political science. Dictionary.

The name of Franco's agency operating in Spain. republic during the national revolutionary war 1936 39. The term P. k. arose in the beginning. Oct. 1936, when the Francoist gen. Mola announced on the radio that the rebels were attacking Madrid in four columns... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

fifth column- The name of Nazi agents in various countries, which carried out sabotage and espionage activities, sowed panic, engaged in sabotage and helped the capture of these countries by German troops. The term fifth column first came into use in... Encyclopedia of the Third Reich

In the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of General Franco's agents operated in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels were advancing on Madrid. During World War II, the “Fifth Column” was the conventional name for the fascist... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Fifth column- About traitors, traitors who are maintained by hostile states and used for espionage, sabotage and corruption of the spirit of the population of one or another warring country. In every country where Hitlerism had access, a spy service was created... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

- (“Fifth Column”) the name of General Franco’s agents operating in the Spanish Republic during the National Revolutionary War of 1936 39. The term “P. To." arose in early October 1936, when Francoist General E. Mola declared... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Publ. Disapproved Secret agents of the enemy are spies, saboteurs, saboteurs, traitors. /i> Expression of the Francoist army general Emilio Mola, who announced during the attack on Madrid (1938) that in addition to four army columns he had in the city... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings

Books

• "Fifth Column" and the Russian Church. A century of persecution and schisms, Shambarov Valery Evgenievich. When the USSR collapsed, one of the main organizers of this operation, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said: “We now have one enemy - the Russian Orthodox Church.” Although it is from the communist authorities...
• "The Fifth Column" and the Russian Church, Shambarov Valery Evgenievich. When the USSR collapsed, one of the main organizers of this operation, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said: 171;We now have one enemy - the Russian Orthodox Church 187;. Although she is from the communist...

The term "fifth column" was first used during the Spanish Civil War. On October 15, 1936, nationalists were preparing to storm Madrid, which was then controlled by hostile Republicans. The commander of the Francoist army, Emilio Mola, said that in addition to the four columns of the army that his enemies knew about, he also had a fifth. He claimed that this column was located in the center of Madrid and was ready to carry out his instructions at any moment.

Then Franco and Mola still did not storm the multimillion-dollar city, because they had incomparably few weapons and ammunition. They stopped 10 kilometers from the Spanish capital. That’s why no one ever found out whether there was 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 coherent and strong political force. Most of the representatives of the “fifth column” in modern Russia are ideological. They attribute their own career failures to government officials and treat the state with contempt. It is from representatives of the “fifth column” that one can hear the disdainful “Rashka” or “you need to get out of this country.” But in the West, no one needs them, and therefore they are trying to destabilize the situation within the country.

Most often, modern representatives of the “fifth column” are politicians of the 90s who were never able to achieve success. They made a career at the time of Russia's decline 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 as “liberals,” although in reality they simply hate Russia. The most dangerous are representatives of Western NGOs, who use Western money and earn it by throwing mud at Russia.

Who is considered to be the “fifth column”?

First of all, those who advocated tightening Western sanctions against Russia were considered representatives of the “fifth column”. 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 spoken of 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 a Russian audience, but for a Western one. That’s why they were traditionally condemned in Russia. Now oppositionist A. Navalny is advocating for tougher sanctions.

But not only politicians work to denigrate Russia and lead to a change of power. The famous rock musician A. Makarevich also succeeded in this. He has repeatedly accused Russia of “aggression”, the military conflict in Ukraine, and even talked about the “annexation” of the Crimean Peninsula. But besides Makarevich, famous actors, musicians and artists are speaking out against Russia. They all talk about their own homeland with poorly concealed contempt and do everything to denigrate Russia on the international stage.

The “fifth column” has nothing in common 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 currently is. They don’t care about the Russians and are simply working off Western funding.

The expression “fifth column” in the modern world is associated with propaganda and means a group of people working in the interests of another state against their own. If earlier this term meant only 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 connotation and has come to mean all those who disagree with the current policy of the state.

Alexey Navalny is a Russian opposition politician, organizer of several anti-corruption rallies. In the domestic media it is synonymous with the phrase “fifth column”

Four Columns of General Mola

Why is it customary in recent history to call all opponents of the state the “fifth column”? This expression appeared during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 during the Francoist offensive on Madrid. General Emilio Mola spoke on the radio, addressing the residents of the city, and stated that in addition to the four military columns that he commanded, he had another one, a fifth, operating in Madrid itself. The general argued 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 launch an assault on it, so they retreated. It is currently unknown whether Mola actually had a secret army or whether he used this 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, Jose Varela. And Ernst Nohl in his book “Fascism in His Age” claims that Benito Mussolini mentioned the “fifth army” during the First World War. This is what he called the secret unit 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 action plan, the final result of which should be a change in the government system. According to media reports, in different countries there are entire universities that train their students in special programs, focusing on psychology and public speaking.

Such graduates are then sent to various states, sponsored by the enemy, and disguised as charitable and public organizations, as well as the media. They carry out subversive anti-state activities using any tools: social networks, newspapers, books, PR campaigns, large events such as rallies and marches.

In the history of any coup, you can find a small group of people who pushed the main masses to revolt, be it the French, October, Cuban or Orange revolutions. And if for some citizens they act as fiery liberator speakers, then in the eyes of others they are national traitors.

Modern opponents of the regime

Nowadays, the phrase “fifth column” is used in journalism and journalism, 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 mean not only those criminals whose crimes are claimed 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, usually opposing the authorities. Journalists are again looking for connections between oppositionists and representatives of the enemy country’s intelligence services;
• businessmen and officials with interests abroad;
• subversive agents of enemy countries, both existing and invented in the interests of propaganda.

In the Russian Federation, this statement has again acquired a sharp propaganda connotation 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 government is oppositionist Alexei Navalny. When they say “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 intelligence services.

Until recently, former presidents Boris Yeltsin and USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev were branded this way, blaming them for the collapse of the country, as well as their ministerial apparatus. During the Stalinist repressions, the “fifth column” was called the former major political figures of the Soviet Union - Zinoviev, Trotsky, Kamenev.

Representatives of the “fourth estate” (the media) love to use this expression in relation to all “dissenters”, regardless of what views they have. Sometimes anyone is labeled a “fifth column” - from 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;
• politician Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the opposition party Yabloko;
• Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov, involved in a number of corruption scandals;
• writers Dmitry Bykov and Viktor Shenderovich;
• Mikhail Khodorkovsky, opposition businessman;
• directors Alexey 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 different positions 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

"Fifth Column" is a phrase that refers to the language of propaganda. Therefore, it is easy to understand that different individuals fall under this definition, depending on the current policy of the state. These days, it no longer means spies or other people engaged in subversive activities within the state. Now this is how it is generally accepted to understand the entire opposition, all ministers disliked by the government, as well as random people who criticize the authorities and make harsh statements about them.

In the Soviet Union, not only enemy soldiers and spies were considered counter-revolutionaries, but also parasites, malingerers and other unscrupulous elements of society

The more the propaganda apparatus is deployed in the state, the more people are called national traitors. Here we immediately recall, for example, Stalin’s purges of the War Department, Hitler’s policy of eliminating officials he disliked, or the American hunt for communists during the time of President Joseph McCarthy. In other words, “fifth column” is a very convenient phrase that allows politicians to free their hands and direct public anger against certain people, diverting attention from their own mistakes and political miscalculations.

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The main force of the country, which organizes and controls vital changes in society, is state power. In an effort to increase the well-being of the state, the president and government are developing the economy, raising social standards of living of the population, increasing the country's defense capability and raising the image of the state in the world. But there are also political and public organizations that in society are usually called simply “5th column”. What is it, how are such associations born, and who is behind them? We'll tell you in this article.

Where did the term “5th Column” come from?

The fifth column is an organization or individual that seeks, through its actions or statements, to change the existing political system of the country in one way or another.

Exist three variants of the appearance of this term:

• General Mola. In 1936, civil war breaks out on the Iberian Peninsula. The reasons for the enmity are the dissatisfaction of part of the Spanish population with the king's reforms and the growth of the idea of ​​nationalism. The Republicans, led by a general, are laying siege to Madrid. In a radio message to the citizens of the capital, Emilio Mola threatens that in addition to a well-armed army consisting of four columns, he has his own “ fifth column, which at the most opportune moment will destabilize the situation and strike the king’s troops from the rear.”
• Table. By the power of imagination, the state system is presented in the form of a table that confidently stands on four massive legs - columns. The country is developing successfully and feels comfortable, but at a certain moment the situation is shaken with the help of radical associations: parties, organizations, etc. associations. In the design of the “table,” a fifth leg appears, that is, a column, which becomes redundant.
• Play. In 1938, Ernest Hemingway completes his play The Fifth Column, which describes the events of the Spanish Civil War.

5th column in Russia

The Russian Constitution states: none of the political ideologies existing in the world has the status of mandatory or national. Of the many currents of the political system, in our country there are de facto two directions:

• National patriotism. Right now this ideology dominates in the State Duma. The principles are simple: a large percentage of budget money is invested in domestic production and the development of science. Entrepreneurial activity is encouraged, but key economic sectors remain under state control.
• Liberalism. In this model, the state withdraws as much as possible from influencing the country’s economy and controls the protection of human rights and guarantees free enterprise.

It is behind some political parties or famous personalities who position themselves as liberals that hide the threat in the form of a fifth column:

• Parties and social movements. Traditionally, these are “Yabloko”, “Union of Right Forces”, “People’s Democratic Union”, “Other Russia”.
• Public figures. Irina Khakamada, Gennady Gudkov, Ilya Ponamarev, Mikhail Kasyanov, Alexey Navalny. You can also add famous cultural figures and former athletes to this list.

Fifth Column Goals

In any country that has real geopolitical significance in the world community, the so-called “fifth column” has been introduced. The goals of such associations:

• Change of power. We observed something similar in the countries of South America and Asia. People come to power who hand over the national interests of the state to a third party, and the promised economic transformations do not happen.
• Weakening economy. The weakening of situations occurs in order to weaken the economy of a particular state. While the government is engaged in protests and riots, the country that has caused a collapse in the competitor’s camp occupies a vacated economic niche in other countries.

The list may also include other goals: interethnic or religious hatred, degradation of society, attempts to dismember the country.

Financing and organization: who is behind the 5th column?

Who is behind the group of people who are playing a propaganda game on the territory of the state and shaking the situation in the country? Without going to extremes, there are two main sources:

• Intelligence services of another country. Everything is simple here. A separate state introduces its agents of influence into a certain country who engage in subversive activities: they organize television channels and newspapers, political parties that discriminate against the existing government.
• Former government. The situation is very confusing and dangerous: the political elite, which seeks to change the flow of cash flows in its favor, is engaged in sabotage in the corridors of power. Hence the failures in the country's development reforms. It is difficult to identify such werewolves, so time-tested patriots must be appointed to the most important government posts.

5th column and constructive opposition: main differences

Of course, not all liberal and national democratic movements can be called a fifth column. There are many forces in the country that strive to be useful to the country:

• Criticism. Representatives of the fifth column only criticize; the constructive opposition offers its own options for the country's development.
• Power. While agents representing the interests of another state strive for power, true patriots work together with the government.
• National interests. The opposition, even if its views on solving the problem differ from the options proposed by the authorities, always defend the national interests of the country.

Behind the destabilization of the situation in the state and the attempt to change power is the 5th column. What it is, you have now found out for yourself.

In any civilized country, which undoubtedly includes our country, the alternative to creating unrest on city streets is the procedure of democratic elections. This must always be remembered, and in order to maintain a healthy situation in society, one should not succumb to the provocative calls of representatives of the 5th column.

Video about the fifth column

In this video, Nikolai Starikov will tell you what the fifth column is and how it appeared in Spain:

“Fifth Column” is a political term that refers to citizens who, in the interests of third states, act against the authorities of their own country.

Where did the term “fifth column” come from?

"Attention! The fifth column lies in wait! (Republican propaganda poster, circa 1936) Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The term "fifth column" originated during the Spanish Civil War. On October 15, 1936, the nationalists were preparing to storm Madrid, which was then controlled by the Republicans hostile to them. To intimidate the population of the capital,General Emilio Mola, commander of the Francoist army, made an appeal on the radio. In it, he announced that in addition to the four army columns at his disposal outside the city, he also had a hidden fifth, located in the very heart of the capital:

“On the seventh of November I will have coffee in Gran Via... Four columns are with me, and the fifth is in Madrid,” Mola announced.

Following this, Mola's army launched an offensive and came very close to Madrid, occupying one of the airfields 10 km from the Spanish capital. But since the nationalists had much less people, as well as ammunition, fuel and weapons, than the Republicans, Franco and Mola decided not to storm the city of a million people. Therefore, whether there really was a “fifth column” in Madrid is unknown.