it’s translated from Russian. Herzen means a diseased form of patriotism that ultimately undermines the people’s best interests. Much was made by observers about the toxic, social state of Russia before the 1917 Revolution - a revolution which many predicted. (But the way the Revolution played out only made things worse.)
In today’s Russia, the toxic atmosphere transpires because people are more interested in crafting “self-serving mythologies” around their national narrative, while avoiding the necessary soul searching from darker aspects of the past. There has never been a collective repentance as post-Nazi Germany has had to undergo (and continues to in many ways.)
So while Russia is no longer the Soviet Union (or Russian Empire) outright, the quest to idealize the past in the name of preserving pride, allows for the ills of the past to be reappear unchallenged in various forms. Unlearned lessons lead to history being repeated.
Gulag historians note that Russia’s past lies in wait for the next generation.
I always think of this scene from Doctor Zhivago
“They’re coming for your wives, your houses, your country.”
“YOUR country........Officer!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QkJjWIHFSA
Thanks.