MORAL VALUES AND HISTORICAL AWARD CRITERIA IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Abstract

Throughout history, power has attempted to justify its legitimacy through award systems that were often granted not for actual achievements, but for loyalty to the regime. From ancient emperors to modern dictators, awards became instruments of propaganda, reinforcing personality cults and concealing repressions. This article examines how autocracies used honors to manipulate public consciousness and create the illusion of “deserved” power. In Ancient Rome, emperors such as Caligula or Nero attributed divine titles and triumphs to themselves for fabricated victories. Later, in medieval Europe, monarchs established orders (for example, the Order of the Golden Fleece) to buy the loyalty of nobility. These awards had nothing to do with honor or valor – they were political instruments that maintained the hierarchy of power. The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany perfected the system of undeserved awards. Stalin awarded orders to GULAG administrators, while Hitler presented crosses for “merits” to officers who committed war crimes. In North Korea or the USSR, entire categories of honors appeared for propagandists who glorified the regime. Today in countries such as Russia or Belarus, the practice continues of mass awarding of state honors to officials, security personnel, and propagandists. For example, orders for “revival of traditions” or “patriotism” are often received by individuals involved in repressions. This demonstrates that undeserved awards remain an important instrument for legitimizing dictatorships. The system of state honors in autocracies always reflects their essence – it does not reward merit, but maintains power through symbolic capital. Research into this phenomenon helps better understand the mechanisms of propaganda and methods of manipulating historical memory.