If we understand history in its narrowest meaning - a science that studies the past of the human community based on historical sources, then there is no room for improvisation that history is written by the victors. Both winners and losers in the political past leave their historical sources, which together make up the history of that nation. Peoples who try (always unsuccessfully) to cover up the historical sources of their defeated ancestors are dangerously rushing into a totalitarian society.
The political past of Montenegrin society in the 20th century, in my opinion, is characterized by two important determinants. The first determinant is that in the ideological sense, the 20th century in Montenegro passed without ideologies that took root or originated from this area. Fascism, communism and, to some extent, Nazism, as the most widespread world ideologies of the 20th century, were imported into Montenegrin society. None of these ideologies took root in Montenegro in terms of values. However, what is our historical determinant is the easy acceptance of totalitarian methods of application of these ideologies by domestic political elites towards society as a whole. To put it simply, Montenegrins did not significantly accept any of these three ideologies, but that is why they readily submitted to the totalitarian methods of their political elites. For fascists, the state is the supreme value that is imposed on social groups, for Nazis, that greatest social value is the nation, and for communists, it is the proletariat. As is known, totalitarian states do not choose means. To them, their ultimate goal seems so lofty, that they think that it in itself justifies all the means used to achieve it. If we even superficially recall examples from the past, this defining thesis will be clear to us. We too easily and obediently accept imposed ideological methods. And that is the basic prerequisite for a totalitarian society.
Another determinant that characterizes our history are certain "historical hubs" that determine the future social destiny of a nation. Again, in my opinion, Montenegrin society had even two such hubs in the recent past. Chronologically measured, these are the years 1945 and 2006. At that time, we, as a society, decided on our development in this area for a longer period. Both times we reacted like a totalitarian society par excellence. Both the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and the Democratic Party of Socialists positioned themselves as parties that have the exclusive right to represent the proletariat or later the state and nation. Both of these parties had their leaders, whom they glorified to the level of messiahs, and the entire society tried to identify with their personalities. Classic characteristics of all totalitarian societies. Again, to simplify the determinant - at our "historical hubs" we chose totalitarianism as a model of social organization.
Is Montenegro a totalitarian society today? Some historical parallels are certain. The first parallel is that in these European strategic realignments, we as a society again do not have a set of our ideas, values and moral principles that are synonymous with ideology. The story of Montenegro's European path and civil society is nothing more than pasting other ideologies without their essential acceptance and application in society. That is why we have been negotiating with the European Union for so long. In addition, we as a society are looking for a new party and its leader. We are looking for a new "father of the nation" and "savior" as a society. Many of us today say that PES equals DPS, and not in a pejorative sense. They say this hoping that PES will be that new totalitarian party with its leader that will promote the supreme value of society. After all, partitocracy as a model for regulating social relations still works very well.
The only thing more disastrous for a society than a totalitarian state is a totalitarian state without an ideology that is an end in itself. Montenegro is facing elections again today.
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