Abstract:

The necessity of study public’s addresses of the statesmen is crucial due to the fact that these persons are in the best position to affect people’s attitudes, behavior and evaluative judgments. By addressing citizens, political and statesmen use a wide range of implicit factors of the educational influence. It is so-called strategy of "the hidden pedagogy" which is based on emotional response of citizens to very important historical event. The article analyses the content and impact of the orations delivered by statesmen who were the Supreme Commander-in-Chiefs of the Russian Armed Forces. All analyzed speeches have been addressed to broad groups of military and civilian audience on solemn occasions of Victory-over-the-Nazis Day military parade. The interval of time under analysis corresponds to the period of contemporary history of the Russian Federation. Victory Day is celebrated in ex-Soviet states and the anti-Hitler coalition countries. The content analysis helps discover the range of target audience being addressed, identify stylistic devices providing an enhanced contact with the audience, reveal implicit semantic context triggering listeners’ patriotic feelings. The article specifies new thematic fields and distinctive qualities of the speech delivered by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces at the military parade in the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation. The orations are aimed at cultivating patriotism, civic duty and solidarity, as well as feeling of gratitude to those who died during the Great Patriotic War and living veterans, to the elderly in general.

Keywords:

Public speaking, historical event, Victory Day on the 9th of May, nation building idea, citizens, “hidden pedagogy”.