Remembrance as a State Event. History and Power in Russia

In Russia, the state claims a monopoly on the creation of history & passing on of memory. Every assessment of past & contemporary events that deviates from the official line is perceived as hostile. The memorialization of the Great Patriotic War is a perfect example. The symbol of remembranc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Osteuropa (Stuttgart) 2008-06, Vol.58 (6), p.57-65
Main Author: Dubin, Boris
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
History
Legitimation
Memory
Power
Russia
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
War
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In Russia, the state claims a monopoly on the creation of history & passing on of memory. Every assessment of past & contemporary events that deviates from the official line is perceived as hostile. The memorialization of the Great Patriotic War is a perfect example. The symbol of remembrance "victory in the war" was created in the Brezhnev era with all the power of the Soviet state. In the Putin era, it was reactivated. It serves the creation of a collective, the definition of an enemy, & the legitimation of rule. Consensus on the victory's importance for Russia is so widespread that even scepticism is appropriate as to whether family memory is the place for the counter-memory of the Gulag. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0030-6428