Historical Research in Russia:

Putinism and the Memorization of the Soviet Past

by Panagiota Chatzilymperi

Historical research is an important part of the academic community. The study of past events gives a comprehensive view of the development of a nation-state. Researching the past, whether positive events or negative ones, helps in understanding the evolution of human societies and provides us with important lessons about how states organize their institutions. The research question of this article concerns historical research in Russia and, in particular, how the current political regime uses the Soviet past as an element of Russia’s political identity and if this approach has implications in research. The results indicate that it is very difficult for historians to conduct independent research about the Soviet past, particularly during the Stalinist period, when access to sources, or funding, are limited due to political reasons. Particularly at the level of official state policy, expressing an opposing view may have a negative impact on a researcher’s professional career in state organizations. Furthermore, an ideal image of the past is cultivated through the educational system and no alternative views of the past are promoted. Finally, historical narratives of the past are an important issue for the regime’s foreign policy, especially when Russia wants to strengthen its presence in regions of the former Soviet Union, a parameter that may have implications for several disciplines of research, particularly in conjunction with the negative events of that historical period.

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Picture: “Silver round coin on white textile” by Anton Maksimov is marked with Unsplash License.

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Institute of International Relations or its members.