Myths in the Russian Collective Memory: The "Golden Era" of Pre-Revolutionary Russia and the "Disaster of 1917". Issue 1 (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blackburn, Matthew
• Is Part Of: Scando-slavica. Volume 64:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 31
• Page End: 46
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Collective memory -- myths -- historical memory policy -- national identity -- golden ages -- national victimhood; Slavic philology -- Periodicals; Scandinavian philology -- Periodicals; 491.805
• DOI: 10.1080/00806765.2018.1447816
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0080-6765

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper examines shared ideas, values and interpretations of the past in the "collective memory" of the 1917 October Revolution. Employing a qualitative approach to examine collective memory "from below, " two age cohorts were interviewed in three Russian cities from a variety of social groups in 2014–2015. What was revealed was the existence of a strong positive myth about the pre-revolutionary era of 1900–1914, as well as positive references to the current Putin era. Both eras were "positive" in that Russia was/is a "normal European power, " "on the rise economically" and "respected by the other powers." In terms of the definitive national trauma, an overwhelming majority viewed the 1917 October Revolution as a break or rupture in Russian history that caused appalling destruction. This view of 1917 as catastrophic leads to certain key "lessons": that revolutionary change is inherently destructive and wasteful and that external forces had (and have) a vested interest in weakening Russia from without whenever she is at her most vulnerable. Overall, at the heart of myths over 1917 we find a central occupation with the threat of disintegration and a yearning for stability and normality, highlighting how collective memory interacts with political values and social identity.