printWhat Happens to the Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War?
Toshchenko Zh.T.
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Director and Head of Chair of Theory and History of Sociology, Russian State University for the Humanities; Chief Researcher, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia zhantosch@mail.ru
Toshchenko Zh.T. What Happens to the Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War?. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2020. No 5. P. 18-22
The essay consistently analyzes the phenomenon of historical memory of the events of 1941–1945. The reasons for the high appreciation of the role and significance of the Great Patriotic War are described in comparison with their understanding by Russians, regardless of their social status, age, or worldview. The questions of the birth of different interpretations of the role of the USSR in the outcome of the war, interpretations and explanation of the Second World War are discussed. The formalization and bureaucratization of the memory of the Second World War are criticized. On the basis of songs and poems author shows the deep essence of the patriotism of the Soviet people, which opposed fascism. Their role in mobilizing and strengthening faith in victory is stated.