The Construction of Historical memory of the USSR: Russia in 2012-2018

This paper explores the process of constructing collective memory of the Soviet Union within the framework of the memory policy pursued in the Russian Federation in 2012. The first part of the work is devoted to operationalization and the search for the most suitable epistemological framework of the concepts under consideration in the Russian context. In the second part, two "big" historical meta-narratives are distinguished, which are constructed by mnemonic actors in symbolic space. The main attention is devoted to the analysis of the process of monopolization of the symbolic space by representatives of the ruling elite who emphasize the Great Patriotic War, while the opposition actors focus their attention on the period of the Great Terror. On the most representative examples the confrontation of discursive strategies within the framework of constructing a historical narrative about the era of the USSR is considered, as well as their influence on the formation of collective memory of this period.