Change and Continuity: The Second World War in the Memory of Russians and in Russian Politics

A clash between the forces of good – the Red Army, supported by the entire population of the USSR and the troops of the Western allies – and the forces of evil – ‘Nazi invaders’ and their collaborators from the countries of East-Central Europe: this official message of the Russian authorities with regard to the history of the Second World War essentially repeats the interpretations prevailing in the Soviet Union. The Kremlin usually silently ignores events that damage the positive image of the USSR or interprets them in a manipulative fashion. However, it does not deny them, unlike in Soviet times.