The use of history in Russia 2000–2011: the Kremlin and the search for consensus

Since 2000, the Russian government has been seeking to promote a new attitude towards Soviet history. This article argues that conventional analyses offer a one-sided view of Russian history politics. The core argument is that the Kremlin has sought to build consensus in a society that is deeply divided over its own history. In doing so, the Kremlin borrows from both sides of society's divide and is creating a new narrative which is supposed to constitute the basis for a shared understanding of the past. The problem is that the Kremlin's narrative includes mutually exclusive understandings of Russian history and conflicting values, giving it an incoherent or dual nature. Indeed, the irony is that the Kremlin's attempt to create a historical narrative that can generate societal consensus merely perpetuates the very division that the Russian leadership seeks to overcome.