The Russian Civil War in the Collective Memory of Russian Society

In October 2022, it will be 100 years since the Russian Civil War of 1917-1922, which largely changed the fate not only of Russia, but also of the whole world and caused considerable human and economic losses to the country. The Civil War strengthened radical sentiments within the Russian society, led to hardening the authoritarian regime and divided the Russian nation on ideological grounds. The article, based on materials of sociological and ethnographical studies of the 2000s-2020s, examines the memory/oblivion and perceptions of the Civil War in nowadays Russian society in general and in the Southern Federal District of Russia in particular. The author seeks to determine factors for achieving national reconciliation and regulating identity conflicts in plural societies on the example of Russia. He points to the growing simplification of the Civil War image since the 2000-s and to the prevalence of mythologized stereotypes, as a result of generational change together with the spread of digital media and non-professional narratives. The memory of the Civil War has been manipulated by public figures, media, activist groups, for instance the Cossack movement, in order to “reformat” the picture of the historical past according to their own paradigms. The image of the Civil war is being fragmented, deprived of contents accepted and shared by all. This alarming situation requires professional efforts to educate citizens in history and to achieve civic cohesion and solidarity.