Lyubov Alekseevna Sidorova,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Actualization of Historical Memory during the Great Patriotic War: Personal Motivation of Soviet Historians
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2024-5-4
Using the example of the scientific and propaganda activities of academician M.V. Nechkina, the problem of personal motivation of Soviet historians in their work to promote the historical experience of Russia during the Great Patriotic War is investigated. It is shown that participation in the actualization of historical memory was due to the civic position of historians, in which the awareness of their patriotic duty was in the first place. M.V. Nechkina prepared a number of popular science books and pamphlets on military historical topics, gave lectures to various audiences – in military units, enterprises, hospitals, etc. She talked about the heroic pages of the history of the Fatherland; the heroes of her books and lectures were outstanding generals of the past, from Prince Alexander Nevsky to M.I. Kutuzov. M.V. Nechkina developed the basic rules for building popularization lectures, lectured on the methodology of organizing the popular scientific lecture process. The need to arm soldiers not only with weapons, but also with historical knowledge became obvious to M.V. Nechkina even during the Civil War. M.V. Nechkina’s scientific and popularization activities were closely connected with her research: the latter provided material for books and lectures, and the needs of propaganda posed new tasks in studying specific problems of history. An important event was her business trip to Iran in the summer of 1943, where she spoke to the staff of the Soviet embassy, Soviet military units, as well as on Tehran radio. In the notes that M.V. Nechkina made during this trip, her attitude to the propaganda of the historical past as to the fulfillment of a responsible mission, the purpose of which was to strengthen the moral and psychological state of the Soviet people, was vividly manifested.
Publishing: 28/10/2024
The article has been received by the editor on 14/06/2024
How to cite: Sidorova L.A. Actualization of Historical Memory during the Great Patriotic War: Personal Motivation of Soviet Historians // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 5 (37), pp. 59−68. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-5-04.pdf]
Links: Issue 5 2024
Keywords: historical memory; propaganda; patriotism; civic position; M.V. Nechkina