The Politics of the Re-Writing of History in Russia: School Textbooks and Curriculum Material

The collapse of communism in Russia in 1991 necessitated, among other things, the rewriting of school history textbooks which had been dominated by Marxist-Leninist interpretations of historical events. This article analyses the content of these new post-communist history textbooks used in Russian upper secondary schools, especially their representations of the various transformations from communism to a Western-style democracy and the issue of the need for a new national identity and citizenship during the present transitional period. The aim is to critically evaluate the new versions of Russia’s post-communist history taught in schools, especially the interpretation and emphasis placed on significant events as demonstrated in the texts.