The reflection on the stalinist period as a friction between the Russian State and the Memorial movement

The bachelor thesis The reflection on the Stalinist period as a friction between the Russian State and the Memorial movement follows changes in the interpretation of Soviet repressions (especially from the period of Stalinism) from the late 1980s until the end of 2016. On the one hand, it follows the attitude of the Russian (or Soviet) state, on the other hand the position of the independent Memorial movement. In five chapters, chronologically, it notes contradictions that arise in the interpretation of the repression by the State and the Memorial and try to explain them. While the attitude of Memorial is consistent throughout the whole period (it attempts to bring repression to a wider context), we see different attitudes of the Russian state in the times of perestroika, during the reign of President Yeltsin and during the presidency of Vladimir Putin. From coincident attitudes, the state moves to interpretations that are inconsistent with the position of Memorial and are ideologically motivated. The thesis also looks at the causes of the current pressure of the Russian state against the Memorial movement, which intensified especially after 2014. The other theme of the thesis is also a brief history of the Memorial movement, its development and concrete projects and opinions