100 Years of the USSR and 30 Years Without the USSR: Historical Lessons and the Present (Review)

This article is devoted to the centenary of the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, to the understanding of its history and development, primarily, in the sphere of interethnic relations and nation building, to the key periods of this process and its results, achievements and problems, as well as to the strengths and weaknesses of the Soviet historical project as an alternative way of world development. The paper presents a review and analysis of the main trends in Russian and foreign historiography on nation building in the USSR and Soviet ethnopolitical issues in the context of a general consideration of the Soviet historical and political project. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the reasons for the country’s collapse and discussions on this subject in Russian and foreign literature. Key versions as well as objective and subjective factors are considered, including the significance of the crisis phenomena and actions in the sphere of interethnic relations, the rise of nationalism, chauvinism and separatism, as well as the strengthening of centrifugal tendencies. Further, the paper describes the main consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union and its historical lessons, as well as the results of the development of post-Soviet states during the last thirty years. In addition, the author analyses Russian public opinion polls on the dissolution of the USSR. The article points out how the centenary of the Soviet Union can be used to enhance patriotism and form historical memory in the Russian citizens in the context of the country’s current efforts to gather the “Russian world” and promote the Russian language and culture globally.