The Battle for the Past. How Politics Changes History

History has long ceased to be the domain of just scholars, transforming into one of the most powerful tools in the battles of politicians. Destroyed monuments, rewritten textbooks, new street names — we have seen this more than once and seem to be unable to avoid it in the future. Different interpretations of world history have come to serve political managers, but at this moment, they encountered the will of the masses. Professor Ivan Kurilla from European University in St. Petersburg shows with concrete examples how the past changes and who needs it; he also explains how our engagement with history and its new interpretation influence the foreign and domestic policies of various countries. The book will be interesting to anyone who wants to navigate contemporary historical debates in the world and especially in Russia.
The book is complemented by unique photographs by the author, and references to foreign articles on the topic.