HISTORICAL MEMORY'S INFLUENCE ON RUSSIAN POLICY

Russia’s aggressive policies have increasingly drawn greater focus on the part of the United States and other Western states. Putin’s aggressive behavior does not occur in a vacuum but has a multitude of catalysts. One of the factors shaping his decision-making is historical memory, or the narratives a society tells itself. This thesis analyzes how historical memory influences Russian nationalist narrative and impacts the choices of the Putin regime. My research contributes to our understanding of what guides the internal decision-making of the Putin regime by exploring how narrative and ideology have shaped how Putin’s regime sees Russia’s place in the world. Through case studies of the Russian invasion of Georgia and Ukraine, this paper proposes that historical memory has had an influence on the choices and outlook of the Kremlin.

Department dc:contributor.department

National Security Affairs (NSA)

Grantor dc:publisher

Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Hurley, Dane J.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Gingeras, Ryan

Statement dc:rights

• This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10945/72360

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:calhoun.nps.edu:10945/72360