War and Memory: Socio-Psychological Mechanisms of Formation of Mass Historical Consciousness

Abstract. The presented essays analyze the phenomenon of war as a socio-psychological and cultural-historical phenomenon. The authors analyze the mechanisms of formation of public consciousness in the context of military conflicts, paying special attention to psychological complexes that arise after the end of wars. The focus is on the analysis of the consequences of both victories and defeats, which form the cult of war and militaristic thinking in society. Particular attention is paid to the politics of memory and its influence on the public perception of military events. The authors note that both the revanchist sentiments of the losers and the self-delusion of the victors create the preconditions for new conflicts. The essay considers various aspects of the culture of victory and defeat, the symbolic meanings of the memorialization of military events, as well as the role of self-reflection in the process of public reconciliation. The authors critically assess the modern perception of war as a source of progress and raise the issue of political responsibility in the context of military conflicts. The transformation of the memory of military events is also studied, including the gradual transition from communicative memory to cultural memory. Overall, the works present a comprehensive analysis of the influence of military conflicts on the formation of public consciousness and the culture of historical memory.

Keywords: war, historical memory, militarism, end of war, victory, defeat.