October 1993 through the Lenses of Eyewitnesses: the Historical Aspect of the Mass Consciousness’ Formation

Abstract. The article concerns the formation of public opinion and historical memory about the socio-political transformations of the late 1980s–early 1990s. The end of the “new Russian revolution” in October 1993 was persuasive, which led to the end of the discussion about the ways of political regime formation in Russia. At the beginning of the socio-political crisis, 1989–1993 public opinion was in favor of the President. But after the siege and assault on the Supreme Council, the crisis changed the understanding of institutes of the state power, and, first of all, President Boris Yeltsin. Siege and assault on Supreme Council destined quick turn in national mass conscience. Siege and assault on Supreme Council were mainly mass socio-psychological trauma. So we can talk about the “spiral of silence”. The informal parliamentary version of these historical occurrences was “forbidden”, “extremist”. And only a few scientists were at one with this version. The research of mass consciousness at the period of 1992–1993 allows interpreting different versions of public institutes’ formation in post-soviet Russia and public attitude to social transformations.

Keywords: The political crisis of 1993, democratic transit, the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, the “spiral of silence”, historical memory, public opinion, mass consciousness, democratization.