The Origins of World War II in Contemporary Russian and British Historiography: A Trajectory of Interpretations

Abstract

This article focuses on the peculiarities of the most arguable aspects of the causes of World War II in contemporary Russian and British studies. Relying on the concept of historical memory, the author analyses the motives behind the prewar policy of appeasement carried out by London, and the meaning of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact concluded between the USSR and Germany in 1939. As countries that had won World War I, Great Britain and the Soviet Union were prepared to concede when it came to Hitler’s expansionist ambitions, which has survived in the memory of Russian and British societies as a reason for the major war conflict of the 20 th century. Referring to a large number of resources, the author concludes that the topic of reasons for World War II which has a history of over 70 years is not only still topical in the 21 st century but also finds new unexpected interpretations of the prewar 1930s. The fact that there are still varying interpretations of the events that had a traumatising influence on the historical memory of Russian and British societies, proves that the topic in question in still relevant and politicised. The comparison of the two historiographic traditions of the interpretation of the most ambiguous aspects of prewar history calls for close attention from contemporary Russian and foreign historians and historiographers.