ABSTRACT
It is now time to turn to the past dimension and the response patterns emanating from my interviews. Given the fact that the past is so tremendously important for the make-up of national identities and national self-images alike, and departing from the view that the construction and maintenance of a viable civic national identity in Russia would be desirable, it must be said that the analysis of this dimension will reveal both reassuring and deeply worrisome features. There is no doubt that the past dimension holds aspects that seem to serve as unifying bonds across the different spectra of my investigation. At the same time, however, there are other traits in relation to the near past where different political camps appear to be miles apart. It will probably not come as a surprise to learn that this concerns the evaluation of the Soviet period in Russian history.
