History has long ceased to be the lot of only scientists, having become one of the most powerful weapons in the battles of politicians. Destroyed monuments, rewritten textbooks, new street names - we have seen this more than once and, it seems, will not be avoided in the future. Different interpretations of world history came to the service of political managers, but at that moment they collided with the will of the masses. Professor of the European University in St. Petersburg Ivan Kurilla shows with concrete examples how the past is changing and who needs it, and also tells how our appeal to history and its new interpretation influence the foreign and domestic policies of different countries. The book will be of interest to all those who want to navigate the contemporary historical debate in the world and especially in Russia.