The Image of the USSR in the Minds of Young People and Previous Generations

The collapse of the USSR was the largest geopolitical catastrophe that largely determined the development of the entire post-Soviet space from 91 to the present day. Such a significant event is interpreted differently by both individuals and different generations. The generation that grew up in the USSR and the modern digital generation have fundamentally different ideas about the world and society, a system of values. Therefore, the study of attitudes to the collapse of the union and nostalgia for it can tell you how large the percentage of changes in values between generations is. To study this problem, the following research methods were used: analysis of the statistical material of sociological studies conducted among different age groups of the population to analyze public perceptions of the Soviet era among different generations. In the course of the analysis, the results of opinion polls among representatives of the generation that lived in the USSR and the generation of modern youth were studied and compared. The study found that the majority of young people do not feel a strong connection with the departed country, and do not consider its collapse as a tragedy related to them. At the same time, among the older generation, the absolute majority regrets the disappearance of the Soviet Union and treat its era with nostalgia. Such a difference can be attributed to a changed system of life values. So, comparing the answers to questions about values among the young and Soviet generations, we can see that the life priorities of young people rather imply personal individualism and pragmatism. This is why they do not coincide with the values of the Soviet-era generation, which is more characterized by altruism and collectivism.