Methodological grounds for interpreting the historical past as a way of influencing the consciousness of Russian youth

The article is devoted to the problem of influencing the consciousness of Russian youth. The aim of the study is to analyze the methodological basis and methods of interpreting the historical past in order to influence the behavior of young people. The article analyzes the peculiarities and role of historical memory in the formation of young people's personality, as well as the methods of its transformation. The author comes to the conclusion that in the era of the postmodern turn in history, the leading direction of manipulating the consciousness of young people regarding the historical past of the country is a constructivist approach to understanding history and a set of technical manipulation tools that serve this paradigm of understanding. Methods of combating this phenomenon should lie in the cognitive sphere. History teachers at schools and universities today are literally on the front line of this battle. The future of the country depends on them. The problem of formation of historical consciousness of young people requires close comprehensive attention of the state, social institutions, scientific community and the response of society itself. The results of the work can be useful in scientific research and educational process in the field of national history, social philosophy, political science, sociology.