Napoleonic era in the historical memory of modern France: anniversary as a means of commemorations

Jubilees as “rituals” of memory, reviving stable historical symbols in the consciousness of society, are endowed with the ability to bring the past closer to modern times, giving humanity a sense of stability in the present. In modern Europe, the problem of preserving images of the past has acquired a new sound in connection with migration processes, transforming the perception of jubilees of memorable dates in historical politics and in public consciousness. This process is most clearly observed in relation to the transformation of images of the Napoleonic era in French society. Two hundred years later, the symbols of the First Empire, becoming an integral part of the national consciousness and living memory of the French, gained relevance during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the battles of Napoleon. The memory of the battles of the Napoleonic era in modern France passed from a “ceremonial” memory (battle as national pride) to a “metaphorical” (battle as a distant past that has no political connection with modern Europe). The “French jubilees” of the Napoleonic era demonstrated that interpreting the past can become an effective tool for implementing an integration project at the level of historical policy, but not the basis for European collective memory. Obviously, the general European installation on the victim memory leads to a completely reverse process - an aggravation of the sense of national identity.