Russian history and present time: the way to pluralism

The paper examines process of comprehending Russian history at different stages of development and shows complexity and ambiguity of its perception by historians who expressed different views and beliefs. The paper also gives an analysis of the main interpretations of Russian history in the works of domestic and foreign authors. The paper shows significance, both positive and negative influence on interpretation of historical process by different historical approaches (religious, materialistic, liberal, technological and local). The author's main conclusion is that we need a pluralistic interpretation of Russian history, which gives a truly scientific understanding of past events and processes as well as ensures equal and respectful attitude to various conceptual and methodological interpretations based on a well-reasoned theoretical and factual basis.