The study presents the four main approaches in the historiography of Stalinism, summarising features of the system along the modernisation school, the totalitarian paradigm, various revisionists, and the main theses of the authors of the civilisation theory. Although scientific aspects increasingly come before in the examination of the Stalin phenomenon, in the environment of global capitalism, the research of state socialism is effected on the long run by the choice of accepting or rejecting socialism as a new civilisation.

The domination of uniform mentality, this seemingly scientific, but obviously ideologically based intellectual movement has occured after the fall of the state socialist systems. Its historical perception is simplified: its central aim is to prove the "two despotisms – two totalitarianism" theory, that is, the identification of fasism and communism. History is of final character here: historical antecedents appear as the elements of a road leading to the desired social condition, the American modell of liberal democracy and market economy.

"… the world is today full of people inventing histories and lying about history and that's largely because the people who do this are not actually interested in the past. What they are interested in is something which will make the punters feel good" – said the renowned British Marxist historian in the interview of The Observer upon the publication of his memoirs.