The article analyzes the role of memory in the formation of historical consciousness. The mechanisms of reflection and nostalgia are considered as the main factors determining the intentionality of memory; and the main tools of reflection and nostalgic experience of the past are the media, the education system and commemorative practices. The authors come to the conclusion that the ideas of history formed in modern society are largely determined by the dominant political interests and ideological attitudes. The result of this is a frequent discrepancy between the ideas of the past, which develops in the historical consciousness of the masses, and the data of historical science.