Based on biographical interviews and memoirs of nobles born at the beginning of the twentieth century and living in the USSR, the book explores the collective memory of adapting to new conditions in the post-revolutionary twenty years. Memory is seen as a social practice that plays a role in decision-making, in professional strategies, in the educational process and the broadcast of cultural heritage. The biographical and social consequences of the compromises, silence and fear inherent in the Stalinist era are studied. It shows how ordinary, invisible participants in the historical process influence their decisions, tactics, manipulations on the formation of the social structure. The book is written in the genre of historical sociology and can be used as a manual on the application of biographical methods in sociological research. It is intended for sociologists, historians, culturologists and a wide readership.