The aim of this chapter is to provide the background for the discussion of Soviet history of philosophy, IFN, through an analysis and survey of Soviet philosophical culture. First of all, the historical development of IFN, the topic of the next chapter, was tightly linked to the history of Soviet philosophy as a whole, and can be divided into the same periods. Secondly, IFN was one among many philosophical disciplines, and in order to understand its relation to ideology, its place and function within Soviet philosophical culture, as well as its relation to other philosophical disciplines, it is first necessary to establish the general nature of Soviet philosophy. Thirdly, IFN also was the "historical self-awareness' of Soviet philosophy, and it cannot be properly understood without a clear insight into the latter.