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The concept of collective memory has been in use for a relatively short time. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to define collective memory, and to determine what is the relationship between archives and collective memory in the Republic of Croatia (RC) and how they affect each other, in order to deduce whether archives shape collective memory, and if so, to what extent. The paper draws on RC laws and regulations, publicly available Culture and Media Ministry strategic documents, statistical data compiled by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, as well as the relevant literature and articles. These served as the basis on which to use the usual descriptive and empirical methods to reach a conclusion. There are no archives in the RC other than state archives. These are financed from the state budget, while their directors and governing boards are appointed by governmental bodies. Archives in the RC are entirely dependent upon the state. Their main task, for which they are in many ways under- resourced and fail to fully execute, is to receive national archival records and take care of them. It is the task of archives to preserve and process archival material and make it available for use. The work of archives needs to be based on scientific and professional principles and methods. A history shaped by collective values is not a scientific, objective history, but a generator of future conflicts, wars, friction. The work of archives cannot and may not be determined by collective memories ; on the contrary, it is archives that should shape collective memory.