Russian History Research Articles

On the 120th Anniversary of Daniil Kharms’s Birth (review of memoir sources)

The article provides an overview of memoir literature about Daniil Kharms (1905–1942). The subject of this study is memoir sources containing biographical information about the writer, which were uncovered by the authors in the process of working on the volume “Literary Life of the USSR” of the retrospective annotated bibliographic index “Soviet Society in Memories and Diaries” and the index “History of Russia and the USSR in Memories and Diaries”, the part of a series of indexes on native memoirs created by employees of the Russian State Library, the Russian National Library and the State Historical Public Library. The review uses not a biographical, but a chronological approach to the study and presentation of the material, based on the time of publication of the sources to analyze the dynamics of the appearance of memoir publications and their dependence on the events of political and cultural life, from the first rare mentions of Kharms in the memoirs of the early 1960s.

Militaryzacja natury w powieści Siergieja Liebiediewa Ludzie sierpnia

This is a critical analysis of the war discourse in a two books, a volume of philoso-phical essays and a a work of fiction. They are Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? (2009) by Judith Butler and People of August (2016), a novel by the contemporary Russian writer Sergei Lebedev. Both authors see war not as an discrete event on a timeline, but as a network of events that accumulate in time. This is especially evident in Lebediev's palimpsest of Russia's 20th-century history. The article examines closely the spatial ele-ments of the novel as well as its take on the relationship between human history (Russian totalitarianism) and nature.

On the strategy of actions for the implementation of family and demographic policy, support for large families in the Russian Federation until 2036

The year 2024 was declared by the head of state, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, the Year of the Family. The presidential Decree noted that the decision was made with the aim of popularizing state policy in the field of family protection and traditional values. Such significant attention on the part of the country’s leadership to the institution of the family and family values, demographic issues in general, is due to the fact that Russia as a state and Russian society are faced with a number of social problems that threaten many established foundations, values, and the future of the country. As never before in the modern history of Russia, issues of social security are coming to the fore. Real threats loomed over the most important social institution — the family. In our state, the family is protected at the highest constitutional level. Article 38 of the basic law of our country establishes a direct norm — the protection of the family, motherhood and childhood by the State. At the government level, a whole system of indicators has been developed that are subject to constant monitoring in order to ensure the relevance of state policy in the social sphere and its continuous improvement. Much is being done by modern statesmen and politicians in support of the family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood. This article, which is mainly of a compilation nature, presents the most significant speeches by prominent government and political figures of Russia on family and demographic policy in 2024, and also shows modern directions for the development and further implementation of an Action Strategy for the implementation of family and demographic policy, support for large families in the Russian Federation until 2036.

Speech Act as a Factor of Socio-Political Change: Stating the Problem

The purpose of this study is to pose the problem of analyzing the relationship between conceptual (linguistic) and social changes, as well as to reveal the role of socio-political speech action of political theorists as key actors in these processes. The article considers the issues of the construction and changes of social and political reality, as well as the role of speech acts in these processes as a special type of social action. According to J. Searle’s general theory of social reality, speech acts are seen as the basis and a necessary condition for socio-political changes. The structure and elements of speech acts are described within the framework of J. Austin’s theory of speech acts, supplemented and formalized by Searle. The article discusses the influence of this theory on the formation of the theoretical and methodological approach of the Cambridge School of Intellectual History, used to understand the analysis of socio-political changes in various societies and historical periods. As an example of such research, the article describes the main elements of the approach of one of the Cambridge School’s founders Quentin Skinner. The analytical tools used by Skinner and his colleagues help to understand the connection between conceptual and social changes in the history of political thought. Considering political theorists as ideologists, Skinner explains through the analysis of political languages and ideological context how authors-ideologists, using statements that are the basis of their theoretical concepts and rhetoric, intentionally take certain actions that change the social reality. The possibilities, attempts and prospects of applying the Cambridge School’s methodology to the Russian history are also considered.

A New Stage and New Opportunities for Research on the Russian Civil War

This article aims to discuss the latest Russian historiography on the Russian Civil War of 1917–22. Despite political problems, in recent years, there has been significant progress in the study of these groundbreaking events in Russian history by Russian historians. The analysis is based on a discussion of the latest works by Russian historians such as Alexander Puchenkov, Vasily Tsvetkov, Konstantin Morozov, Alexei Tieplakov and Andrei Ganin.

Polish-Russian Dialogue in the United States as Exemplified by Wacław Lednicki’s Circle

The article is devoted to Professor Wacław Lednicki’s relations with the Russian émigré community. Lednicki was one of the pre-eminent Polish Slavists, distinguished for his promotion of Polish literature in the United States, where he gained a respectable position in the academic community. Although his worldview was liberal, he was, contrary to popular belief, aware of the severe obstacles that made an understanding with the Russians impossible. It may seem surprising, but he shared the views of Prof. Jan Kucharzewski and Prof. Marian Zdziechowski (from his late period) on Russian history.

Certainly Without Freedom: The Moscow News as Synecdoche for the Russian Press

ABSTRACT The putsch of August 19–22, 1991, was the futile last gasp by hardliners to frustrate the liberalization of Soviet society, avoid the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and prevent the disappearance of the Communist Party from its predominant role in national life. It was also a watershed for Russia and for the Russian press. For three days, tanks and troop carriers prowled Moscow streets as Boris Yeltsin was bottled up in the Russian parliament building and Mikhail Gorbachev was detained in the Crimea. Tens of thousands of ordinary Russian citizens, outraged at this assault on the freedoms they began to taste under perestroika, blockaded streets and offered themselves as human shields for Yeltsin until the coup collapsed. This study considers the Moscow News, the first English-language newspaper in Russian history, as synecdoche for the history of the Russian press since 1917 and through 2007, with the August 1991 putsch as pivot. The article discusses the transformation of the Russian press in the wake of the coup and how agenda setting fits into a Russian model.

About the regional stage in the biography of the first deputy minister of railways of the USSR N.A. Gundobin

Relevance. The role of railway transport in modern conditions is increasing due to the intensification of economic and geopolitical processes that require constant mobility of human and material resources. In this regard, the experience of the functioning of Soviet railways is becoming in demand not only by production workers, but also by representatives of humanitarian knowledge. Any modernization of production technologies is impossible without the active and creative participation of a labor person in it. Therefore, the study of the human factor in Russian history continues to be updated. The use of newly identified sources of personal origin in the study allows us to reveal previously unknown aspects of the life of historical personalities, which is especially important in creating full-fledged portraits of statesmen who made a significant contribution to the development of the country, among which N.A. Gundobin should be included.The purpose of the study is to comprehensively examine, on the basis of newly identified historical sources, the initial stage of the biography of the former First Deputy Minister of Railways of the USSR N.A. Gundobin.Objectives: to reveal the specifics of the functioning of railway transport in the period under review; to characterize the main factors of N.A. Gundobin's personal and professional development.Methodology. The principles of objectivity and historicism were used as the methodological basis of the work. To solve the tasks set, the authors used historical-genetic, historical-systemic, biographical, and retrospective methods.Results. The study and generalization of archival and memoir sources allowed us to reconstruct the events of the initial stage of personal formation and professional activity of one of the outstanding organizers of railway transport in the USSR, N.A. Gundobin.Conclusions. Family traditions and the passage of all stages of career growth from ordinary transport professions with a responsible attitude to the assigned task allowed N.A. Gundobin to hold a high leadership position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR for almost 30 years, which testifies to the exceptional organizational abilities and hard work of a person who for so long ensured the functioning of an industry strategically important for the country.

Regulatory framework for prosociality development in a modern Russian comprehensive school

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to develop prosocial behavior in young people as one of the main conditions for developing harmonious social relations in modern Russian society. The global trend toward implementing the idea of prosociality in education as a tool for developing prosocial communities is supported by leading global institutions and projects focused on the education system and upbringing of young people (for example, OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030, Global Education Futures). The study aims to identify the regulatory conditions for developing prosociality in a modern Russian comprehensive school. Materials and methods. The source base of the study was the regulatory documents defining the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of education and upbringing in comprehensive schools (federal laws, decrees of the government of the Russian Federation, the Federal State Educational Standard of Basic General Education, the Concepts of academic subjects “Fundamentals of the Spiritual and Moral Culture of the Peoples of Russia”, “History of Russia”, “Social Science”, methodological recommendations and materials developed by the Ministry of Education, and administrative documents of the central education authorities in the Russian Federation). During the study, a systematic approach was used, as well as scientific research methods: textual analysis, the comparison method, and the historical and genetic method. Results. The studied corpus of documents displayed normative regulation of activities to develop prosociality as a moral quality in line with the paradigm of the humanistic nature of education. Forming the civic activity of schoolchildren as an integral part of prosocial behavior is possible through the participation of schoolchildren in solving national problems, primarily in the format of volunteering. The greatest attention in Russian legislation is paid to issues of patriotic education of youth. Conclusion. A phenomenon of modern education is prosocial attitudes being introduced into the consciousness of young people, understood as a person’s ability to help others, take an active civic position, and act in the external environment.

A. A. Krasev – an organizer of public education and a scientist-teacher

Introduction. In the second half of the XIX – first quarter of the XX centuries, a significant theoretical and practical contribution to pedagogical science and educational practice was made by a prominent regional figure of education, Russian teacher Alexander Alekseevich Krasev (1844-1921). The purpose of the article is to assess his scientific and practical heritage and contribution to the development of education in the Russian province, using the example of the Simbirsk and Vyatka provinces. Materials and methods. The purpose of the study is achieved through the use of the comparative method and the method of retrospective analysis, regional and axiological methodological approaches, which made it possible to identify the value content in the practical and theoretical work of A. A. Krasev. Results. A. A. Krasev led the preparations in Vyatka province for the World Exhibition in Paris (1900). It ended with the triumph of Vyatka education and the awarding of gold medals to both A. A. Krasev himself and the educational institutions subordinate to him. His scientific and journalistic works became a notable event in Russian pedagogical science at the time. He invariably took democratic positions, adhered to the ideas and views of K. D. Ushinsky and other progressive Russian teachers of the XIX century. During the period of A. A. Krasev's tenure as director of public schools in 1888-1902, the number of students and the number of public schools in the Vyatka province increased significantly. Discussion. In the works of A. A. Krasev, the most important problems of public education are raised and, to a certain extent, resolved. They are revealed by the author in books published in a number of cities (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vyatka, Simbirsk), and this, in turn, indicates the relevance and significance of their content. Conclusion. A. A. Krasev entered Russian history as a talented theoretical teacher, publicist and prominent organizer of education. His legacy is deep and diverse, and undoubtedly deserves further study by modern historians of education and pedagogy.

Latvia: The Privatization Process and National Identity

This paper explores Latvia's privatization methods initiated in 1993, and the most influential entities involved: Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Germany's interests in willing to pursue a policy of influence in the Baltic area, the desire of the Scandinavian countries to reposition themselves in the post-Cold War scenario in the Baltic zone and the willingness of the Baltic republics to be welcomed into Western institutions will be analyzed. During the first period of privatization, Latvia introduced a voucher privatization model allowing its citizens to bid for shares in state-owned firms. For the second period, it was chosen a model similar to Germany – with the establishment of the Privatization Agency. By the early 2000s, a large fraction of the State assets was privatized, incentivizing a surge of foreign direct investment and reshaping the economy. This research suggests that privatization wasn't merely an economic venture but interwoven with Latvia's endeavor to reposition its national identity after the Cold War. The research also provides a broader perspective on Latvia's economic journey from its Soviet associations, particularly with Russia, to its strategic gate to Western economic models. The study highlights Latvia's delicate equilibrium between European assimilation and its historical Russian connections, underlining the societal and cultural ramifications of these economic evolutions.

The Verbs Imati (to Have) and Brati (to Take): Distribution and Competition in the History of Russian

The paper examines the semantic evolution of the verbs imati and brati in the 11th – 17th century Russian writing. The research is based on the data from Old and Middle Russian subcorpora of the Russian National Corpus. It is argued that the verb imati gradually lost its iterative semantics and its correlation with the verb yati and claimed the role of an aspectual pair of the verb vzyati. The verb vzimati did not compete for performing the function of an aspectual pair of the verb vzyati, since it occurred very rarely writings and belonged to the high code of written records. In the 15th – 17th centuries, the verb brati was gradually expanding its semantics, compatibility and, as a consequence, increased in frequency and acquired the properties of the verb imati by the 17th century. In the Old Ukrainian language, the verb brati occupied the niche of the verb of contact imati already in the 14th – 15th centuries. In Middle Russian, the original paradigm of imati (emlyu) was preserved, which prevented the attraction between imati and imeti and delayed the semantic convergence of imati and brati, supported by the influence of Southwestern Rus in the 16th – 17th centuries. The marginalization of the verbs imati and yati and the final formation of the aspectual pair brati – vzyati occurred in the history of the Russian language no earlier than the 18th century.

Personalities in the History of Russia's Diplomatic Presence in Jerusalem (1881-1914)

Personalities in the History of Russia's Diplomatic Presence in Jerusalem (1881-1914)

SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS OF NATIONAL HISTORY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF THE MEMORY POLICY OF THE SOVIET STATE

Background. The problem of the influence of state policy on the development of historical education in the Soviet school, as well as the content of school textbooks on the history of the USSR, is updated. The reasons for the transformation of school historical education in accordance with changes in political attitudes, stages of development of Soviet society, the change of leaders of the country, conceptual approaches in historical science are considered. The purpose of the study: to identify factors that allow us to consider Soviet school textbooks on national history as an instrument of memory policy. Materials and methods. The source base of the research is school history textbooks published in Soviet Russia and the USSR in 1917-1989, curricula, the diary of the historian S.A. Piontkovsky, memoirs of the author of the history textbook of the USSR V.D. Esakov, presented in the form of an article, materials of the periodical press (the magazines "The Struggle of Classes", "The Marxist Historian", "Teaching History to Schools"), as well as resolutions of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Ministry of Education / Education of the USSR, considered on the basis of historical-descriptive (as the main), historical-chronological, historical-systemic, historical-comparative, problematic and other methods of historical research. Results. To achieve the goal, the following were studied: legal acts defining the target guidelines and structure of the education system, including history; the content of school textbooks on Russian history, which underwent numerous changes in connection with instructions received "from above"; controversial issues of Soviet historical science, reflected in the content of textbooks; stages of development of historical education in the country, the features of which were associated with political changes; pages of biographies of textbook authors, allowing us to see their relationships with the authorities, their attitude to the processes taking place in the country. This allowed us to draw conclusions that at each stage of development of Soviet society, school history textbooks were used as conductors of state policy, as an instrument of memory policy and a mechanism for interaction between the authorities and the education system, as a factor influencing the minds of the younger generation and a means of controlling the mentality of historians - authors of textbooks, as a mass book that subjectively assessed the past and provided guidelines for the future.

MULTIMEDIA SPECIAL PROJECTS ON HISTORICAL TOPICS IN RUSSIAN MEDIA (2018–2023)

This article aims to examine the changes in structure and content of historical multimedia special projects in three leading Russian publications: TASS (41 longreads), Lenta.ru (22 longreads), and Izvestia (11 longreads) over the past six years. Emphasizing the impact of social changes on historical narratives, we identified specific trends in each. TASS offers a broad thematic scope, covering space, military campaigns, and expeditions, thus standing out among the others for its range of topics. Lenta.ru takes a more informal approach, focusing on nostalgia for the 1990s and leaning into personal stories and emotional narratives. Izvestia adheres to a patriotic perspective, concentrating on significant events in Russian history, with a notable emphasis on the Great Patriotic War. Across all outlets, most longreads exhibit verballycentered or media-centered narratives. Each project contributes to preserving cultural and political identity, helping audiences engage with critical aspects of history.

Идегей: историческая личность и ее оценка в отечественной историографии

The purpose of the study is to show the dynamics of the assessment of the personality of the ruler of the Golden Horde Idigey in Russian science of the imperial and Soviet periods. Research materials: historical works of Russian historians who touched upon the assessment of the personality of Idigey in the 1840s – 1960s. Results and novelty of the study: it is shown that the process of studying the history of the Golden Horde and its political history was complex and tortuous. This was especially true of the personality of Idigey, as well as the folk epic dedicated to him. Since the beginning of the study of this epic, historians have become interested in the historical personality himself, the relationship of his fate with the hero of the epic. In Russian science, his personality did not attract much attention. The emerging Tatar historical science accused Idigey of extreme ambitions, considering him the culprit of the campaigns of Aksak-Timur and the collapse of the Golden Horde. In the first half of the 20th century. historians and folklorists were influenced by the ideas of class struggle and tried to present him as a folk hero fighting against feudal oppression, which was undoubtedly a distortion of the facts. In 1944, by a decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b), the Golden Horde was recognized as a parasitic state, and Idigey was recognized as the most "insidious and predatory Horde ruler." Since that time, such a point of view has become decisive and uncontested for almost half a century, which froze Russian science in understanding this period of history.

Russian ideas. Discursive organisation of Vladimir Sharov’s novel “Return to Egypt”

The article investigates the discursive organisation of novels by our contemporary writer Vladimir Sharov (1952–2018). As a model of such an organisation, typical of V. Sharov’s works in general, we study the structure of the novel “Return to Egypt” (2013). It combines the thematic discourse of national consciousness and culture (on the role of Russian literature, on the cyclical nature of Russian history, on the significance of its split, on the nature of Russian revolutions, etc.), which are translated into the author’s novelistic discourse. According to the author, palimpsest interposition of discourse pieces creates a model of national identity. In the work, discourse analysis is carried out in the paradigm of M. Foucault’s interpretation of discourse. Discursive interactions determine the historiosophy of the author, based, as the analysis has shown, on the ideas of Russian religious philosophy. Within the novel, the discursive model works as a hierarchy, where the metanarrative (usually based on a biblical motif or other mythologeme) is immersed in the diverse pieces of national history discourse, manifesting their archetypal meanings.

Из истории первого сводного текста башкирского народного эпоса «Идукай и Мурадым»

Research objectives: The purpose of the study is to restore the chronicle in the work of the Tatar scholar-encyclopedist, Naki Isanbet (1899–1992), pertaining to the creation and promotion of the consolidated text of the Bashkir folk epic, “Idukai and Muradim”. The research material was based on personal sources: memoirs, correspondence of a folklorist, a summary text of the 1933 edition with author's notes for translators. In the second half of 1920s to the first half of 1930s, Naki Isanbet participated in the first academic project in Russian history to collect, study, and create critical texts of epics of the peoples of the USSR, headed by scientists of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The Tatar scientist is rightfully considered a pioneer in this field. Naki Isanbet's textual works on the epic, “Idegey”, have been recognized not only within the USSR, but also abroad. Research materials: The comprehensive text of the “Idukai and Muradim” epic by Naki Isanbet (1933); sources of a personal nature: memoirs, correspondence with a folklorist, etc. The research was conducted using cultural-historical, comparative, and descriptive methods. Novelty of the research: The novelty of our research is found in its comprehensive study of the creative history of the textual work on the “Idukai and Muradim” Bashkir epic, providing the first summary text and the history of this epic’s development. Results of the research: The scientific and historical value of this source has been determined within the framework of the study. The objective and subjective reasons for the dramatic fate of the consolidated text of the Bashkir version of the epic about Idegey are revealed. The structure of the handwritten text in Latin is described. Its plot and compositional features, character system, and artistic features are briefly described. It is demonstrated that Naki Isanbet was the first compiler of the consolidated text of the Bashkir folk epic, “Idukai and Muradim”. A comparative analysis of the editions of the consolidated text of 1928 and 1933 indicates that there was a “general constructive premeditation” aimed at actively influencing the reader, following the established genre and stylistic canon, as was noted by the textual critic. The history of Naki Isanbet’s cooperation with the Academia publishing house eliminates not only one of the “blind spots” in the history of the existence of this consolidated text, but also indirectly characterizes the circle of collaborative contacts of the Tatar scientist with Russian folklorists in 1930.

Confessional confrontation and ethnostereotypes in Vsevolod Solovyov’s historical novel “The Princess’s Groom”

This article analyzes the religious confrontation and mutual ethnostereotypes of the Russians and the Danes in Vsevolod Solovyov’s historical novel “The Princess’s Groom” (1893). The novel is based on real events of the 17th-century Russian history – the matchmaking of Prince Valdemar of Denmark to the Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov’s daughter Irina. The marriage failed to take place because Valdemar refused to accept the Orthodox faith. The confessional debates were intensive and uncompromising and ended up with Valdemar’s eighteen month’s confinement in Moscow. The article investigates the mutual perception of the Danes and the Russians, which was influenced by ethnostereotypes and confessional contradictions. We analyze the process of negotiations of the parties and their minor concessions to each other, based on historical research which sheds light on the events of that distant epoch. We have found that Vsevolod Solovyov added some fictional elements to the factual historical basis – the episode of Valdemar and Irina’s secret date, which was organized by her maid Masha (who, according to the author’s idea, was to become Valdemar’s beloved one and leave for Denmark with him). Vsevolod Solovyov was very well acquainted with the circumstances of the events depicted (first of all owing to his father – the famous historian Sergey Solovyov), however, he introduced psychological motivation of the characters’ behavior and described their inner feelings. The article concludes that in the 17th century, religion played a major role in the conscience of a person (both Russian and West European) since the interconfessional faith collision could not be solved by the parties. By depicting the religious conflict, the author, at the same time, shows the stereotypes of mutual perception of the Russians and the Danes.

Protest Consciousness and Protest Culture of the Young People of the Russian Far East

Social protest is the cause of conflicts in society. But it also signals unresolved problems and forces the authorities to respond to the demands of society. In the history of Russia, protest has always played a significant role, and extreme radicalism has always been its peculiar feature. The study is based on youth surveys conducted in 2020 and 2024 in the Far East. Two types of protestants were identified in the sample: supporters of peaceful and radical protest. They are carriers of two different types of protest consciousness, including values, ideas, and motives for protest. The author concludes that the youth of the Far East has two types of protest consciousness and protest culture: a peaceful type of protest consciousness and, based on it, peaceful civil protest ("petition culture"); and a radical protest consciousness and, based on it, radical protest ("rebellion culture"). "Petition culture" is associated with an active civic position, interest in politics, participation in legal forms of political and public activities. Its bearers are characterised by such values ​​as justice and equality, freedom and creativity, human rights and the desire for renewal. The culture of radical protest is determined by the subject type of political consciousness, strong negative emotions, strong ethnicity and belief in a threat to one's nationality. It can be noted that the bearers of radical protest consciousness are ambivalent in relation to the forms of protest: they are ready for both peaceful and radical forms. We interpret this as follows: if a subject is ready for more radical forms of protest, then he or she will also accept less radical ones. But bearers of peaceful protest consciousness are ready only to participate in peaceful protest (that's why they are "peaceful"). Radical forms frighten them and are unacceptable to them. According to the results of our study, the "petition culture" is more common in the sample, which means that a dialogue between the authorities and the youth is possible. The work also examines the generational characteristics of the protest consciousness of generations “Y” (or millennials) and “Z” (or centennials).