post-Soviet Research Articles

Foreign views on the culture of Soviet Kazakhstan: an analysis of historiography

The research conducted by American scholars focused on themes such as nationality, language, religion, politics, modernization, and cultural change. These scholars sought to understand the implementation of Sovietnational policies in a multi-ethnic society like Kazakhstan and the delicate balance between Soviet identityand ethnic identities within the union. Language reform and its impact on cultural and linguistic diversitywere also explored, along with the interaction between Islam and the secular ideology of the Soviet state. Theeffects of Soviet modernization programs on Kazakhstani society, including the disruption of traditional prac-tices and ways of life, were investigated. Moreover, the study examined how Soviet policies influenced cul-tural institutions, literary practices, and artistic expression, highlighting the tensions between conformity toSoviet norms and the preservation of a distinctive Kazakh cultural identity. The article acknowledges that thebroader global dynamics of the Cold War era influenced the interpretive frameworks and assumptions ofthese scholars. As part of an intellectual tradition shaped by Western liberal values, American scholars oftentook a critical stance toward the Soviet system. Their research emphasized the failures, problems, and resistance generated by Soviet policies, including state modernization, national policies, and language reforms.The article concludes that despite valuable contributions from scholars such as Wheeler, Allworth, and Con-nolly, a comprehensive examination of Kazakh culture during the Soviet period through the lens of foreignhistoriography remains lacking. It highlights the need for further research to deepen our understanding of themultifaceted aspects of Sovietera Kazakh culture, shedding light on the complexities and contradictions inherent in the Soviet project.

Политика памяти как определяющий фактор процессов ремоделирования национальной идентичности в постсоветском пространстве (на примере Азербайджанской Республики)

Using the example of commemorative practices of preserving the historical memory of the feat of the Azerbaijani people and its contribution to the Great Victory, this article examines the mechanisms and tools used by the national governments of the post-Soviet countries through which national identity is being remodeled. The authors come to the conclusion about the need for a historical and sociological analysis of the remodeling of national identities when building directions for the development of international relations and alliances by the states of the post-Soviet space.

Grain harvesting combiners’ use in Poltava region. Analysis and forecasts

The study aims to find technical, organizational, and economic mechanisms for improving the efficiency of grain harvesters by the example of the resource potential of agricultural harvesting equipment in the Poltava region. The study relied on statistical data, including both quantitative and qualitative characteristics of grain harvesters. The information was gathered from agricultural producers in the Poltava region, regardless of the form of ownership. The data was collected through automated records kept by the agricultural machinery registration department of the State Production and Consumer Service in Poltava. The information pertains to the end of the year 2023. The following indicators and characteristics have been studied in detail: the total number of combine harvesters registered in the Poltava region and their average age since the date of manufacture; absolute quantitative indicators regarding the duration of use of grain harvesters according to agricultural machinery manufacturers as of 2023; and relative indicators regarding the duration of use of grain harvesters according to agricultural machinery manufacturers as of 2023. After conducting the statistical analysis, it was found that machines from certain manufacturers have been used for over ten years in higher percentages: John Deere (66,23 %), Fortschritt (68,75 %), Claas (72,32 %), Case (81,42 %), combine harvesters manufactured in Ukraine and post-Soviet countries (88,60 %), Volvo (91,67 %), Massey Ferguson (94,12 %), Sampo (100 %), New Holland (28.1 %). In the specified category "combines older than 10 years prevail", the most commonly used combiners in the Poltava region are John Deere, Claas, Case combiners, and ones manufactured in Ukraine and post-Soviet countries. This makes up the majority of the combiner park in Poltava Region under current conditions. The national economy is currently facing the challenge of efficiently and effectively assessing the technical condition of grain harvesters, whether old or new. This has become an urgent issue that requires immediate attention. It is crucial to pay special attention to the quality of repair work done on the various units and components of these machines, ensuring that all necessary spare parts and accessories are provided.

N. V. Ustryalov’s aesthetic ant etatist patriotism

The relevance of the appeal to the concept of Homeland and patriotism by N.V. Ustryalov is determined by the similarity of the scale of cultural and political changes in the country and the world at the beginning of the 20th century and today. The concept of patriotism of the thinker was formed on the basis of an analysis of a specific socio-cultural situation and the formulation of its own definitions of categories such as "Motherland" and "state". The chosen methodology for analyzing his works combines the logical and philosophical method, the method of contextual analysis, and the method of comparative studies. As a result, it is proposed to give the concept of N.V. Ustryalov the name "aesthetic and etatist patriotism" and indicate its main provisions. Homeland is an aesthetic value, the form of existence of which, the state, combines the material and the social. Of the three components of the state, according to N.V. Ustryalov, the leading role belongs to the territory. Justifying his transition to the side of the Soviet government, the thinker points out that the actions of the Bolsheviks objectively contribute to the collection of the lands of the Russian Empire, and the national culture, including the culture of various nations, is being improved. Therefore, the Soviet state can legitimately be called a form of existence of the Motherland. Patriotism has qualities of aesthetic value, because it is truly human and aimed at affirming the beautiful, the priority of creative activity. The Ustryalov’s concept of aesthetic and etatist patriotism removes the contradiction between the high spiritual content of patriotism as a shrine and the utilitarianism of everyday tasks solved by social actors and it allows you to formulate specific criteria for people’s support for the authorities.

Russia’s Sharp Power: Tools and Practices of Implementation

Abstract The Russian Federation is the state that aims at achieving world leadership and restoring its former status as a superpower. Within the framework of such a strategy, the projection of ‘sharp power’ rather than ‘soft power’ gains its significance, since the former expands the wide range of tools for influencing the states and the world community per se. Due to the analysis of the main dimensions of ‘sharp power’, i.e., commerce, media, academia, technology, culture and entertainment, it was determined that Russia uses all channels of it in the countries of the post-Soviet space, which are outlined through the concept of the ‘Near Abroad’. In the group of tools, most widely used, are those from cultural, entertainment and media areas. A distinguishing tool for Russia is the dissemination of the ‘Russian World (Russkii Mir)’ model. It has been outlined that Russia is projecting its sharp power in a visible aspect on a number of countries of the Near Abroad, in particular, Kazakhstan, the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia. In addition, based on a number of interpretations, it has been hypothesized that among the goals of ‘sharp power’ is the increase and strengthening of authoritarian practices in the states on which this sharp power is projected.

Connection of BRICS and EAEU integration projects in the context of Russian economic development

The ongoing transformation of the Russian economy under external sanctions pressure determines the development of integration projects in the post-Soviet space, which differ in the form and depth of economic cooperation. The expansion of BRICS, as well as the strengthening of mutual trade with Asia and the search for new trading partners, is of great relevance in the context of studying trade and economic connectivity between the BRICS members, Russia and the EAEU countries. The article is devoted to the analysis of promising areas of cooperation between the BRICS countries and the EAEU. The purpose is to identify the most promising trading partners among the BRICS countries in the context of the expansion of the organization and the accession of five new members. The study highlights optimal models of cooperation between the EAEU and BRICS countries in the context of reorientation of trade flows. The conclusion of the article is the need to strengthen horizontal interaction between companies of the EAEU and BRICS jurisdictions in the context of increasing the volume of parallel imports of high-tech products and developing infrastructure projects that affect the interests of Russia and partner countries.

Duration of stay and the integration of migrants: (un)obvious relationships

The article presents the results of a study of the relationship between the duration of stay and the type of migration strategies with various aspects of the integration of migrants from post-Soviet states in Russian society. It is analyzed how at different time intervals (up to 5 years, after 5–10 years, after 10 years from the beginning of migration) improvements occur in status, quality of life, transnational connections (in relation to integration, a decrease in their “density”), language skills, interethnic contacts, the formation of Russian identity among long-term and circular external migrants. A research model is used that includes “relevant conditions” for each integration indicator. The empirical basis of the study was based on data from a nationwide survey of labor migrants conducted by the Center for Ethnopolitical and Regional Studies in 19 constituent entities of the Russian Federation (2017, sample of 7417 respondents). The results of the study show that changes in the status and frequency of interethnic contacts are not associated with duration of stay for either long-term or circular migrants, even when integration conditions are added to the analysis. The “density” of transnational connections changes significantly over time (the peak occurs between 5–10 years after the start of migration, and after 10 years it decreases), however, the interpretation of this connection requires further investigation. “Time” is positively related to such indicators of integration as language skills, quality of life, and identity formation. These connections do not disappear when “relevant conditions” of integration are added to the analysis, however, it is concluded that the duration of stay in itself is not a factor in progress in integration, but acts “together” with the context of migration, the motivation of the actors, their individual capabilities and available resources. resources that determine the trajectory and pace of the integration process.

Травмата от голямата промяна: полската и българската литература и преходът след 1989 година

The article follows Piotr Sztompka’s concept of the social transformation as collective cultural trauma in the postcommunist countries. Its symptoms, adaptive strategies and impact on the cultural sphere are described in Bulgarian and Polish context with examples from both literatures. Even though the post-1989 transformation is related to a major liberalization and overhaul of the ideological control and censorship in literature – an overall positive development – certain authors emphasize on the negative aspects of this social change in the cultural field. Vladimir Zarev’s Decay and Jan Polskowski’s Traces of Blood are analyzed as examples of novels which depict these negative outcomes of the post-1989 period. The text compares their depiction of the main charecters’s struggles, as well as the traumatic nature of their adaptation on the new postcommunist societies.

Cornflower Revolution of 2006 in Belarus in modern scientific discourse

The article examines the current state of historiography of the Color Revolution in Belarus in 2006. The sources are publications of Western and domestic scientists on this topic. The main concepts and approaches of North American, European, Belarusian and Russian specialists are considered, problematic positions in the study of the phenomenon of this Color Revolution in the post-Soviet space and ways to solve them are indicated. In the course of the analysis of scientific articles and monographs, the authors come to the conclusion that at the moment there are still a number of unexplored aspects in the scientific discourse regarding the unsuccessful coup d’etat in the Republic of Belarus, and therefore there is a need for a comprehensive and systematic study of this event.

Проблема деидеологизации: социально-ценностные аспекты (на примере современной молодежной среды)

Introduction. The article analyzes the social and value aspects of the problem of deideologization (using the example of the modern youth environment). The reasons, essence and social consequences of the rejection of the state ideology (national idea) are considered. The work of deep social mechanisms, such as social self-awareness and social self-reflection, is investigated. Theoretical analysis. The complexity of the issue under consideration is revealed, the functions of the state ideology and the reasons for abandoning it in the post-Soviet space are clarified, the goals and objectives of the work are specified. The interrelation of deideologization with the disappearance of constructive moral and value orientations and the formation of a number of negative social trends is investigated. Empirical analysis. The empirical base, methods and methodology of the research are clarified. A direct correlation of deideologization with the variety of manifestations of social infantilism and the growing popularity of a number of antisocial movements and moods is revealed. Conclusion. It is shown that in the conditions of the course taken in the post-perestroika period towards the de-ideologization of the country, modern youth have modified moral and value ideals that are detrimental to both personal growth and the development of society as a whole. Conclusions are formulated according to which volunteer and other positive social activity are one of the most effective ways to overcome the negative consequences of deideologization.

“Poles… are Trying… to Create a Bridgehead”: Th e Polish-Ukrainian Confl ict 1942-1947 in the Documents of the Soviet State Security Agencies (introductory article and publication by Yu. Shapoval, A. Kohut, Ya. Antoniuk)

“Poles… are Trying… to Create a Bridgehead”: Th e Polish-Ukrainian Confl ict 1942-1947 in the Documents of the Soviet State Security Agencies (introductory article and publication by Yu. Shapoval, A. Kohut, Ya. Antoniuk)

PROFESSOR ALFONS ERNESTOVICH VORMS (1868-1939)

The article is a biographical study devoted to the scienti c and public activities of a famous Russian lawyer Alfons Ernestovich Vorms (1868-1939). The article based on the materials of family and state archives as well as on published sources. The author has a task to open thoroughly the most important and interesting sides of A. E. Vorms’ life and activities. The main moments of his life path are shown in the article: from a talented student to a professor, who has a great authority in the scienti c world of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union. The author gives a characteristic to the most signi cant Vorms’ works and nds the features of his scienti c views. A. E. Vorms is an author of many works on civil, peasant, trade and bills law. He also was doing a great teaching and enlightening work, and he was a successful lawyer. At Soviet period, he also worked as a consultant for some Soviet and foreign companies and state bodies. At the end of his life, Vorms was repressed, spent several years in correctional labor camps of Siberia and nally died at Butyrka prison hospital. He was rehabilitated posthumously. The long-term and productive Vorms’ activities are the notable contribution to the history of Russian jurisprudence.

THE ORIGIN OF THE INSTITUTE OF INDETERMINATE SENTENCES IN SOVIET LEGISLATION 1918-1921

Based on various sources, the author of this article explores the process of the emergence of the institution of indeterminate sentences in Soviet legislation. Its American and European roots are revealed, reflected in the legislation of individual countries, discus sions on the issue of indeterminate sentences at international conferences and congresses. Also considered is the scientific position of prerevolutionary Russian scientists in relation to indeterminate sentences. Some of prerevolutionary scientists were in the public service, first during the Provisional Government, and then in the early Soviet period. In this regard, the author explores the specifics of the personnel of the Central Punitive Department of the People’s Commissariat of Justice in the initial period of its activity. It has been established that a number of prominent prerevolutionary criminologists could influence the content of Soviet legislation in terms of introducing elements of indeterminate sentences. In this regard, the first normative acts of the Soviet state of the criminal law and correctional labor industries (1918-1921) are analyzed. The author comes to the conclusion that during the period of the formation of the Soviet state in Russia, important prerequisites were formed for fixing the institution of indeterminate sentences in the legislation. The article may be of interest both for historians of law and for specialists in the field of criminal and penitentiary law.

Новейшая российская историография о жилищной реформе в годы «хрущевской оттепели»

This article focuses on analyzing specific recent works by Russian scientists that have made a significant contribution to studying the housing reform of the late 1950s – early 1960s. In their writings, they proved the historical significance of the implementation of the social program in the era of the “Khrushchev thaw”, unprecedented in scope for all the years of the existence of the Soviet state, which partially eliminated the housing crisis. The considered latest historiographical sources give grounds to draw a number of conclusions. Modern Russian scientists fairly objectively assess the reasons that predetermined the “shock” build-up of the housing stock in the era of the “Khrushchev thaw”, which made it possible for millions of Soviet citizens to get personal housing by moving from communal apartments and barracks to separate apartments with all amenities. Researchers generally do not biasively characterize the content and focus of housing reform implemented in a team-planned manner. They express original ideas regarding the institutional foundations of the coexistence of the implemented economic practice of the “mass-gross” approach in housing construction with the desire of the socialist state to develop housing construction for the benefit of the Soviet people, and also demonstrate important value judgments on a number of other controversial issues that have not received comprehensive scientific understanding.

Динамика культурно-политического развития ингушского народа в 1920–1930 гг.

The dynamics of the cultural and political development of the Ingush people during the 1920–1930s is examined in the article, focusing on the gradual elimination of their statehood. It presents an overview of the contradictory policies of Soviet power in the region. On one hand, processes of modernization and Europeanization were pursued under a unified Soviet policy, while on the other hand, they exhibited regional specificities. The inherent contradictions in the Soviet power’s national policies were inevitable within the totalitarian model of command-administrative systems. Despite declaring internationalism as the basis for a future communist society, the practical process of autonomization often involved the territorial division along ethnic lines, which sometimes did not align with the local population’s national composition. Territorial administration was arbitrary, leading to land disputes that remain relevant today. The Soviet government, pursuing a policy of cultural development of the Ingush Autonomous Region, creating a network of educational institutions, forming national personnel from among the Ingush, simultaneously carried out repression of the Ingush intelligentsia. This process was accompanied by territorial disturbances, resulting in the loss of established infrastructure alongside the loss of statehood. The policy of “korenizatsiya” (indigenization) was marked by excesses; however, the struggle for the cultural development of the Ingush people, as an integral part of the ideological work of the Soviet state, ultimately achieved significant successes.

Relevance of the legal regulation of military infrastructure capital construction objects during of the initial period of the Great Patriotic war

The article attempts to summarize some aspects of the experience of legal regulation of capital construction of military infrastructure facilities, which was accumulated during the Great Patriotic War, especially during its most difficult, first period, when the initiative was in the hands of the aggressor, and the Soviet state faced the vital issue of rapid economic transition, including military-the construction complex — on the rails of functioning in conditions of a real military threat. The idea of the continuing relevance of this experience in the current situation of a real threat to the sovereignty of Russia is consistently carried out, proposals are formulated on the need, taking into account the specifics of the construction of the above-mentioned facilities, to codify the norms governing the capital construction of military defense infrastructure facilities in the Military Construction Code of the Russian Federation with the unity of command of the federal body in the field of defense — the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation at all stages capital construction of these facilities.

Responses to the jobs crisis. Digital transformations of the Romanian labor market

The present article presents a sociological analysis of the sources of crisis in the context of the Romanian labour market, compared to post-socialist and post-Soviet countries. The study examines the labour market changes over the past two decades, from the economic crisis of 2008 to the COVID-19 crisis. The article shows how socioeconomic vulnerabilities during crises interacted with the transformations caused by employment policies, technological transformations of work and neoliberal measures on the labour market in Romania.

Паттерны трансформации партийных систем стран ЕС: направление перемен и причины различий

The article presents an original classification of patterns of transformation of party systems in EU countries under the influence of the institutionalization of a new post-industrial cleavage. Drawing on theories of cleavage and spatial competition and using party positioning databases, electoral indices and statistics, the author attempts to identify the main trajectories of the transformation of the European party systems between 1990 and 2023 and identify factors that explain the differences between them. The study identified five patterns associated with the effects of two key parameters. The first one is the structural specificity of the conditions of party competition in post-communist and other EU countries, associated with the difference between the old structured and new volatile party systems. The second parameter is the type of a country’s party-political system in accordance with Arend Lijphart’s classification — either majoritarian-polarized or coalition-consensus. While under majoritarian system the institutionalization of a new cleavage often gave rise to a radical breakdown of the old configuration of parties with the emergence of powerful populist forces, under consensus system — a smooth increase in fragmentation with the outflow of votes in favor of various new parties and the complication of the process of forming coalitions. For a number of countries other factors, such as the level of socio-economic development, ethnocentricity of politics, the type of electoral system and the stability of the welfare state appeared relatively important. In contrast, hypotheses about the significance of the initial configuration of party systems, the timing of formation of new parties and the geographical proximity of countries were not confirmed.

Ukraine in Soviet Narratives about the October Revolution: A Case Study of Ihor Savchenko’s Film Ballad About Cossack Holota (1937)

Ukraine’s social, political, and cultural history has become a controversial issue since the 1990s. Dominant until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the discourse about the Soviet brotherly nations has since been contested by depictions of Ukraine as politically and ideologically divided over the course of its 20th-century history. Russia-Ukraine war that began with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 Feb 2022 has had a dramatic impact on the process of replacing the formerly standard version of Ukraine’s past with new interpretations. At the same time, Russia’s war on Ukraine has also demonstrated that Soviet-era collective memory about the key events in Soviet history has outlived the Soviet state and has been mobilized for political use. When in pain of heart a Ukrainian politician says that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has cancelled a shared past of Ukraine and Russia, he refers to a familiar discourse about these nations’ familial ties (Tkach). With this discourse now shattered, the question of particular salience is: How was the idea of brotherhood between Ukraine and other Soviet nations expressed and sustained? How did it evolve? In light of Russia-Ukraine war, the stories that were building blocks of the Soviet foundational narrative about Ukraine and Russia as fraternal nations are worth revisiting. An analysis of such stories reveals the mechanism of making Ukraine’s part an integral part of Soviet culture. In this paper, I discuss the issue of the evolution of the Soviet discourse about ‘eternal friendship of Ukrainian and Russian peoples’ in the example of Igor Savchenko’s film Ballad About Cossack Holota ( Duma pro kozaka Golotu, 1937), released by the Gorkii Film Studio as part of the celebrations of the twentieth anniversary of the October Revolution. Igor Savchenko (Ihor Savchenko in 24 | WEEReview 13 | 2024 Ukraine in Soviet Narratives about the October Revolution Ukrainian) was a Ukrainian Soviet film director who made films both in Russian and Ukrainian film studios; his work played an important role in promoting the idea of familial ties between Ukraine and Russia. Ballad About Cossak Holota is based on Arkadii Gaidar’s novella for children R.V.S. (1925) that is set during the Civil War in Ukraine, following the October Revolution. Savchenko’s film is especially interesting in how he reworks Gaidar’s story; he depicts events of the Civil War in the context of Ukraine’s 17th-18th-century history, drawing on Ukrainian folklore. Cossack Holota, a character from Ukrainian folklore, becomes a symbol of the revolutionary liberation of Ukraine, a promise of a just social and political order. Drawing on memory studies, post-colonial theory, and theory of deconstruction, I discuss the artistic means that Savchenko used in order to integrate Ukraine’s experience of the revolution and the Civil War into the Soviet discourse about the fight for Soviet power. Savchenko constructs Ukraine’s response to the revolution by making use of tropes of a big family, Biblical imagery, elements of folk culture, conventions of the adventure film. The study of Savchenko’s film contributes to our understanding of the debates about Soviet-era and presentday collective memory about the October Revolution and the Civil War in Ukraine and Russia. As the discourse about the biggest Soviet nations’ familial unity is yet another casualty of Russia-Ukraine war, it is important to consider how the idea of brotherhood between Ukraine and other Soviet nations was expressed in Soviet cinema. Such analysis explains why Ukrainian’s common emotional response to the start of the war was that of a feeling of shock and betrayal.

Foreign Policy Aspects of the Activities of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the First Convocation (on the 30th Anniversary of the Start of Work)

The article considers the foreign policy aspects of the activities of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the First convocation. The specifics of the main results of parliamentary votes of this period, which were related to international-political realities, in the context of their relationship with the conceptual foundations and implementation of Russian foreign policy, have been characterized. Features of the composition and nature of the activities of the lower house of the Russian parliament of this period have been identified. The conceptualization of the Russian Federation’s foreign policy has been analyzed. The initiatives and decisions of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the First convocation in the field of foreign policy and international relations have been assessed. It is shown that these were due to the specifics of its personal composition, where there was no strict factional discipline and a clear advantage of any political force, which determined the need for situational interaction. The normal work of the lower house of parliament became possible largely due to the efforts of its Chairman, who took a centrist position. It is substantiated that the State Duma, operating in conditions of complex socio-economic problems and the colossal weakening of Russia’s international political positions, demonstrated significant activity in international political initiatives that covered a wide range of topical issues with an emphasis on the situation in the states of the post-Soviet space. These decisions were relatively balanced, which was explained by the approximately equal distribution of resources between the so-called “left”, “right”, “centrists” and “national patriots”, as well as the presence of “common bloc” issues, positions on which coincided or did not cause obvious contradictions. The international political initiatives of the State Duma of the First convocation were distinguished by greater realism and emphasis on the protection of national interests than the content of conceptual documents and the foreign policy course pursued by the state. This happened against the background and simultaneously with the beginning of the process of rethinking the foreign policy approaches of the Russian Federation, which had a significant influence on it.