Soviet Russia Research Articles

The fate of the leaders of the Black -Hundred movement in Soviet Russia: modern Russian historiography

The article discusses the issues of the formation of the historical policy of the Republic of Turkmenistan under the presidency of S.A. Niyazov (1991-2006). The basic concepts of the origin of the Turkmen nation are analyzed. The idea is substantiated that the Rukhnama is the fundamental epic in the formation of historical policy in the republic. Attention is drawn to the figure of S.A. Niyazov as key figures in the historical politics of the republic. In addition, the article examines the figures of the father and mother of the first President of Turkmenistan. Their important component in creating a commemorative narrative together with the figure of Turkmenbashi is emphasized. The key attention in the article is paid to the formation of the commemorative calendar of the republic, as one of the factors in the action of historical policy in the country. The key memorable dates that testify to the history and origins of the emergence of Turkmen statehood are analyzed. The main legal acts and news portals are considered, indicating the formation of commemorative practices in the Republic of Turkmenistan from 1991 to 2006. The important role of memory institutions is highlighted. Much attention is paid to international, scientific, educational and cultural (museum) organizations that have a significant influence on the formation of the country's institutional and commemorative policy. The main tasks and directions of activity of specialized memory structures are analyzed.

САРАТОВЦЫ НА СТРАНИЦАХ "МОИХ ВОСПОМИНАНИЙ" КНЯЗЯ С.М. ВОЛКОНСКОГО (ЗАМЕТКИ ЧИТАТЕЛЯ-АРХИВИСТА)

Over the past three decades, the works by Russian émigré Prince S.M. Volkonsky, the grandson of the Decembrist, one of the outstanding figures of Russian culture and an heir to European cultural traditions, has become well known in his homeland. The book “My Memoirs,” written by Volkonsky in Soviet Russia but published in emigration, is rightfully considered to be the pinnacle of Russian memoirs. A rich panorama of life over half a century is presented in his work, among other things, through the prince’s numerous encounters with a variety of people – both from his circle and those completely alien to him. The author of the article identifies from Volkonsky’s narrative the characters that were associated with one of the largest cities on the Volga River– Saratov. Traces of those people over the century have not been lost in archival and museum documents, bearing witness to the very existence of the particular Saratov residents. The milestones of their destinies – as the wanderers in time and space (and that was the way Volkonsky liked to portray them) – continue to be confirmed in the works of present-day researchers. The governor of Saratov, a talented musician-ascetic, a conservative teacher-translator and a Bolshevik, a “herald of the new world” – the images of those people appear on the pages of Volkonsky’s memoirs only once, occasionally. But they are remembered thanks to the memory of the one who passed them down for us.

Полемика о путях развития русской литературы в эмигрантской критике 20–30-х гг. XX в.

The paper is devoted to the polemics on the ways of development of Russian literature in emigration, in which Mark Slonim, Zinaida Gippius, Alfred Bem, Vladislav Khodasevich, and Georgii Adamovich all took part. The article considers the critical views of Khodasevich and Adamovich in relation to the position of Slonim, whose article “Living Literature and Dead Critics” made these polemics central to the emigrant critical literature of the 1920–1930s. Slonim thought that emigrant literature was only a branch of the common trunk of Russian literature that remained in Soviet Russia. According to Khodasevich, any literary tradition representing Russian literature in emigration never developed, and the array of different works of individual authors could not form the unity called emigrant literature. Adamovich, even though he denied the possible development of Russian literature, believed that the problem could be solved by the artistic expression of an individual’s self in simple forms of language devoid of any beauty.

ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОЕ НОТОИЗДАТЕЛЬСКОЕ ДЕЛО ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЫ XIX – НАЧАЛА XX ВВ.: ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ И ОСОБЕННОСТИ ФУНКЦИОНИРОВАНИЯ ОТРАСЛИ

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the development of the domestic music publishing business in the second half of the XIX – early XX centuries, the structure, organization and functioning of trade activities of large and small enterprises. Strategically important positions that create a holistic view of the mechanisms of obtaining material profit, effective ways of enlarging and optimizing printing production are identified, the system-forming factors influencing the process of individualization of its corporate identity are indicated. These include: foreign entrepreneurs who headed a number of the largest Russian firms; commercial strategies aimed at monopolizing the market and strengthening its dynamics. An important addition to this context are: the presence or absence of its own music printing, the production and sale of musical instruments, accessories and related products, as well as the experience of patronage and charity, which has no analogues in world practice, allowing us to talk about the exceptional cultural status and phenomenon of domestic music publishing. The work of well-known trademarks after 1917 in Soviet Russia and abroad becomes a great information resource of the declared topic. The totality of the results obtained creates an idea of the various facets of this phenomenon in the space-time dynamics and perspective and forms additional opportunities for its study

От военного коммунизма к «расширению» новой экономической политики: эволюция внутренней политики большевиков в отношении сельского населения Кубани и Черноморья (1920–1926 гг.)

Introduction. The article studies a topical issue of forming a model of the relationship between the Bolsheviks and the Russian peasantry in the conditions of the economic and military-political crisis of the early 1920s. The issue under consideration acquires not only theoretical, but also pronounced practical significance. In the context of modern permanent reforms, the development of an optimal strategy for interaction between the state and society becomes an important task. The opportunity to turn to historical experience makes it possible to avoid repetition of confrontational scenarios, and on the other hand, to use proven experience in overcoming the crisis of relationships. The historiography of the issue is very extensive and has passed through four main stages in its development: the first – 1920s – 1930s, the second – 1930s the first half of the 1950s; the third – mid-1950s – 1980s and the fourth – the second half of the 1980s – to the present time, which is characterized by the dependence of researchers on the political situation prevailing in the country. Materials and Methods. The research is based on new documentary sources contained in federal and regional archives, which allow us to study the process of forming the internal policy of the Bolsheviks in the agrarian region. The research uses retrospective, problem-chronological methods, as well as comparative-historical and systemic-structural approaches. Analysis. Soviet Russia experienced a military and political crisis in the early 1920s. The logic and content of the internal policy of the RCP(b) was reduced to retaining power and suppressing the resistance of a part of the rural population that actively expressed their disagreement. Results. In the course of the study, we came to the following conclusions that during the NEP period, the evolution of the Bolsheviks domestic policy towards the rural population depended on the results of food, land policy and elections to the soviets, but at the same time, elements of war communism were present in all spheres of social and economic life.

Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի բռնակցումը Ադրբեջանին։ հիմնախնդիրը ադրբեջանական պատմագիտության խեղաթյուրումների համապատկերում / The Annexation of Nagorny Karabakh to Azerbaijan: the Issue Within the Context of Distortions of Azerbaijani Historiography

The purpose of the article is to present the infamous decision of the Caucasian Bureau (Kovburo) of the Communist Party of Russia (CP/b/P) of July 5, 1921 on the entry of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan and to show the illegality of this decision by investigating the facts. The study was conducted with the following objectives: 1. to show the strategy of Soviet Azerbaijan, which adopted and continued the occupation policy of Musavatist Azerbaijan with regard to Nagorno-Karabakh; 2. to reveal the diplomatic steps of Soviet Azerbaijan for the gradual annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh; 3. to present the decisions of thgovernment of Soviet Armenia to annex Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenian state; 4. to decipher Narimanov's policy as an attempt to take advantage of the coincidence of interests of Soviet Russia and Turkey; 5. to reveal the reasons for the deviation from the pro-Armenian decision of the Kavburo of the RK/ B/K of July 4, 6. to consider the fact of annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan in the context of distortions of Azerbaijani historiography.

Genesis of Azerbaijan-Artsakh Conflict

The purpose of the article, based on domestic and foreign sources, is to show when, for what reason and under what circumstances the Azerbaijani Artsakh conflict arose. In order to achieve the set goal, the following problems were put forward: when was the state called Azerbaijan created, when and under what circumstances did the Azerbaijani-Artsakh conflict arise, what was the status of Artsakh at the time of the conflict arise? The article is written through a comparison and comparative study of the original sources related to the issue, as well as an examination analysis of the scientific works related to it. As a result of the joint examination of facts and documents related to the issue, as well as historical and political literature, we came to the conclusion that the Azerbaijani-Artsakh conflict arose in 1918, when the Ottoman Turkish government created a fake "state" called the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus region through the invasion of Transcaucasia by the Turkish army. 103 years ago, Soviet Azerbaijan recognized Nagorno Karabagh as part of Soviet Armenia. Besides that, 103 years ago, Soviet Azerbaijan recognized the right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination. Despite that, by an illegal decision of the Caucasus Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Soviet Russia a political body of a third country of July 5, 1921 the territory of Artsakh was forcibly included into Soviet Azerbaijan, without taking into account the will of the people of Artsakh.

Русский книжный дом в Стокгольме – «Издательство З. И. Гржебина»

The activity of the key publishing enterprise of the Russian emigration in Sweden publishing enterprise of the Russian emigration in Sweden during the period of the “first” wave is reconstructed – “Z. I. Grzebin Publishing House”. The fate, repertoire, mission, role of Z. I. Grzebin in the context of processes within and beyond the Russian Abroad are explored. Editions issued by “Z. I. Grzebin Publishing House” in Stockholm are identified. The prospects of merging the organization with E. A. Lyatsky’s “Northern Lights” are comprehended. It is argued that the relocation of the “Z. I. Grzebin Publishing House” to Berlin occurred due to geographical, economic and logistical factors. The reason for the closure of the publishing house was its focus on the rapidly recovering Soviet Russia and the futility of the small “provincial” market of Russian emigration in Sweden and Finland. The organization in its “Stockholm” period published natural science, educational and children’s books. Z. I. Grzebin’s enterprise mostly produced softcover books. The importance of studying and accepting the historical experience and heritage of “other” Russia in the context of the identity and development path of modern Russia is voiced.

Reflection of Late Imperial Discussions on Education of “Foreigners” in The Practice of National Construction of Soviet Russia (1918—1925, on the Example of the Orenburg Region)

The author traces the continuity between the projects of integration of “foreigners” into the imperial space by means of an education system without the rigid conditions of linguistic and cultural homogenization of Muslims, dating back to the late imperial period, and the first decrees of the Soviet authorities on the “free national development” of representatives of all ethnicities and nationalities of the Soviet Republic. This right was realized especially visibly in the construction of a new system of education. The work shows the steps of the People's Commissariat of the Kazakh Autonomous Republic (KASSR) to create a unified labor school, to train teaching staff, including for Kazakh schools, to organize the publication of new textbooks and manuals on the history of the Kyrgyz Republic in both Russian and Kazakh languages.

"НАРКОМИНДЕЛ СТАВИТ БОРЬБУ ЗА РЕВОЛЮЦИЮ ВЫШЕ ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКИХ ИНТЕРЕСОВ НЫНЕШНИХ И БУДУЩИХ АРХИВНЫХ СПЕЦИАЛИСТОВ…" (НАРКОМ НКИД Г.В. ЧИЧЕРИН И СОВЕТСКИЕ АРХИВЫ)

The article carries out research on the individual stories reflecting the interdepartmental contradictions between the NKID (represented by its head G.V. Chicherin) and the Central Archives (headed by M.N. Pokrovsky) on the issue of using the archival documents of the imperial diplomatic institutions. Based on the previously unpublished Central Archives materials of the years 1926–1927 stored in the special depository of the Russian Civil Aviation, Chicherin’s general position on the use of the documentary heritage of the Imperial Foreign Ministry is revealed; the paper also describes the essence of the contradictions concerning the procedure for the collecting, systematizing and using the documents. There is a detailed study of Chicherin’s attempts to build business relations with the representatives of the Soviet archival department and of Pokrovsky’s opposition to that. The arguments of both sides in defense of their own position are discussed separately. Particular attention is paid to the “revolutionary” ideological component of Chicherin’s argumentation, to the assumption that the archives are a tool for Soviet Russia to realize its own global historic mission. A conclusion is drawn about the nature of the established cultural practices of the new bureaucracy.The study of the emerging access mechanisms of various government departments to the process of extracting historical facts broadens our understanding of the Soviet experience of the political-ideological “conveyor” and leads the authors to the conclusion that the resource approach to archival, documentary heritage is a typical element of the political culture of the Soviet period, and it has effectively migrated to the modern era.

«Новая Русь» и опыт совместного русско-шведского книгоиздания

The publications of Russian-Swedish publishing enterprises of the period of the first wave of Russian emigration is observed – "Novaya Rus’", PLC Hasse V. Tullberg and the printing house "Progress". Their repertoire and further fate are studied in the context of processes within the Russian Abroad and beyond. For the first time based on archival materials from the manuscript department of the IRLI (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences the list of the publishing house "Novaya Rus’" is reconstructed. The editions of the joint-stock company Hasse V. Tullberg and the printing house "Progress" are revealed. They published fiction, educational, children’s and memoire publications. The key reasons for the closure of the three organizations was their orientation towards the rapidly recovering Soviet Russia and futility of the small "provincial market of Russian emigration in Northern Europe. The importance of studying and accepting the historical experience and heritage of the "other" Russia in the context of the identity and development path of modern Russia is arised.

Czechoslovak politicians in Soviet diplomatic reports and the issue of establishing official relations between Czechoslovakia and Russia / USSR (early 1920s)

The article analyzes the reports of Soviet representatives to the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs about the views and policies of Czechoslovak state and political figures regarding Russia (the USSR) in the 1920s. Trying to achieve official recognition of Soviet Russia, and then the USSR, the heads of the Soviet mission in the Czechoslovak Republic S. I. Gillerson, P. N. Mostovenko, K. K. Yurenev, V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko, A. Ya. Arosev reported to G. V. Chicherin and M. M. Litvinov about the positions of the president, ministers, heads of political parties, diplomats of Czechoslovak Republic on this issue. At the same time, they often gave detailed characteristics of Czechoslovak figures, pointed out the internal factors and external reasons that prevented the ratification of the temporary Soviet-Czechoslovak agreement of 1922 and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In addition, in these reports were recorded changes in the positions of individual politicians towards Russia depending on external circumstances. The documents of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation and published materials on the history of Soviet-Czechoslovak relations, used by the author, help to understand better the problematic nature of the relations between the two countries.

ОСНОВНЫЕ КАТЕГОРИИ РАННЕГО СОВЕТСКОГО ИСКУССТВА

The article considers the main categoriesof early Soviet art. Those include “life-building” (N. Chuzhak), “production” (N. Chuzhak), “socialization of aesthetics” (B. Arvatov), “art and production” (B. Arvatov), “proletarian artist” (O. Brik), “proletarian art” and others. Addressing those categories precedes outlining the context of the production art emergence in the USSR, which is characterized by the aestheticization of the industrial theme and the connection with the general competitive attitude. As part of the appeal to the latter, the article deals with the phenomenon of acceleration in the Soviet project, namely, attempts to manage time. The author emphasizes the growth and aggravation of the reflection of “collective immersion in the temporal” in the Soviet culture of the 20–30s. The famous refrain of the “poet of the revolution” V. Mayakovsky “Time, forward!” is considered as a gesture of radical denial of the old and at the same time the assertion of a new view of art and aesthetics undertaken in early Soviet Russia. According to the author’s intuition, all such attempts are ultimately connected with a new project of a person in a new state, which had to exist in a new way and reflect these ways of being in art in a new way

Братья Степан и Иван Кондурушкины

The article highlights the hitherto understudied connection between the biography and literary activity of law enforcement officer of Soviet Russia Ivan Kondurushkin and the work of his brother, writer Stepan Kondurushkin. The research partially reconstructs Ivan’s writing fate, which began with the mediation of his brother back in pre-revolutionary times in collaboration with the children’s magazine “Tropinka.” The article raises the question about the relationship between the literary heritage of the Kondurushkin brothers and the fact of inclusion of Stepan’s works in Ivan’s collection of stories “In the Snowy Mountains” (1930). The literary fate of the story “Gandeikin’s Life” (1909), republished in 1930 under the title “Vanka the Prisoner,” is examined in detail. Analysis of the work by Ivan reveals that the facts of the biography of the writer’s brother, Stepan Kondurushkin, formed the basis of the story of the main character. The article provides a comparative analysis of two editions of the story by Ivan, reveals elements of autobiography in the story “Vanka Prison,” and emphasizes the author’s changes in social aspects according to the new socio-political situation in Russia. The conclusion emphasizes that the presence of brother’s texts in Ivan’s literary work creates difficulties in determining the author of a particular story, which allows us to formulate as a scientific problem the question of determining the authorship of some texts of the Kondurushkin brothers.

ETHNIC CONFLICT: AN OVERVIEW OF POST-SOVIET RUSSIA

After the de-centralisation and collapse of the Soviet Union, the aftermath brought chaos, and the major challenge was the manifestation of serious conflict on ethnic lines. The emergence of the Russian Federation was not peaceful, and violence remained a core character in the making of the Russian Federation in the aftermath of Post Soviet Russia. The series of issues brought major ramifications of newly formed states carved out from the large Society federation as an independent entity. The collapse of the Soviet federation created fifteen independent states amidst ethnic tension across the federation. The outcome was chaos, political disintegration and struggle for autonomy in the making of power transition.

The Periphery of the USSR: Indian Travellers’ Perception of the Eastern Bloc and Non-Russian Soviet Republics in the Cold War Era

This article examines the perception of countries of the Eastern bloc and Soviet republics other than the Russian Soviet Republic in Indian travelogues of the Cold War era written in the Bengali language. Although most Indian travellers who came to the European countries of the Eastern bloc and the USSR at that period only visited the main cities of the Russian Soviet Republic, some ventured into lesser known territories, e.g. Estonia, Poland, or Ukraine, and in their travel accounts included one or two chapters on those regions. The distinctive feature of their travelogues is the strong focus on various aspects of social and economic life, from the education system, through workers’ rights, to public housing, and on the progress Eastern bloc countries made since coming under Soviet influence. The article argues that Indian travellers created the image of Eastern bloc countries and Soviet republics other than the Russian Soviet Republic as a periphery of Soviet Russia by constantly comparing the two, presenting Russia as the heart of the Soviet world and focusing on problems other parts of the USSR and the Eastern bloc still faced despite of what they perceived as Moscow’s assistance.

The Secret Diplomacy of Turkish Nationalists and The Soviets In 1919

Following the Treaty of Mudros, a pivotal moment in the history of the weakened Ottoman Empire, Turkish nationalist forces emerged and initiat-ed a struggle for national liberation. To achieve success in this endeavor, it became imperative to establish a strategic alliance with a party that shared common interests with Turkish nationalists and was amenable to providing military assistance. In this context, amidst the conflict against imperialist forces, Soviet Russia emerged as the sole viable guarantor of survival. The Bolshevik leadership, recognizing the need for an ally in the south, perceived the Kemalist revolution as a means of propagating socialism and replacing pan-Islamist ideologies with revolutionary nationalism. This paper delves into the historical events at the onset of the national libera-tion movement in Turkey. Its primary objective is to identify the key individ-uals involved in negotiations between the Kemalist Turks and the Bolsheviks and to elucidate the dynamics of these negotiations. The study employs qual-itative research methods, particularly descriptive and historical event inter-pretation methods, to substantiate hypotheses and contextualize the alliance between the Bolsheviks and Turkish nationalists. Furthermore, this research endeavors to ascertain the negotiators’ identities through an analysis of pri-mary sources. Through a rigorous examination of historical facts and analysis, our study concludes that the alliance between the Bolsheviks and the Kemalist Turks was forged out of mutual interest. The initial meeting between Georgian Chekists and Turkish nationalists in Havza played a pivotal role in forming this alliance, which, in turn, had profound ramifications for global geopolitics and the fate of the South Caucasus.

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE OF PAVLODAR IRTYSH REGION

This article discusses the general characteristics and main periods of development of Russian literature of the Pavlodar Irtysh region as an essential part of Kazakhstani literary process. As a continuation of a series of articles on the regional literature of the region as an object of the author’s doctoral dissertation research, this study summarizes currently available information on this topic and presents the author’s concept of periodization of the Russian literature of the region according to the socio-political, cultural, ideological processes in regional, Kazakhstani and world space. The study allows to identify the distinction of the literary process of the Pavlodar Irtysh region in its retro- and perspective based on systematization of literary facts of more than a century of history, and as a result, to qualify the place of this literature in the Kazakhstani and world literary continuum. At the initial stage of its origin, regional literature was associated with writers, who later became remarkable figures of Soviet Russian literature, but protected a metaphysical, spiritual connection with Pavlodar and Kazakhstan as a whole. At the second stage of its development, the Pavlodar Russian-speaking literature was in compliance with the development of Soviet Russian literature. The third period of development is characterized by feelings of uncertainty, anxiety for the future of the country and people, for the retaining of the moral and spiritual foundations of a society. At the present stage, Internet resources are becoming a favorite form of communication between word-painters and readers, suggesting various forms of self-presentation of authors, the possibility of feedback and commenting; the women’s poetry is developing.

Motyw nadziei w twórczości Igora Talkowa

The aim of this paper is to present the literary theme of hope in the works of the Soviet Russian rock poet Igor Talkov (1956–1991). The poet’s poems as well as fragments of texts from the author’s prose serve as examples. In the course of analyzing the literary legacy of the composer, the author of the article distinguishes the following images of hope: the theme of hope conditioned by striving to fulfil his role in a dignified way in the arena of life; the theme of hope for the immortality of the poet’s fame and poetry; an inverted image of hope, interpreted as a loss of delusions; the theme of hope leading to victory in the unequal struggle of two ambivalent forces: Good and Evil; the theme of hope which is faith in a better life. Moreover, the conducted research shows that the poet, recalling the literary image of hope in his work, repeatedly referred to biblical texts and the works of the authors of the Golden Age, which, as works by Igor Talkov, allows to distinguish another characteristic feature of the presented speech master.

KOMSOMOL AND THE WOMEN’S PROBLEMATIC

Komsomol, an organization for both male and female youth aged 14 to 28, was founded in 1918 in Moscow and continued until the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. The organization was important in shaping the new Soviet society. Due to this, it has become a subject of many scholarly studies. But different from them, this study, utilizing many archival sources, focuses on the role and place of women in the Komsomol. Through archival examples from both Soviet Russia and the Turkic republics in the Soviet Union such as Uzbekistan, Karachay-Cherkess, Kalmykia from the beginning of Komsomol to the WWII era, this study aims to examine and show to what extent women participated in the Komsomol activities, administration and how male members approached them. While doing this, it emphasizes what changed and what continued in time.