State Archives Research Articles

Непряма благотворительная помощь американских и российских организаций и частных лиц в пользу России в годы Первой мировой войны

In the article has been attempted to consider the history of distant relief from the American and Russian organizations and individuals in favor of Russian disadvantaged children and orphans, sick and wounded Russian soldiers during the World War I. At the moment, in the Russian and American historiography, humanitarian cooperation between Russia and the United States is presented very fragmentally and haphazardly, and this topic has not received the deserved attention of researchers at all. Consequently, the author has identified the following purpose of this article – to summarize and expand the available material about the American and Russian relief and humanitarian assistance, to identify the features, forms and instruments of its activities, as well as to draw a general conclusion about the scale and benefits of the aforementioned assistance to Russia during the European war. The article was written on the basis of materials from the American and Russian periodicals, published documents and archive sources stored in the funds of The Russian State Historical Archive, the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Archive of the Navy. As a result, the author concluded that this assistance was of a national coverage and was expressed by both temporary and permanent American relief organizations. Russian organizations, which were under the auspices of Russian diplomatic authorities in the United States, set goal to collect funds through various entertainment events. Nevertheless, these donations took a small part in solving the problem of shortage of sanitary property. In general, both sides engaged in charitable activities not only out of a sense of compassion and a sincere desire to provide all possible assistance, but also within the framework of public diplomacy aimed at creating a favorable image of their country and stimulating friendly relations between Russia and the United States.

История становления и развития Краснодарской научной медицинской школы анестезиологии и реаниматологии

Today, a relevant aspect of developing a competent understanding of medicine as a complex science interconnected with a number of humanities disciplines is to consider its history through the prism of the most outstanding research teams of scientific medical schools. The presented article is devoted to consideration of the historical path of formation and development of the scientific medical school of anesthesiology and resuscitation in Kuban. The authors provide data on the prerequisites (conditions for improving knowledge about anesthesiology and resuscitation in the region) and the main stage of this process. The materials of the historiographic research were data from archival funds, in particular the state archive of the Krasnodar Territory and the Museum of History of the Kuban State Medical University, personal collections of members of the scientific school, as well as specialized literature within the scope of the work. The research methodology involved the use of chronological, biographical, analytical and narrative methods.

Unsung Heroes in Sabah’s Historiography: The Indigenous Community in the Anti-Japanese Movement in North Borneo, 1942–1945

The Petagas War Memorial, erected in 1946, is the official symbol of Sabah’s anti-Japanese resistance between 1942 to 1945. The memorial focuses on the predominantly Chinese Kinabalu Guerrilla Defence Force (KGDF), which managed to secure vital assistance and cooperation from Sabah’s peribumi (indigenous) community. However, it does not adequately capture their contributions despite becoming the backbone of KGDF. Without them, the anti-Japanese movement would not have run smoothly nor achieved any form of success (albeit short-lived). On the 21st of January, the war memorial hosts an annual commemoration of KGDF against Japan. However, it tends to ignore the contributions of indigenous fighters. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the recognition that should have been given to Sabah’s indigenous fighters against the Japanese occupation in Sabah, exploring the cooperation between Sabah’s indigenous community and the KGDF in the anti-Japanese movement between 1942 and 1945. The aim is to place the role of former fighters in its proper context. This study is based on library research as well as interviews. The primary resources from the library research are derived from reports, files and newspapers found in the Sabah State Archives. Interviews are utilised to complement archival sources, especially in the absence of written records.

Scientific and technical business trips of scientists to Germany in the 1920s as one of the factors in the development of the Leningrad industrial complex

In the article, the author examines Leningrad scientists’ business trips to Germany in the 1920s as one of the directions of technology transfer mechanism implementation. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the example of Leningrad shows the substance of this line of transfer, as well as a general assessment of its effectiveness. Thus, the historical memory of a unique experience is restored, which may be of interest at the present stage of Russia’s development. The study focuses on the problems of scientific and technical international cooperation with local scientific communities. This fills a gap in historical scholarship, as the specifics of such cooperation are considered mainly either at a community level or at the level of an individual organisation or individual. The main goal of the study is to determine the extent to which the contacts between Leningrad scientists and German specialists, established in the 1920s, influenced the modernisation of the Leningrad industrial complex. Research objectives are: to analyse the main cooperation directions between Leningrad scientists and German institutes, scientific centres, and laboratories in the period under consideration; to classify business trips, to identify general patterns, and to analyse the specific features of different types of business trips and their results. The article draws on a broad source base that includes previously unpublished archive documentation of the Russian State Academy of Economics, Central State Archive of St. Petersburg, and the Central State Academy of Technical Sciences of St. Petersburg. In the course of the study, drawing on specific cases, it was demonstrated that the active involvement of scientific personnel in Petrograd/Leningrad contributed to the accelerated development of a number of Soviet industries, such as diesel engineering, turbo and hydraulic turbine engineering, chemical processing of peat and shale, etc., made it possible to form the necessary technical base, as well as develop the human resources of scientific institutions and enterprises of the city.

Agricultural Sector of Ulyanovsk Region (1966-1970): A Focus on Crop Production

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the modernization processes in the crop production sector of the Ulyanovsk region during the Eighth Five-Year Plan. The research draws on unpublished documents sourced from the State Archive of the Ulyanovsk Region and the State Archive of Contemporary History of the Ulyanovsk Region, a significant portion of which is introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time, alongside statistical materials and periodicals. The study examines the efforts of party organs and farm leadership aimed at intensifying the development of crop production. It addresses the authorities’ personnel policies regarding the expansion of vocational and technical education institutions, the organization of training courses for specialists in mass professions, and the enhancement of their qualifications to meet agricultural needs. The dynamics of crop production development from 1966 to 1970 are analyzed, evaluating the achievements of regional farms in producing key agricultural products. The author concludes that, despite facing problematic farms and a slight reduction in areas allocated for grain crops, the authorities in the Ulyanovsk region managed not only to meet but also to exceed the planned targets for yield, total harvest, and state procurement volumes of primary crop products during this period.

The case study of acquiring the repository of archival documents (1989–1993) on Chernobyl disaster mitigation efforts in Kaluga Region

The authors discuss the findings of the study of documents of 1989-1993 issued by the executive authorities and preserved in the State Archive of Kaluga Region. The purpose of the study is building the electronic archive of the documents related to Chernobyl disaster mitigation efforts on the contaminated territories. The research method of data analysis was applied. As a result of the accomplished study, the document repository was established to preserve the most significant materials related to the recovery of radiation contaminated lands of Kaluga region. The documents for the conversion into electronic formats were selected by criteria of the relation to the actual mitigation efforts. The study findings may be applied to analyze administrative decisions on various stages of execution, in particular, to assess the impact of statement of controlled radiation contaminated areas and disruption of the existing economic set-up.

Крестьянские миграции в степные области: причинные факторы и способы их преодоления в оценках представителей консервативного направления второй половины XIX – начала XX вв.

One of the characteristic features of Russia’s post-reform development was the migration of part of the agricultural segment to its Asian possessions, which caused a lively socio-political discussion in the country. Supporters of the conservative trend play a significant role in discussing the causes of these migrations, identifying the crisis in peasant farming as the principal driver of mass movement toward the empire’s periphery. This article is based on administrative documentation from the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan concerning the movement of agrarian migrants into the Kazakh steppe and the actions undertaken by regional and provincial administrations to accommodate them. It also draws from materials in periodical literature that shaped societal perceptions of typical phenomena leading to the causes, progress, and consequences of popular migrations for the national economy. Following the principles of historicism and systematic analysis, which facilitate the exploration of the viewpoints of conservative discourse regarding the identification of causal factors underlying migratory mobility, this article examines approaches to possible state support for settlers at the imperial level. The analysis centers on the positions of the most prominent representatives of conservative doctrine, who viewed agrarian migration as an integral component of governmental policy aimed at the economic development of the “Kirghiz” steppe, a region that geographically partially fell within the borders of Akmolinsk and Semipalatinsk provinces.

Социально-экономическая и религиозная проблематика в обращениях российских эмигрантов в Архиерейский Синод Русской зарубежной церкви в 1930-х гг. (по материалам Государственного архива Российской Федерации)

This article examines the correspondence of representatives of the Russian Orthodox emigration with the Synod of Bishops and personally with Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) during the 1930s, preserved in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF). The range of issues reflected in the materials is quite diverse. Primarily, this includes a complex of socio-economic difficulties related to obtaining refugee status or new citizenship, employment, and social assistance. The second most important topic of appeals concerns family issues, particularly the high incidence of divorces, new marriages, and cohabitation deemed unacceptable from a Christian point of view. The actual religious issues are represented by questions about the calendar reform, which gave rise to difficulties in synchronizing the secular and ecclesiastical rhythm of life. In this situation, the Russian Church Abroad represented a unifying center in the lives of emigrants, helping to maintain ties with the motherland, striving to ensure ideological stability, maintaining cultural traditions, giving hope for the future, as well as providing all possible financial assistance.

“Red Gold” by Upton Sinclair and Piotr Pavlenko: Unwritten Soviet-American Novel

On April 16, 1938 Upton Sinclair sent a letter to the editors of the Soviet magazine International Literature, in which he shared the idea of a new novel Red Gold and asked to find him a co-author among Soviet writers. In his letter U. Sinclair gave a detailed synopsis of the novel: the plot was to be based on the story of a young American engineer who in the mid-1920s goes to Siberia to provide Soviet gold mining with the American technology. There on the banks of the river Lena he meets a Russian Bolshevik girl and they fall in love. As an American “bourgeois specialist” he used to believe that capitalism is the most effective social and economic system; his belief, however, was shaken in the course of ideological disputes with his girl-friend, and the Great Depression of the 1930s increased his doubts. Soviet partners proposed Piotr Pavlenko as co-author, and the writers began to exchange letters, discussing their future work and various details of the planned novel. The project was supervised by the Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers’ Union; its functionaries reported to party and government organs (the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the Peopleʼs Commissariat of Foreign Affairs). Letters signed by Pavlenko were read, edited and approved at several levels of Soviet bureaucracy, from the Writersʼ Union to the Press Department of the Central Party Committee. Thus, Upton Sinclair, in fact, negotiated and argued not just with his co-author, but with a hierarchial administrative body with a strict chain of command. Due to the obvious discrepancy between his own and Soviet attitudes, Sinclair soon decided to abandon the idea of a “collective novel”. The study is based on the materials from the funds of the Russian State Archive of Arts and Literature (RGALI).

ПРОФЕССОР С. П. ПОПОВ: НЕИЗВЕСТНЫЕ СТРАНИЦЫ БИОГРАФИИ

Aspects of scientific, organizational and pedagogical activity in the Crimea of the pupil, colleague and friend of academician V. I. Vernadsky, a major mineralogist, geochemist, Professor Sergei Platonovich Popov (1872–1964), have been restored. The main source for reconstructing the historical daily life of the professor in the conditions of the Crimean province were his letters to Academician V. I. Vernadsky. The analysis of the texts made it possible to identify the lines of intellectual tension «province – center» and show the wide range of S. P. Popov’s communication in the 20-30s. The corpus of documents from the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Archive of Economics, and the State Archive of the Republic of Crimea are being introduced into scientific circulation, which made it possible to reveal stories about Popov’s work in Simferopol. The activity of the geologist at the head of the Crimean Research Institute, which he saw as a continuation of the work of the Commission for the Study of Natural Productive Forces of the Crimea established by V. I. Vernadsky, is revealed. The scientist’s activity is shown on the background of socio-economic transformations taking place in the country and in its separate region.

The activities of the USSR State security agencies to ensure public safety in Lithuania during the interwar period

Importance. The events taking place in the territory of Lithuania in the interwar period are still controversial among politicians and historians today. Many “blank spots” of that time in this territory were closed for research for a long time, which gave rise to speculation and falsifications. The article examines the activities of state security agencies to ensure public security in the territory of Lithuania in the period from 1921 to 22.06.1941 using historical examples. The purpose of the study is to show the historical events taking place in Lithuania and the activities of the state security agencies to ensure public security in the interwar period in the republic.Materials and methods. The research is based on declassified archival documents of the State Archives of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archives of Contemporary History. The materials of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the USSR – the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (1934–1960), the 4th Special Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (1931–1959) and on political repression and rehabilitation of the illegally repressed were studied.Results and Discussion. As a result of the October Revolution of 1917, Lithuania gained its independence. Starting from 1919, nationalist organizations were created in Lithuania, the task of which was to voluntarily assist the police in the fight against the Communists and to assist intelligence agencies in espionage against the USSR. With the entry of Lithuania into the USSR, the activities of nationalists intensified. Before the attack on the USSR, the state security agencies launched a preventive blow against the nationalist underground and their accomplices, which reduced their activity in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War.Conclusion. The liquidation of the leaders of the nationalist underground and their accomplices allowed the USSR state security agencies to prevent the destabilization of public order in Lithuania on the eve of the German attack on the Soviet Union.

Forms of perpetuating the historical memory of the Heroes of the Soviet Union in urban toponymy (using the example of commissar Moskovsky Street in Tambov)

Importance. The activities of the Tambov city authorities, public organizations and institutions, their motives in the work on the preservation of military historical memory in the urban enviro nment during the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21th century on the example of perpetuating the memory of the first Hero of the Soviet Union from Tambov region – A.N. Moskovsky, are considered. The importance of the research lies in the fact that the use of trends in modern historical science, namely, an interdisciplinary approach to research, political history and historical urbanism, allows us to obtain qualitatively new knowledge about the activities of the Russian cities authorities (based on Tambov materials) to preserve military historical memory in urban toponymy and objects of monumental art during the second half of the 20th century – the beginning of the 21th century.Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the research is based on the principles of consistency, historicism, and objectivity. Comparative historical, problem and chronological methods are used. The research is based on such general scientific methods as analysis, synthesis, generalization, and systematization. The main sources of the research are archival materials stored in the State Archive of Tambov Region, the State Archive of Socio-political History of Tambov Region, published and posted on the Internet, as well as materials in the funds of the Museum and Exhibition Center of Tambov Region.Results and Discussion. The features of the ideological work of local authorities on the development of military historical memory are analyzed. The patterns and continuity of approaches in the military historical work of the city authorities at different chronological stages are revealed. The mechanisms of preserving the memory of a particular hero, senior political instructor, commissar A.N. Moskovsky, are investigated. The forms of historical and patriotic information about the objects of urban toponymy and monumental art created during the development of the urban environment, concerning the perpetuation of the memory of A.N. Moskovsky, are highlighted.Conclusion. As a result of studying the problem, conclusions are drawn about the multi-faceted approach in the work of city authorities, institutions and public organizations for the preservation of military historical memory in the region.

The Artists’ Association branches of Revolutionary Russia: experience of interaction with regions

Importance. The activities of the Artists’ Association branches of Revolutionary Russia (1922–1932) are considered. During this period, the organization had a significant and sometimes decisive place in the artistic life of the country. The subject of the study relates to the culture of the country as a whole and touches on local history issues. The purpose of the work is to assess the influence of the central organization on the local branches development and analyze their importance in the Association work.Materials and Methods. The research is based on materials from the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the State Archive of the Yaroslavl Region and published memoirs of participants in the events. In the course of the work, the biographical method is used, as well as historical-genetic and historical-comparative methods traditional for historical science.Results and Discussion. It is noted that the Association participants paid great attention to the creation of representative offices at the local level. The presence of artistic traditions in a particular region played an important role in the development of local branches of the AARR. At the same time, established traditions are not the determining factor. The presence of a bright creative personality in it, who set a certain pace of work, could be of significant importance in the development of a particular branch.Conclusion. It is revealed that some of the regional branches ceased their activities even before the liquidation of the AARR. Despite this, the work of branches of the Artists’ Association of Revolutionary Russia contributed to the accessibility of art for the local population, attracting regional residents to artistic life and preserving cultural monuments. Museums and creative studios are created, and active exhibitions and lectures are carried out.

Censorship of Agitprop in the Upper Volga press in the 1920s

Importance. The censorship of periodicals in the Upper Volga region during the New Economic Policy years is considered. The research of Soviet propaganda remains relevant in the context of studying the history of the USSR, political communication and mass media. Even in modern Russia, there is a request for the development of a cultural level using the mass media, in the implementation of which the experience of a century ago can help. The purpose of the research is to examine the mechanism for implementing the censorship policy of the Soviet state in the Upper Volga region using the example of the work of agitprop.Materials and Methods. Methods of system analysis, principles of historicism and scientific objectivity are used. The archival materials stored in the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History are used.Results and Discussion. The country needed urgent and fairly profound cultural changes, and this had to be done not only by methods of combating illiteracy, but also by propaganda, including in the periodical press. Newspapers are a cheap and easy way to disseminate information, but in an illiterate country it is not very easy to use. The party’s propaganda department had to deal with this phenomenon.Conclusion. Conclusions about the significant intervention of the Agitprop department in regional periodicals in order to form an ideologically correct understanding of the world and the political situation in the country are formulated.

Революционные события 1905-1907 годов на предприятиях Гарелиных в городе Иваново-Вознесенске

The paper studies the revolutionary movement at the Garelins textile enterprises in the period 1905-1907. The author analyzes the conditions in which workers had to work, their interaction with administration, as well as their role in mass strikes and walkouts in Ivanovo-Voznesensk. Based on documents from the State Archive of the Vladimir Region, it was established that revolutionary activity at the Garelins enterprises began almost immediately after the events of January 9, 1905 in St. Petersburg and continued until mid-1907. Thanks to the analysis of documents, it was possible to establish that the main types of revolutionary activities were strikes and walkouts caused by the difficult socio-economic situation of the workers.

Изменение количества удельных поселений в Шенкурском уезде Архангельской губернии в 1797–1863 годах

On the basis of office documents from the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive and the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, the change in the number of villages in the appanage group of volosts (Prikaz) and volosts of the Shenkursk uyezd of the Arkhangelsk province is investigated. It was revealed that 201 names of settlements disappeared in the uyezd in 1797-1863, including 61 between the V – VIII revisions, the remaining majority – between the VIII–X revisions. The reduction of settlements was a rather complicated phenomenon. It included the desolation of villages, mainly until the early 1930s, and the establishment of a small number of new settlements. However, most of the village names disappeared during the merger of several villages (from two to four) into one settlement, usually into a village. The opposite trend was also observed – division of villages into two settlements, which led to the emergence of new villages. Thus, the reduction in the number of appanage settlements very often entailed not their desolation, but the disappearance of only names. The characteristics of the reduction of appanage settlements in the Arkhangelsk province differed significantly from those in other provinces of Russia.

Examination of the mentally ills in the Samara province in the 1860-ies

The article examines the dynamics of perception of the mentally ill by the Russian society and the state authorities with the help of comparative-historical method and analysis of sources. The chronological framework of the work covers the period from the first attempts to help the insane with the help of spiritual healing in monasteries to the large-scale reforms of the 1860-ies and the revolution in the organization of public medicine. The author is most interested in the changes caused by the formation of psychiatry as a separate branch of medical science, including the emergence of expert psychiatrists and the introduction of psychiatric trials procedures by the middle of the XIX century. For a detailed study of such innovations in psychiatric practice, the procedure of examination of the mentally ill, carried out in the Samara province in the 1860-ies, was chosen. The source base for the research is archival materials from the funds of the Central State Archive of the Samara Region, as well as scientific and published written sources. These include the first Russian textbooks and manuals on psychiatry. There is a growing interest in the study of the phenomenon of «madness» in modern historiography. However, there was practically no large-scale systematic research on the history of the origin of psychiatry in the Samara province in the middle of the XIX century. The findings obtained in the course of the study give an idea of the changing perception of the insane by society and the authorities. There is a transfer of the main role in the trials of the mentally ill and, accordingly, the right to make a conclusion about their condition from representatives of the administrative authorities to psychiatrists. An attitude towards insanity is being formed and consolidated not as a social danger, but as a disease requiring specialized medical care. Thus, madness is transformed from a social phenomenon into a medical one.

Common roots of Riza Fakhretdin and the Service Tatars Baishevs in the context of Genetic Genealogy

The publication presents a comparative analysis of the results of genetic studies and information from the funds of the “Local Order” (f. 1209) and “Landrat Books and Census Records” (f. 350) of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts concerning the genealogy of the famous scientist-educator, historian, theologian and public figure Rizaetdin Fakhretdin. As a result of the study, the plausibility of the family legends of R. Fakhretdin about the origin of his ancestors from the Shirdan village of Sviyazhsk district, was proven, their common origin with the famous service Service Tatar family of the Baishevs was shown. For citation: Vladimirov O.O. Common roots of Riza Fakhretdin and the Service Tatars Baishevs in the context of Genetic Genealogy. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2024, vol.14, no.3, pp.146–153. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2024-14-3.146-153 (In Russian)

New document on voivodes of cities assigned by the Kazan Palace Office, September 1656

The article introduces into scientific circulation, investigates, and publishes a document on the history of local government of the Moscow State in the mid-17th century and the administrative activities of the Military Records Office and the Kazan Palace Office – list of voevodes and officemen of cities assigned by the Kazan Palace Office, September 1656. The document studied in the article was deposited in the fund of the Military Records Office of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA). The article gives an archaeographic description of the published document, and substantiates the proposed dating of the document. The article describes the information potential of the document. The article is addressed to specialists in the history of public administration, and the source studies of office documents. For citation: Belousov M.R. New document on voivodes of cities assigned by the Kazan Palace Office, September 1656. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2024, vol.14, no.3, pp.154–160. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2024-14-3.154-160 (In Russian)

Book review: Karimov T.T. Tatar land volosts. Volume 1. Bulyarsky volost (Kazan, 2023)

This review is devoted to the analysis of the new work of the historian Tagir Karimov “Tatar land volosts. Volume 1. Bulyarsky volost”. T.T. Karimov is engaged in research into the history of Tatar land volosts, the first monographic experience on this topic was the publication of a book devoted to a detailed analysis of the settlements that were part of the Bulyarsky volost. The author introduced into scientific circulation a huge number of archival sources from the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. Information on the population of the settlements in question is especially valuable. At the same time, the researcher quite thoroughly studied the estate structure of the villages of Bulyarsky volost and other settlements, one way or another, associated with this land volost. The work of T.T. Karimov may be of interest to historians, demographers, genealogists, local historians and ethnographers. For citation: Aminov R.R. Book review: Karimov T.T. Tatar land volosts. Volume 1. Bulyarsky volost (Kazan, 2023). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2024, vol.14, no.3, pp.166–171. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2024-14-3.166-171 (In Russian)