USSR Research Articles

Kazakh nomads, social class transformations and Soviet power during the period of collectivization

ABSTRACT This research is devoted to the history of the political adaptation of tribal structures to the conditions of social class interactions in the Kazakh aul in the 1920s. Newly uncovered archival materials show how patrimonial and hierarchical institutions tried to adapt and adjust themselves to the system of socialist construction in the Kazakh steppe. The authors have identified three directions that most clearly demonstrated the behavioural motives and adaptation practices of Kazakh tribal cattle-breeding society: the formation of the Soviet apparatus of power in Kazakhstan; the participation of the tribal elite in elections to enter the Soviet institutions of power; and confiscation as a policy of struggle against ancestry and descent groups.

Geopolitical Security Concerns: A Catalyst for Russia’s Reengagement of Africa in Relations

Russia, also in the garb of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, had a record of a long-standing relations with Africa, the relationship that incidentally took a cold turn at the instance of the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, as Russia prioritized stabilizing its domestic issues as the successor of the Soviet’s legacy. The emergence of the 21st century came with the post-Cold War security threat to Russian geopolitical space especially from its cold war rivals and hostile bordering states thus, prompting the conscientious efforts by Russia to review its foreign policy towards African alignment. The new Russia-Africa relations have generated a lot of interest by researchers, who have addressed the issue from a wide range of views, some of which included political, ideology, technical and economic. Cognizant of the geopolitical security concerns, which is observed as the primary basis for its new African relations, this research aims to examine Russian reengagement of Africa in relations adopting geostrategic theory. Data are gathered from secondary sources. The research is qualitative and framed within the scope of Russia-Africa security relations from 2014, following its annexation of Crimea, which marked a new phase of hostility between Russia and some North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allied countries. To achieve its strategic goal in Africa, Russia needs to pursue a comprehensive cooperation in other areas of direct investment that could offer African countries reciprocal paybacks that meet their national interests farther than concentrating on military aspect to achieving a personal goal.

Georgia’s potentials for sustainable intensification, increasing food security and rural incomes.

Abstract Increasing global demand for agricultural commodities spurs conversions of natural ecosystems. Sustainable intensification in areas of high yield gaps has been proposed a pathway to achieve food security, support rural livelihoods, while also reducing the impact of commodity production by narrowing yield gaps on existing agricultural lands, while improving resource efficiency. Following the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Georgia experienced one of the highest losses of agricultural productivity among all former USSR countries and is now highly dependent on food imports. Closing yield gaps in Georgia through sustainable intensification has the potential to increase food self-sufficiency, support rural livelihoods, and strengthen food security and sovereignty. We estimated its potential for sustainable intensification in current agricultural areas to achieve self-sufficiency for wheat, maize, and barley. We found that crop yields can be doubled to tripled under high-input production systems, using high-yielding varieties, optimized inputs, fertilizers, and pest control. Yet, self-sufficiency in wheat can only be reached if at least 80% of the potentially attainable yields are achieved and if land is strategically allocated between crops. To achieve such increases, farmers need access to and training for using different crop varieties, fertilizers, and pest and disease control practices and products. Intensification increases the risks to ecosystem services’ health and livelihoods, particularly raising equity concerns. Yet, intensifying very low input systems is often found to be more sustainable, with high yield increases compared to limited impacts on the environment. The high employment rate in the agricultural sector in Georgia particularly provides opportunities to reduce poverty and increase livelihoods through increasing incomes and food security.

ИСТОРИКО-ПРАВОВЫЕ АСПЕКТЫ СТАНОВЛЕНИЯ ИНСТИТУТА АДМИНИСТРАТИВНОЙ ЮСТИЦИИ В РОССИИ

The historical and legal aspects of the formation of the institute of administrative justice in Russia are considered. Conclusions are drawn that this institution has gone through a long path of development both during the period of tsarist Russia and during the years of soviet power. It is emphasized that the institute of administrative justice plays an important role in the realization of constitutional rights and freedoms in a legal, democratic state.

«Автобиография профессора Николая Иосифовича Воробьева»

The publication is a commentary and the text of the handwritten autobiography of N.I. Vorobyev. The document is introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time. The undertaken analysis of the text allowed us to identify new facts from the life and work of the researcher and to grasp their context. The document is dated March 2, 1947 and was written by the scholar during his work at Kazan State University. N.I. Vorobyev lists in detail the facts about his parents, the process of receiving an education, the beginning of his teaching and research work. He reveals the evolution of his own academic interests, from geography to ethnography, and highlights the author’s scholarly papers that are of significance from his point of view. The document mentions N.I. Vorobyev’s research work in the Far East dedicated to the study of the life of the Nanai (the Golds) and in the Mari ASSR – limnological studies of lakes. The researcher emphasises his work on methodological support of teachers. A separate chapter of the autobiography contains a description of the academic’s participation in the work of various public scholarly organisations. N.I. Vorobyev focuses on the important aspects of his life that correspond to the spirit of those times. This is the recognition of his political unconsciousness in the first years of the Soviet power, service in the Red Army as a private soldier. The autobiography of N.I. Vorobyev is a valuable, informative source. It shows not only the significance of individual milestones in his life and work for the scholar himself, but also reveals the distinctive features of the Soviet era, which formed the conditions for work for the entire academic community.

From the Soviet Union to Russia: fifty years of reforms in initial teacher education

ABSTRACT Teacher education in Russia has become the subject of considerable reform over the past 50 years. It is today a complex system of continuous training which gives students a chance to enter the profession in a number of different ways, as well as maintain their professional skill set throughout the course of their careers. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the history and the state of art initial teacher education in Russia during the last 50 years. It aims to draw on scholarly expertise in Russia and will locate the policies and practices that are discussed within the context of teacher education reform. The main themes of the paper are the history and current practice of Russian initial teacher education. The paper will consider the relationship between policy and practice and examine the respective influences of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and processes of wider reform in the Russian Federation since the 1990s.

Translated Poetry in Late Soviet Latvia: sporadic modernism and the construction of world literature

The article builds upon previous work that has been written about the connection between translation and colonial endeavours (Tymoczko, 1999; Robinson, 2014), as well as the research done in the field of Baltic post-colonialism (Annus, 2018), and focuses on cases of poetic production in Soviet Latvia during the time after de-Stalinization. By surveying data on the publication of books of translated poetry in Latvia after 1956 – when knowledge of Stalin’s terror disseminated, the study reveals how translation was used to strengthen Soviet power in occupied territories. The “world” that was being represented through translation was largely Eurocentric and Russocentric. Simultaneously, from the 1960s onward, several Latvian translators wrote translations and poems that survive both as documents of cultural others, and as testimonies of local noncompliance. These works are imbued with modernist poetics that was unfamiliar to or even condemned by the propagators of socialist realism, the official and ideologically saturated aesthetic promoted by the Soviet regime. The article suggests reading such texts as a kind of sporadic modernism within Soviet Latvia.

ФЕДЕРАЛИЗАЦИЯ РСФСР – ВОПРОСЫ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ

In the complex of problems that are now being actively studied by Russian and foreign historians, the meaning, history of the formation and significance of the Soviet federative model remain one of the central ones. Along with the well-known impressive baggage of Soviet historical literature on this subject, a very significant number of works were published after 1991, which for the most part consider this model in the context of all other areas of Soviet ethno-national policy. The article analyzes the most significant developments of domestic and foreign scientists who are able to clarify the event series and the content of the process of federal construction in Soviet Russia as the largest and most complex union republic of the Soviet Union.

АҚТӨБЕ ӨҢІРІНДЕГІ КЕҢЕС ҮКІМЕТІНІҢ ОРНАУЫ: ШАРАЛАРЫ, ЕРЕКШЕЛІКТЕРІ

The proposed article is devoted to the victory and the policy of the Bolshevik regime in the Aktobe region. The victory of the October Revolution in Russia contributed to the establishment of Soviet power in Kazakhstan. At the same time, the establishment of Soviet power in Kazakhstan was associated with a number of additional difficulties, such as socio-economic backwardness, the dominance of patriarchal relations in the Kazakh village, the small number and weakness of Bolshevik organizations, and the complexity of interethnic relations. In the article, the author, conducting a review of research and data on the problem, examines the actions of the Bolshevik dictatorship that arose in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century, as well as the peculiarities of the establishment of Soviet power in Kazakhstan, including on the territory of Aktobe. The results of the double revolution of 1917 and the changes in the internal, political and economic life of the region are analyzed on the basis of regional archival documents. The article did not ignore the establishment of Soviet power and the political, social difficulties andobstacles in its implementation. In addition, archival data reflecting the involvement of the region in the civil war under the rule of the Bolshevik dictatorship will be analyzed. In describing the political development of the country during the period of the double revolution, the main attention was paid to the activities of Alash figures.

Iconographic Aspects of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact: A Comparative Analysis of Documentary Photographs

Based on the surviving 1939 photographs and their comparative analysis, the article reveals the main visual differences that emerged when photographing two different German-USSR bilateral treaty signing ceremonies. This is important and relevant because in scientific literature, history textbooks and other educational materials, as well as in exhibitions and media articles devoted to history, photographsfrom the signing of the German–Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty on 28 September 1939 are often mistakenly used to illustrate the signing of the non-aggression pact concluded between Germany and the USSR in Moscow on 23 August 1939, five weeks earlier. Since these two treaties were signed by the same two people – Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop – at the same desk in the same office of the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR in the Moscow Kremlin, it is not that easy to distinguish at first glance which treaty is being signed in one photograph or another. The photographs are often confused, arbitrarily choosing the ones that look more expressive for the sake of illustration. The article presents visual material, its analysis, insights and generalisations that will help to avoid the photograph attribution errors that are so common in using old photographs to illustrate the signing of the 23 August 1939 Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Деятельность городских православных приходов горнозаводского Южного Урала в 1917–1928 годах в документах архивов Челябинска и Златоуста

The article reviews the written sources of two large archives of the Chelyabinsk region, reflecting the activities of Orthodox parishes of large industrial settlements of the mining and processing Southern Urals during the years of revolutionary upheavals and the formation of Soviet power. The composition, features of the content, and information saturation of documents are revealed. Despite the limited information contained in the sources of the period under study, the documents described allow us to draw up an overall picture of the activities of Orthodox parishes.

Lithuanians among prisoners of other ethnic groups in special-purpose camps of USSR MGB

Turganbek Allanijazov (the Republic of Kazakhstan, O. A. Baikonurov Zhezkazgan University), the author of this article, explores main statistical data related to the number of Lithuanians in special purpose camps of The Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps (GULAG) under the Ministry of State Security (MGB) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), located in the territories of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), in 1950–1954. Quantitative dynamics of Lithuanians is presented by years and camps. Tendencies and trends of quantitative change are shown. Camps with the greatest number of Lithuanians are specified, as well as those with the least number. The date within the lifetime period of camps known for the greatest number of Lithuanians as prisoners is indicated.

The legal status and activities of the authorities of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in exile (end of 1920 – August 22, 1992): historical and legal aspects

A historical and legal study of the legal status and activities of the authorities of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (hereinafter - the UPR) in exile (late 1920 – August 22, 1992). It is concluded that, since at the end of 1920 the authorities of the UPR lost influence on the population as a result of the establishment of Soviet power in most of the Ukrainian territories and the UPR actually ceased to exist, which was formally fixed by a peace treaty between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Soviet Russia on March 18, 1921. in Riga, the UNR authorities lost their state status and acquired public status. The content adopted by the Council of People’s Ministers and approved by the Chairman of the Directory on January 9, 1921 was analyzed. a normative act entitled “Law on the Council of the Republic,” in which the Council of the Republic was defined as “a temporary supreme authority of the people, which has full power.” The authorities of the UPR imitated state activity: the Council of the Republic – as legislative, the Council of People’s Ministers - as executive authority, the Head of the Directory – as the head of the UPR. After the termination of the existence of the Council of the Republic in August 1921 the functions of the UNR authorities in exile were carried out by the Head of the Directory and the Council of People’s Ministers. The content of the “Temporary Law on the Reorganization of the State Center of the UNR in Exile” of June 10, 1948, which established the competence of the constituent parts of the State Center of the UNR: President, Vice-President, Government, Ukrainian National Council, was studied. Based on the analysis of the content of this normative act, it was concluded that the State Center of the UPR in exile formally had the status of a public organization, but pretended to be a state authority and imitated state functions. According to this document, the Ukrainian National Council performs “the functions of a temporary legislative representation.” The relationship between the constituent parts of the State Center of the UPR in exile had to be revealed in the rule-making process and in the formation of the Government. The political responsibility of the Government to the Ukrainian National Council and the President of the UPR was envisaged. The Government’s accountability to the Ukrainian National Council and control over the UNR President were established. The UNR President was vested with the right to dissolve the Ukrainian National Council at the suggestion of the Government. The authorities formed on the basis of this normative act had the status of public and performed functions in international, normative, political, scientific and other spheres.

STRUCTURAL AND SEMANTIC ORIGINALITY OF THE SEMANTIC FIELD ‟POWER” IN VLADIMIR MAKSIMOV’S NOVEL ‟TO LOOK INTO THE ABYSS”

The article characterises the semantic field ‟Power” in the novel by the famous Russian prose writer of the 2nd half of the 20th century, Vladimir Maksimov (1930–1995). The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the structural and semantic features of the field, determination of the originality of the textual functioning of its core components, which are the semantic dominants of the work, actively involved in the organisation of the narrative, in the artistic depiction of historical events and the creation of images of literary characters. The theoretical concepts of the semantic field and semantic space of the text, which unites its conceptual, denotative and emotive meanings, are defined. Linguistic modelling of the field structure is based on the principles of discourse analysis of the text and is determined by the specific linguistic personality of the writer, genre-stylistic and plot-compositional features of the work. Characteristic of component composition of the field, its core, centre and periphery, microfields is given. Semantic connections and intersections of field components are determined with contextual synonymy and antonymy revealed. The core of the field includes the key lexemes “power”, “strength”, “leader”, “will”. The semantic field unites five microfields: the central part of the field structure includes the microfields ‟White-Guard Power of Alexander Kolchak” and ‟Soviet Power of Vladimir Lenin”; the peripheral zone includes the microfields ‟Power of Social Elements”, ‟Military Force of Foreign Intervention” and ‟Power of Selfless and unselfish Love”. The semantic dominants of the text, being the key components of the field, contribute to the dynamics of the narrative, create an artistic chronotope, reflect the author’s position, and convey the bright features of the writer’s linguistic personality.

Chortkiv Deanery of the Stanislaviv Greek Catholic Eparchy in 1939-1946

The purpose of the article is an objective study of the historical development of the Chortkiv Deanery of the Stanislaviv Diocese of the Galician Metropolis of the Greek Catholic Church during the Second World War of 1939-1945 and the establishment of Soviet power in Galicia in 1945-1946, which led to the forced liquidation of the UGCC and its transformation into a “catacomb” church. Research methodology: the basic methods are microhistorical, biographical and prosopographic. The scientific novelty is that for the first time the peculiarities of the historical development of the Chortkiv Deanery of the Stanislaviv Eparchy of the UGCC during the Second World War and the “second Sovietization” of Galicia (1939-1946) are analyzed. Conclusions: The authors show the specifics of church-state relations, the mutual influence of political and ecclesiastical administrative-territorial divisions in the process of liquidation of the UGCC, and the role of individual priests in the events of this time.

Financial Sovereignty in the Doctrine of Financial Law of Pre-Revolutionary and Soviet Periods: A Historical and Legal Study

The paper is devoted to the study of the works of leading pre-revolutionary and Soviet period researchers representing the science of financial law in relation to issues related to financial sovereignty. The work analyzes textbooks on financial law written by E. N. Berendts, S. I. Ilovaisky, V. A. Lebedev, D. M. Lvov, I. I. Patlaevsky, I. I. Yanzhul, V. G. Yarotsky, M. A. Gurvich, G. S. Gurevich, S. A. Kotlyarevsky and E. A. Rovinsky. It is noted that at an early stage of development (the end of the 19th — beginning of the 20th century), the science of financial law had not yet formed a unified idea not only about financial sovereignty, but also about the content and system of financial law as a science. At the same time, the authors of this period paid special attention to the problems of financial supremacy (the law of supreme power in the field of public economy). At the initial stage of the formation of Soviet power, researchers do not focus on studying the essence of financial sovereignty. Later, the Soviet authors proceeded from the position based on constitutional provisions, according to which it was the Union republics that possessed sovereignty manifested in the recognition of the fullness of their power on their territory and the right to independently carry out financial activities. It is concluded that granting the status of a sovereign State to individual Union republics, also in the field of financial activity, is inconsistent with the essence of sovereignty and the essence of the federation as a form of government. In the federation, the bearer of sovereignty can only be of the federal level of government common to the whole country.

INFORMING THROUGH HISTORY: ARTICLES ABOUT ISHAN-MULLAHS IN THE SOVIET PRESS AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING STUDENTS

The article analyzes the social portrait of religious figures represented in Kazakh periodicals of the Soviet period. Special attention is paid to the coverage of these figures in the newspaper “Kazakh” and the comparison with the derogatory tone characteristic of the newspaper “Ak zhol”. The emphasis is placed on the importance of accurately documenting the fate of the khojas, mullahs, Islamists and pilgrims who became victims of Soviet power repression, as well as their role in the resistance in conditions of political upheaval.The position of the newspaper "Ak zhol" and the national intelligentsia on these issues was also evaluated. Since Kazakhstan is a secular and multi-confessional state that values peaceful coexistence and religious stability, understanding the historical context through the press is important for the development of national science and education.The article emphasizes the need to preserve and disseminate information about these historical figures in order to promotea deeper understanding of religious and cultural dynamics. In conclusion, it is noted that the work on restoring historical justice and researching the repressions of the past contributes to strengthening identity and national memory, which is key to the formation of a conscious and informed society, including young generation.

Эволюция публичной присяги служащих как меры укрепления государственности: от сословности к бессословности

This article examines the evolution of the oath of office over an extended period, beginning in the XVI century and continuing to the present day. The author traces the origins of this legal phenomenon, suggesting that it initially emerged as a vow, applied more in private legal and procedural relations than in public-legal contexts. Since the oath was traditionally accompanied by the kissing of the cross, it was referred to as the “kissing of the cross” oath. During the period of the estate-representative monarchy, the oath of allegiance to the monarch held significant importance in the public sphere. Along with the crowning of the kingdom, it played a crucial role in legitimizing and strengthening public power. During the imperial period, the oath of office became widely practiced, with the military oath being the most typical example analyzed. This example demonstrates both continuity and innovation in legal practice. In Tsarist Russia, the oath was characterized by its estate-based nature, as it served as an instrument of estate policy and was administered separately to officers of noble birth and the rank and file, who were recruited from commoners. In the early Soviet period, the military oath was initially taken only by individuals from the working class, and its name was changed to the “solemn promise”. After 1939, the military oath was administered to all servicemen. The military oath played a vital role in establishing discipline, strengthening the morale, and enhancing the combat readiness of the army, thereby contributing to the consolidation of state power. At present, the military oath is not a thing of the past with the liquidation of Soviet power, but it requires improvement. Based on the analysis, the author attempts to formulate proposals for improving not only the military oath but also the civil service oath, as well as the procedure for its implementation.

The analysis of the contribution of Lithuania SSR library, bibliography and information scientists to the main stream of union prafile periodical press publications

Research work has become more intensive in recent years in the field of bibliography, library, and information sciences. A greater number of research works analyzing different issues of these sciences are being published. The present paper addresses one structural aspect of the problem concerning the contribution of Lithuanian bibliography, library, and information scientists to the development of science in the USSR. The paper analyzes the contribution of articles by Lithuanian SSR authors published in the union's profile periodical press. Several research works, analyzing the contribution of countries, scientific groups, or scientists to the development of science, have been published in the Soviet Union and abroad. An index that helps address the tasks formulated in the article has been created using some of the statements provided in these works.

The features of the development of higher education in librarianship in Soviet Lithuania

Attempts to organize higher library education in Lithuania were made long ago. An episodic course in bibliography was taught at the old Vilnius University in 1829-1830. After the restoration of Soviet power in Lithuania in 1940, the Chair of Bibliology was established at Vilnius State University, and a course in bibliography was offered. Lectures aimed at starting the preparation of skilled librarians and bibliographers were planned to begin in the autumn of 1941. However, this work was interrupted by the war and the Nazi occupation. The Department of Librarianship was founded at Vilnius State University in 1949 (with the Chair of Librarianship established in 1952, and the Chair of Scientific Information in 1973). During a short period, these Chairs achieved significant results in various branches. They developed scientific and research activity in librarianship and bibliography, providing skilled specialists for the libraries of our republic. In recent years, more than 2,000 specialists have been trained at the University. These graduates have been appointed to work in different public, children’s, school, scientific, special, and technical libraries, as well as in scientific information offices.