bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sources on the Activities of the Yaroslavl Demidov Higher Educational Institution in the 19th – Early 20th Century
Authors:   P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, Yaroslavl, Russian Federation, Ierusalimskaya Svetlana Yu.
Published: November 2020

The article strives to assess main groups of sources on the functioning of the Yaroslavl Demidov higher educational institution in the 19th – early 20th century. Drawing on archival material that is being thus introduced into scientific use, the article establishes that, as it changed its organizational form, the Demidov educational institution went through the following stages in its development: the Yaroslavl Demidov School of Higher Sciences (1803–1834); the Yaroslavl Demidov Lyceum (1834–1868); the Demidov Juridical Lyceum (1868–1918). Sources on the topic are divided into five groups. Some are published, other materials from the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, the Russian State Historical Archive, and the State Archive of the Yaroslavl Region are being introduced into scientific use for the first time. Legislative sources support a detailed study of the complex of key aspects of the higher education in the 19th – early 21st century. Their systematic analysis allows the author to determine the main development vector of the Demidov higher educational institution in the studied period and the legal frameworks of the Demidov Lyceum. The article shows the importance of paperwork and statistical sources for recreating its daily educational and extracurricular activities. Various reports provide data on the work of the Demidov higher educational institution over decades and summarized information on its student and teaching corps. In socio-economic terms, the analyzed facts indicate some staff turnover among teachers, intensification of the student movement in 1905–1907, all the while the school material base remained stable. The periodical press, memoirs, diaries, and travel notes contain unique information on the evolution of higher education in Yaroslavl and on the arrangements of student life. The corpus of historical sources permits to identify and detail main stages in the history of the Yaroslavl Demidov higher educational institution.
The First Performances and Concerts of the Soviet Theatre in the Fronts of the Civil War in Late 1918
Authors:   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation, Andreev Mikhail A.
Published: November 2020

The article reveals as yet little-studied problem of organizing performances and concerts in celebration of the first anniversary of the October Revolution on the fronts of the Civil War in November-December 1918. The author identifies reasons why this topic has fallen out of the sphere of scientific interest of national and foreign historians. The key reason springs from great enthusiasm for studying urban Soviet celebrations of October Revolution anniversaries, May Day demonstrations, etc., which allows to reveal the aims of Soviet leadership in using holidays to legitimize the new state and to enhance their prestige, as well as to throw light on the shaping of masses to be not an independent actor in the celebrations, but an obedient performer of the festivities scriptwriters’ and directors’ will. Meanwhile, the study of the issue allows not only to shed light on the early period of organizing cultural and educational work within the ranks of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, but also to reveal some features and difficulties of early Soviet holiday culture as an element of the emerging Soviet ideology and a means of interaction between the state apparatus and the population. The source base for the article has been provided by the archival fond of the People's Commissariat for Education of the RSFSR (fond A-2306) stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) and by the archival fond of the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars (fond 8) from the Russian State Military Archive (RFVA). Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of the scope of concerts and performances; the article reveals theater troupes’ reasons for choosing their repertoire and difficulties they faced when conducting concerts and performances. The author gives examples of organization and design of performances and concerts; these often included an opening speech followed by revolutionary songs and appeals, dramatic as well as satirical. Moreover, the author assesses the contents of concerts and performances and specifics of their execution by certain artists and troupe directors as reflected in their reports and explanatory notes and also in certificates and commendations from military and civilian institutions that hosted performers. The article ends in representation of main results of performances and concerts in Soviet military units and formations, comments of soldiers and their commanders on professionalism of the actors and importance of organizing these cultural events. It is suggested that the campaign to commemorate the October Revolution on the lines was a major factor in the formation of systematic cultural, educational, and ideological work in the Red Army.
Mythologization of the History of the 1920-30s Festivities
Authors:   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation, Barysheva Elena V.
Published: November 2020

The article discusses techniques and methods used by the Soviet government to formulate the historical myth of the revolutionary movement in Russia and of the 1917 revolution. Holidays in Soviet Russia and later in the Soviet Union were not just days of relaxation. They served educational function, formed new spiritual values, instilled a sense of engagement with the events of 1917. As one of the ways to influence the mass consciousness, the festive events of the first decades of the Soviet power formed public opinion and influenced perception of historical and current events by the population. Popularization of the emerging official history of the new socialist state, which had begun in 1917, was especially effective during celebrations owing to their inherent emotional component. The use of historical plots in various dramatizations, mass actions, political processions, carnivals, and demonstrations of workers created an appearance of the new government’s legitimacy, contributed to the formation of the collective memory of the revolutionary days within the frameworks of their official interpretation. The article uses archival materials of the Department of Agitation and Propaganda of the Central Committee of the RCP (B.), which testify to the importance that the party authorities attached to the scenarios of the festive events. Memoirs of the direct participants in the events played their role in creating heroic myth of the revolution. An obligatory element of the celebration of the anniversaries was meetings with workers revolutionaries and witnesses of the revolutionary events that were arranged at the enterprises. Participation in these “evenings of remembrance” became a way of “self-identification” of an individual in new, socialist society, for speakers, as well as listeners. During these festive meetings, appearance of belonging, not only to the heroic past, but also to the epic present, was created. Specifics and ideological implications of the 1920s–30s memoirs contributed to the use of the “memorial boom” in the forming official narrative of the revolution.
Soviet Kolkhozes under New Economic Conditions of the Late 1950s - Early 1960s
Authors:   Lipetsk State Pedagogical University, Lipetsk, Russian Federation, Tomilin Victor N.
Published: November 2020

The article draws on the 1950s-1960s archival documents from the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History and from the State Archive of Contemporary History of the Lipetsk Region to study the early days of the Khrushchev agrarian reform implementation: reorganization of machine and tractor stations (MTS) and formation of new production infrastructure in the kolkhozes. The main emphasis is put on studying financial preparedness of kolkhozes to purchase tractors, combine harvesters, and other agricultural machinery for machine and tractor stations and to create material and technical base for their maintenance, operation, and repair. The archival data allows the author to conclude that kolkhozes in most republics, territories, and regions of the RSFSR (with exception the Krasnodar, Stavropol, and Rostov regions) did not have the financial means to purchase the complex equipment. The reform of 1958 was mandatory for all regions without exception. The article presents the party regional committees’ calculations on the financial situation of kolkhozes. In the Perm region only 13 kolkhozes out of 1167 (1.1%) had means to buy the MTS equipment. In many areas of the Center, the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia, kolkhozes took a wait-and-see position. In the Altai territory, only 200 kolkhozess out of 697 (28.7%) expressed a desire to buy equipment, in the Moscow region — 300 out of 1126 (26.6%), in the Smolensk region — 113 out of 955 (11.8%), in the Kalinin region— 108 out of 2350 (4.6%). The paper shows the method used to overcome the resistance kolkhozes to the reform: a powerful party propaganda campaign via organizing meetings proved very effective. The reform of 1958 was designed to offer new prospects and incentives for kolkhozes’ development. The study reports some contrarius information: in many areas of the country, kolkhozes and newly formed repair and technical stations (RTS) flailed under new conditions. During the reform in the Leningrad region there were formed 25 RTS with 5 branches and 10 specialized stations. After a year of work only 3 RTS managed to break even. Regional leaders obtained government consent to create sovkhozes on the basis of the RTS and adjacent kolkhozes. The reform of 1958 is characterized as another attempt to transfer funds from kolkhozes to state budget. It worsened financial and economic indicators of most kolkhozes.
Problems of the Territorial Development of the USSR in 1945: N. N. Kolosovsky’s Report to the Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences on Mobilization of Resources of the Urals, Western Siberia, and Kazakhstan for Needs of National Defense
Authors:   Institute of History and Archeology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation, Mikheev Mikhail V.
Published: November 2020

The article introduces into scientific use a report of Nikolai N. Kolosovsky, founder of the Soviet local school for economic geography. It was written in 1945, in the last months of the Great Patriotic War, for a dispute held in at the Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences on mobilizing the resources of the Urals, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan for needs of national defense. During the war, N. N. Kolosovsky supervised deployment of war industry in the Urals and solved related transport organization problems. In his report, Kolosovsky expounds his views on restoring Soviet economy in light of approaching victory. The published source captures the author’s temporarily determined socio-political attitudes, as well as his professional considerations. The report was compiled several months before the beginning of the Cold War. A contains a number of references to the international cooperation of the USSR and its allies from anti-Hitler coalition. N. N. Kolosovsky does not question neither imminent assistance of the Western countries in the economic development of the postwar USSR, nor Soviet successful entry into the European market, which is subsequently to become Eurasian. The report reflects the mood of the euphoria that briefly engulfed Soviet society, soon to be destroyed by the confrontation of the two superpowers. Another valuable aspect of the report is the author’s steadfast habit of looking at any given topic through the lens of further development of Soviet Eastern regions. It allowed N. N. Kolosovsky to juxtapose direct military damage caused by the Nazis to the the occupied Soviet territories and “indirect” damage caused by forced reorganization of industry of the rear regions according to wartime demands. His observations allow Kolosovsky to predict the future problems in territorial development of the USSR and to point out concrete ways for their resolution.
Resignation of the Professor of the Moscow University P. G. Vinogradov after His Clash with the Minister of National Enlightenment P. S. Vannovsky in 1901: A Source Studies Aspect
Authors:   Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Russian Federation, Antoshchenko Alexander V.
Published: November 2020

1901 was a turning point in the life of the world-famous Russian and British historian and lawyer P. G. Vinogradov. As a result of a clash with P. S. Vannovsky, Minister of National Enlightenment, he resigned and left Russia for England. The reason for the conflict was different assessment of the role of the Moscow University student year meetings for university management by the professor and the minister. The year meetings were held in October-November 1901 in order to discuss V. P. Meshchersky’s mocking article on the prospects of women’s university education in Russia, which caused a public outcry. A commission headed by P. G. Vinogradoff conducted the meetings. The minister, when arriving in Moscow, complained that the commission was headed by a professor, not the rector. Behind his displeasure was a deeper discrepancy in understanding of the university autonomy and role of professors. P. G. Vinogradoff expressed the opinion of the liberal part of Russian professorship. He believed it possible to form student self-government under the guidance of professors, which implied the independence of the professorship. A new university charter was to restore the university autonomy. P. S. Vannovsky defended the principle of subordination of professors to the authorities, whose policies they were to conduct as civil servants. It was natural for him to send the professor back to the university without any guarantees of changes in the university management. The conflict of interests was clearly revealed in the correspondence between P. G. Vinogradoff and P. S. Vannovsky. In this conflict, students supported P. G. Vinogradoff, as evidenced by the addresses published here, which they handed to the professor after the news spread about his departure from the Moscow University. These documents point to formation of student solidarity and possibility of combining of efforts of professors and students in their struggle to restore the university autonomy.
Emperor Alexander II and the South Urals: A New Collection of Documents Published by Archivists of the Chelyabinsk Region
Authors:   Orenburg State Pedagogical University, Orenburg, Russian Federation, Lyubichankovsky Sergey V.
Published: November 2020

The article reviews the collection of documents “Emperor Alexander II and the Southern Urals,” published in 2019 and dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Emperor. The book tells of the Tsarevich’s journey through the Southern Urals in 1837 and of manufacture of gifts to him by the Zlatoust craftsmen; a separate part consists of documents devoted to the reign of Alexander II and the impact of the Great Reforms on the development of the region. The collection ends with documents on the perpetuation of the Emperor’s memory. The review proves that this collection of documents closes the topic of relations between Alexander II and the Southern Urals, which has been little studied in the historiography. It concludes that the initiators of the publication – employees of the Joint State Archive of the Chelyabinsk Region – have included in the book legislative acts, recordkeeping materials, materials of the periodical press, sources of personal provenance, photographs, and visual materials. There is a list of archives and museums from which the sources originate: state archives of the Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Sverdlovsk regions, the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Archive of the Zlatoust City District; the Verkhny Ufaley and Zlatoust local history museums; the Russian State Archive of Photo Documents, the State Russian Museum; the Department for Preservation of Historical Heritage of the South Ural Railway, the Russian State Historical Archive, and the State Archive of the Russian Federation. The review describes the structure of the collection and contends that it contributes to comprehensive coverage of the studied problems. It allows its readers to find the needed documents confidently and quickly, even with minimal research skills. Photo documents (little–known photographs and drawings) included in the collection complement the text quite successfully. The reviewers underscore that the publication contains three extensive introductory articles, the reading of which contributes to a deeper understanding of the sources. Thus, the review concludes that the collection has expanded the documentary base adequately in order to spur extensive research of the pre–revolutionary history of the Southern Urals.
The Archives of Khori Taishas: The Unpublished Work of G. N. Rumyantsev
Authors:   Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies, Ulan-Ude, Russian Federation, Buraeva Svetlana V. , Ayusheeva Marina V. ,   Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies, Ulan-Ude, Russian Federation
Published: November 2020

The article analyses materials from the general archival fond of the Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs (COMX) of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, which were collected and prepared for printing by the well-known orientalist, G. N. Rumyantsev, leading figure in the science of Buryatia. 30 originals and certified copies on the history of the Khory Buryats of the 18–19th centuries are included in the file “The archival materials of the Khory taishas with certificates, diplomas, etc.” The article offers their source analysis and genre classification, as well as description of their paleographic features, handwriting, stamps, etc. Archival documents illustrate the dynamics of the state policy towards the Buryats over more than one hundred and fifty years: Buryats’ subordination to local governments, relationship between governing bodies, features of Buryat common law and court. Documents enable to follow the integration of the Buryat population into the Russian society. In the private archive of the scholar an unpublished manuscript of his book “The archives of the Khory taishas: Materials for the history of Buryat-Mongolian people: 1711-1850” have been found. It includes hand- and type-written texts with commentaries. It was not accidental that G. N. Rumyantsev prepared publication of archival documents on the history of the Buryat people. In 1960, in collaboration with S. B. Okun, he had published “Collected documents on history of Buryatia: The 18th century. Issue 1.” It is probable that he carried on with this work by identifying and interpreting sources from the COMX and the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia. The publication of sources still remains an important task, even if there are now many works on the history of the Buryats that analyze different sides of their social development and culture. The structure and composition of the Buryat government and administration remain unclear, and answers to these questions may be found in these archival documents.
“Notes on the Past” of E. A. Nikolsky as a Source for Studying World War I Refugees
Authors:   K. E. Tsiolkovsky Kaluga State University, Kaluga, Russian Federation, Belova Irina B.
Published: November 2020

The article is devoted to the analysis of Eugene (Yevgeny) A. Nikolsky’s memoirs concerning refugees of the Great War of 1914-18. Nikolsky was authorized by the government organization Severopomosch’ (i.e. “northern help”) established in the end of June 1915 to settle refugees of the North-Western Front. He described his first steps in the welfare of forced migrants taken before the mass refugee movement began. He evacuated over a thousand people from the Radom gubernia of the Kingdom of Poland, where he then served, deep into Russian lands. He faced then complete indifference of the Smolensk and Moscow gubernia officials to war victims and unwillingness to help them. The memoirs highlight extremely difficult situation that developed in Kobrin, Grodno gubernia, in July 1915, as swarms of refugees hoped to stay there till the end of the war and never moved eastwards. The problem was exacerbated by enemy bombing. Nikolsky described dedicated work of the infirmary staff of the St. George community of the Red Cross in Kobrin who assisted the hundreds who were hurt in the bombing of the refugee camp. The memoirs also reflect the period of highest increase of mass refugee movement in August–September 1915. In the city of Roslavl, Smolensk gubernia, E. A. Nikolsky’s working day began at dawn and continued well after midnight. Thus, the humanitarian disaster caused by huge concentration of refugees was averted. And yet, E. A. Nikolsky noted, despite the difficult situation in Roslavl, representatives of the gubernia authorities were absent, apparently believing that assistance to refugees must be the the work of the governmental organization Severopomosch’, nothing to do with them. He encountered unlawful behavior of some officials and representatives of local governments, who attempted to steal money intended for refugee accommodation at every turn. In autumn 1915, E. A. Nikolsky was engaged in food and fodder supply of refugees in the Tula, Oryol and Voronezh gubernias and had to deal with unscrupulous suppliers and corrupt representatives of Zemstvo administration who recommended them. However, in the Riga region in the first half of 1916, Nikolsky was forced to cooperate with profiteers to get food for refugees. Nikolsky's work as an official of Severopomosch’ continued until August 1917, when refugee care passed under the control of the Union of Cities.
The 80th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Second World War in Historical and Educational Activities of the Russian Archivists
Authors:   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation, Pivovar Efim. I. , Levchenkov Alexander S. ,   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation, Kosovan Elena A. ,   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation
Published: November 2020

This article is devoted to the coverage of a number of major historical and educational projects implemented in recent years by the Russian archivists in the context of the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War of 1939-1945. Having analyzed the activities of the leading national archives in this area, including their use of modern information technologies and Internet resources, the authors link these projects with discourse of world politics and historiography on the most important factors and causes that resulted in the outbreak of World War II. In connection with heated discussions and disputes on the prerequisites and causes of the Second World War that are escalating among politicians and historians of various countries on the eve of its 80th anniversary, the Russian historians and archivists have done a tremendous job in preparing thematic historical and documentary exhibitions devoted to the most significant (from historical point of view) events that directly affected international relations in the pre-war months. Complex of audiovisual sources, which has been reviewed in this article as a part of historical and documentary exhibitions complex, confirms that it was a complex of factors and events associated with the collapse of the Versailles-Washington system of international relations that led to the outbreak of World War II; but, most of all, the policy of pandering to the aggressive revanchist aspirations of Nazi Germany by the major European powers and concern of the European allies of the USSR for strengthening of its position in international affairs. Introduction of new sources and expansion of documentary base available to general public by means of exhibitions and permanent Internet projects plays a huge role in historical and educational work in general, and in counteraction of falsification of history and of dividing the historical memory of the peoples of the former USSR and the allies of World War II in particular. Finally, it contributes to the consolidation of efforts of the national professional community of historians and archivists and to propagation of dialogue of Russian historians and archivists with their colleagues from near and far abroad.
Customs Book of Veliky Novgorod for 1677/78 as a Historical Source
Authors:   National library of Russia, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, Razdorskii Alexei I.
Published: November 2020

Customs books are the major mass source on the history of domestic and foreign trade of Russia in the 17th century. Then one of the most important national centers of trade was Veliky Novgorod. There are several Veliky Novgorod customs books stored in the archives of Moscow and Stockholm: for 1610/11, 1613/14, 1614/15, 1714. In 2019, the author got acquainted with the Novgorod customs book for 1677/78 from the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, no information on which has been cited in historical literature. This document was discovered by archeographer N. Ogloblin among the documents of the Siberian Prikaz in the mid-1890s, but was not included in the inventory of the Novgorod bureau of the Razryad and Siberian Prikazes published in late 19th century. The article presents a brief archaeographic description of the Novgorod customs book for 1677/78: its format, volume, binding. The article lists the names of officials responsible for collecting customs in Veliky Novgorod in 1677/78, the customs head and his assistants (tseloval'niki); it also provides data on the customs head and treasurer (larechnyi) from the Veliky Novgorod census book for 1677/78. The structure of the customs book for 1677/78 and the forms of individual records (information on residence and social status of traders, type and quantity of goods) are analyzed in detail. Unique feature of the Novgorod customs book for 1677/78 is that it contains not only the composition of the goods offered for sale, but also of the purchased goods. The analyzed document is a valuable historical source, containing extensive statistical and factual material on the history of domestic and foreign trade, not only in Veliky Novgorod, but in the whole of Russia. It is to be published as a publication-study, in which the text of the source is to be accompanied by the research essay and biographical and terminological notes.
Sources for Studying of the Local Government in Siberia in the 18th - Early 20th Century: Historical and Source Studies Themes
Authors:   Omsk State University, Omsk, Russian Federation, Konovalov Igor A.
Published: November 2020

Increased interest in the local government history is associated not just with the necessity to peer into the past, but also with purely practical needs. While returning to forgotten traditions, it is important to take into account the heritage of centuries. Today, we need to take a fresh look at well-known facts, to cast away old delusions and myths, and to prevent the emergence of new ones. Theoretical basis of the paper is such methods as historicism, objectivity, alternativeness; they allow an unbiased approach to the analysis of the problems and a critical attitude towards the sources. The methodology includes the use of means and methods of local, systemic, problem-chronological, and comparative historical methods, as well as the development of a “new imperial history.” The paper systematizes sources on formation and development of the local government in Siberia in the Imperial period. The following groups of sources are highlighted: regulatory and legal acts; documents of management and record keeping; statistical materials; periodicals; sources of personal provenance. There is regional specificity in the content and structure of sources. The sources characterize the history of local government in Siberia in the 18th - early 20th century, wherein personal, socio-political, and departmental conflicts played an important role. The article attempts to show the role and place of the general police in the local government of pre-revolutionary Siberia and to analyze the main sources on the subject. It focuses on structure, nature, organizational and legal problem of the local government in Siberia in the 18th - early 20th century.
New Information on the History of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing: From Correspondence of the Head of the XV Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing, Archimandrite Palladius with the Envoy of the Russian Empire in China, Eugene K. Butsov
Authors:   Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation, Kulikov Andrei M.
Published: November 2020

The article describes the correspondence of the participant of the XII (1840–1849), head of the XIII (1849–1859) and of the XV (1865–1878) Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing (REM), the greatest Russian orientalist, archimandrite Palladius (Kafarov) (1817–1878) with the head of the Russian Diplomatic Mission in China, Evgeny Karlovich Butsov (1837–1904). The letters originals have been found by the author in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (Moscow) in the Butsov fond. The analyzed letters had been written in Beijing from June 30 to December 3, 1877, during which period Archimandrite Palladius (Kafarov) was the head of the XV Russian Ecclesiastical Mission and Yevgeny Byutsov headed the Russian Diplomatic Mission in China. The study of documents that have not yet been introduced into scientific use strives to fill in the gaps in studying of the activities of the XV Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing and its contacts with the Russian Diplomatic Mission in China. The letters provide rich material on the relationship of the two leaders of most important Russian authorities, officially operating in the Chinese capital after the Second Opium War. The first letter contains information on finding a contractor for the construction of the REM library; in the second one, Palladius informs Butsov of mental health problems of the mission hieromonach Father Gerontius (Levitsky). The letters contain numerous details of the everyday life of the XV REM, including many references to previously unknown difficulties encountered by its chief and concerning its employees: i.e. Father Gerontius (Levitsky). Archimandrite Palladius devotes much attention to describing the restructuring of the Northern Metochion of the REM, which began in the said period. The letters mention a significant number of people who were in the general circle of acquaintances of Kafarov and Butsov. Among them are the Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire, Mikhail Khristoforovich Reiter, the head of the Diplomatic Mission of the German Empire in China, Maximilian August Tsipio von Brandt, employees of the Russian Democratic Republic (Father Gerontiy, Father Flavian, Father John), the representative of the Diplomatic Mission in China (P. S. Popov), and members of the Butsov family.
“The Question of Reinforcing Colonization of the Amur Region Ended in a Single Attempt”: From the Note of the Qualified Representative of the Ministry of Agriculture N. K. Schuman (1916)
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, Ivanov Andrei A.
Published: November 2020

This published note of the qualified representative of the Ministry of Agriculture in the Amur region N. K. Schuman (1916) introduces into scientific use valuable information on the results of the Amur River region development in the last years of the Russian Empire and broadens our understanding of the economic policy of the government in the Far East. The author of the note describes basic economic activities in the region (gold mining, forestry, agriculture, process industry, etc.), effects of the railroad construction on the commerce; highlights unsolved problems that hinder economic growth. The note underscores the “yellow peril”; in the author’s opinion, the widespread use of Chinese workers created a number of threats: risk of being stripped of workers, if a conflict occurred with China, usurpation of industries by foreign workers, and their rapacious attitude to Russian resources. The document develops and supplements the project of planned colonization of the Amur River Region, developed by Schuman in 1914, approved by A. V. Krivoshein, and experimentally introduced in the Ulminsk district of the Amur region in 1914-1916. The author of the note concludes that reinforcement of the Russian colonization of the Amur region ended in single attempt; while this high-priority task remained unsolved it was impossible to promote economic prosperity of the region. Schuman’s proposals on state regulation of the resettlement and its transfer from Siberia to Far East (including temporary prohibition of settlement in Siberia) are also of interest. The note is stored in the Russian State Historical Archive of Far East (fond 810); its publication is preceded by an introduction, which reconstructs Schuman’s career and the circumstances in which the published document was created, thus helping to better understand its purpose and content.
The Nazi Madagascar Plan in Hitler’s Agenda
Authors:   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation, Khavkin Boris L.
Published: November 2020

2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 80th anniversary of Nazi plans to deport 4 million European Jews to the island of Madagascar. Despite the relevance of the Holocaust history, this page of it has been little studied: perhaps because these plans have remained on paper; the literature on the Madagascar Project (both Polish and German) is very scarce. Object of this study is the history of the plan of deportation of European Jews to Madagascar. The subject of research is a document, previously unpublished in Russia: “Madagascar Plan” of the Third Reich (1940). The purpose of the publication is to present this source to the Russian scientific community, the archival community, and students. The objectives of the publication are to introduce this new German-language source into Russian historiography on the Holocaust by translating it into Russian; to show its historical significance in the escalation of the Nazi plans for the “final solution of the Jewish question.” The study concludes that the failure of the Madagascar Project opened a gate for the “final solution of the Jewish question” by physical destruction of 6 million European Jews. The country that saved the European Jews from total annihilation was the Soviet Union with its Red Army, which liberated the world from the Nazism.
Innovations in Landlord Economy in the 1830–50s: Based on Materials from the Baryshnikovs Fond in the State Archive of the Smolensk Region
Authors:   State Historical and Cultural and Natural Museum Reserve of A.S. Griboedov “Khmelita,” Khmelita, Russian Federation, Romanov Boris M.
Published: November 2020

The study of innovations in the landlord economy of pre-reform Russia is of particular relevance under the modern conditions while modernizing national production and searching for a breakthroughs in science and business. This study is of interdisciplinary nature, since, on the one hand, it touches upon historical issues related to the development of landlord economy in the 1830–50s; on the other hand, upon economic issues of production activities. The author uses documents of the richest personal provenance fond of the Baryshnikovs from the State Archive of the Smolensk Region, which includes over 15,000 items and covers almost two centuries in the history of this noble family. Along with documents originating from government agencies, Empress Catherine II, and the Senate, the fond contains records of service, descriptions and plans of the Baryshnikovs’ estates, land-surveying books, account books, bills of sale, landlords instructions to stewards, reports from bureaus of estates, information on crops and harvests, livestock and its productivity. Having analyzed archival documents, the author identifies innovations in the landowner economy of the Baryshnikovs, follows their implementation, and draws a number of conclusions: (1) in the last decades of the pre-reform era, the landlords tried to increase profitability of their estates by introducing more productive varieties of grain, grass sowing, new agricultural machinery, breeding livestock and its good maintenance, acquiring new equipment; (2) in introducing innovations, landowners relied more on luck than on calculations, risk identification and reduction; (3) the innovations had a significant impact on the development of landlord economy, but required significant financial investments, careful planning, and skilled workers. The study reveals one of the more important aspects of the daily economic life of the Russian provincial nobility on the eve of the Great Reforms of Alexander II.
"Release 10 Billion": On the Issue of Financing Soviet Holidays and Anniversaries
Authors:   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation, Barysheva Elena V.
Published: November 2020

The article, based on the materials of the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History and the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, explores the history of financing Soviet state holidays, beginning with the first anniversaries of the October Revolution. The Bolsheviks, realizing the importance of public holidays as an effective tool for legitimizing Soviet power and promoting new spiritual values, allocated significant amounts for their organization even during the economically difficult period of the Civil War. In the early years of the Soviet power, the decoration of cities and demonstrations was rather ascetic, and the money allocated for the holidays was to be used to maintain the authority among the Red Army soldiers. Later, the decoration of cities for the festivities on November 7 and May 1 became more varied. Preparation began in advance, decoration of cities and columns of workers was paid for by the city and district party organizations and by the trade unions. In 1925, among the anniversaries that were planned on a grand scale, was the 20th anniversary of the 1905 Revolution. The article shows how the issue of its financing was resolved. Subsequently, the economic support of festive events, primarily on November 7 and May 1, was assigned to the enterprises. At the same time, the question of expediency of such significant expenses on decorating cities, holiday stands, and columns of workers has been repeatedly raised not only by the holiday organizers, but also by the demonstrations participants. They said that some institutions and senior executives got carried away by enthusiasm for anniversaries, ceremonies, and banquets. The Decree of the Politburo of the Central Committee “On Anniversaries” (1928) peremptorily prohibited organization of anniversaries and celebrations without special permission. In 1938, the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On Prevention of Spending Unnecessary Funds in Celebrating May 1, 1938” finally determined the procedure and sources of financing of the Soviet state holidays. This Decision became the basis for all subsequent decisions on financing holiday events.
Orphanages in Bashkiria during the Great Patriotic War: Materials from the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan
Authors:   Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russian Federation, Sulejmanova Rima N. , Isyangulov Shamil N. ,   Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russian Federation, Sultanguzhina Gulfia Yu. ,   Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russian Federation
Published: November 2020

The article draws on the materials of the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan to discuss problems which had to face the orphanages financed from state budget in Bashkiria (one of the regions of the RSFSR) during the Great Patriotic War. To this day, the issue remains insufficiently studied, on national, as well as on regional scale. The documents preserved in the archive allow us to investigate the activities of the orphanages during the said period. As shown, 23 orphanages (including 4 Spanish ones) were evacuated from the Western regions of the country to Bashkiria in 1941–42. Some of them merged with local institutions. Most detailed information is given on the orphanages evacuated from Moscow. However, the article focuses on local institutions. It notes that from early 1941 to 1945, the number of orphanages increased by 4,7 times, number of pupils increased by 4,1 times . 90 orphanages were opened in the republic in 1943–1944. From early 1941 to November 1944, more than 24,000 children were placed in orphanages of the republic. Some children were adopted, taken under guardianship and patronage, employed by enterprises and institutions. Funds to support the increasing number of orphanages (including livestock, land, premises, equipment, food, etc.) were allocated from republican and district (city) budgets. The article shows the difficulties encountered in provision of material needs, organization of subsidiary farms, solving problems with the premises, arrangements for feeding. Pupils mainly worked on the plots themselves. Sometimes they were helped by kolkhozes and sovkhozes, in return the children participated in collective farm work. Various workshops were organized for labor training and self-maintaining, clubs were formed. The children organized amateur performances, the earnings was transferred to the fund of the Red Army. Malnutrition, lack of clothing and shoes, furniture and equipment affected the health of children and various diseases were spreading. The authors conclude that, in general, despite many difficulties, orphanages played an important role in saving the children's lives during the war.
Archival Documents on the Impact of the Great Patriotic War on the State of the Sugar Industry Factories: Materials of the Kursk Region
Authors:   South-West State University, Kursk, Russian Federation, Vorontsov Roman S. , Korovin Vladimir V. ,   South-West State University, Kursk, Russian Federation
Published: November 2020

The article draws on archival sources on the activities of regional authorities in regulation of economic relations under wartime conditions to discuss problems in organizing production activities of sugar enterprises of the Kursk region. Although there are some works on the history of the industrial production development during the Great Patriotic War on the all-Union, republican, and regional levels, which take into account all modern achievements of historical science and development of the source base, the impact of the war on the state of individual branches of food industry supplying the front and rear remains unexplored. The choice of the territorial frameworks of the study springs from several circumstances. Firstly, the Kursk region for a long time occupied a leading position in the RSFSR in the volume of products manufactured by sugar factories. Secondly, during the war, the territory of the region had the status of a front-line, occupied, front-line, and rear-line area, which had a significant impact on the specifics of all tasks related to production organization. The main source is archival documents on various aspects of management and production activities. The authors have identified documentary materials in the fonds of the Russian State Archives of Economics, the State Archives of the Kursk Region, and the State Archive of the Socio-Political History of the Kursk Region, that cover events and processes associated with the dynamics in the sugar industry of the Kursk region, one of the key sectors of regional wartime economy. They have analyzed the content of these documents and offered a general assessment of problems in functioning of the industry under extreme conditions. Of greatest information value on the said topic are materials from regional archives. Archival documents objectively reflect the situation in the food industry during the war. Their introduction into scientific use will contribute to a reliable reflection of the role of economic potential of the USSR in the defeat of Nazism.
Attitude of the Political Elite of the Primorye to Privatization in 1990–92: Materials from the State Archives of the Primorsky Krai
Authors:   Institute of History, Archeology, and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russian Federation, Vashchuk Angelina S. , Vorontsov Nikolay S. ,   Institute of History, Archeology, and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russian Federation
Published: November 2020

The article is devoted to analysis of heuristic capabilities of the archival documents from the fonds of the State Archive of the Primorsky Krai, which reflect the initial period of the privatization in the Primorye. It studies the formation of regulatory framework for denationalization and privatization in the light of regional specifics, as well as the opinions and expectations of the regional political elite members concerning problems and prospects of practical implementation of the first privatization programs. The research has been carried out mainly on the basis of records management materials of the Soviet of People's Deputies of the Primorsky Krai and that of the city of Vladivostok. The basis of the article is sessions minutes the Soviets of the city and regional level. The authors take into account the source’s limitations and supplement it with information extracted from other types of sources, both published and unpublished. Identified archival documents are analyzed using a synergistic approach and elements of hermeneutics. The authors also use a situational approach and elements of content analysis of the minutes’ texts. The views of the Primorye political elite on the privatization course set by the Russian government during the post-Soviet transit were influenced by various factors and events, some of which occurred in the power structures of the federal center. Most local politicians embraced the beginning privatization quite enthusiastically. They were influenced by the myth of possibly fair and equitable privatization, as well as by their own interests and ideological convictions. The analysis focuses considerable attention on the role of individual in the history of privatization in the region, exemplified by V.S. Kuznetsov, the first post-Soviet governor of the Primorye and by deputies of the local Soviets. The authors conclude that the minutes had not just information function, but provided a tool for self-organization of the local political elite in the context of political crisis.