“The Land of Encyclopedias”: The formation of the Soviet encyclopedic system (historical analysis)
Authors:   University of Tyumen, Chernyshev Alexander A. 
Published: December 2024

Russia occupies one of the leading places in the world encyclopedic studies, being the owner of many major encyclopedic editions, the uniqueness of which was manifested, first of all, in their content and thematic diversity of material. The relevance of studying the history of the creation of encyclopedic editions in Russia is due to the need to systematize the experience of Russian encyclopedic studies in order to identify trends and prospects of its development. The history of the formation of Soviet encyclopedic studies has not received the full coverage. There are no generalizing theoretical works on the history of domestic encyclopedic editions; systemic studies of methodological nature have not been conducted. Only a general analysis of the structural features of individual encyclopedias of the Soviet period has been made. The main methodological foundation of scientific research on the study of the history of encyclopedic editions in the USSR and its role in the development of the Russian encyclopedic business traditionally are the principles of historicism and objectivity. The comparative-historical method made it possible to identify the general and specific in the development of encyclopedic business in the Soviet encyclopedias. The retrospective method allowed considering the historical prerequisites for the formation of the phenomenon. When analyzing historical material, it is also necessary to rely on the systemic approach, which consists in the holistic consideration of a set of objects. The documents of the Russian State Historical Archive and materials of the periodical press became the information base for the preparation of the article. In the Soviet state, a new understanding of reality and society’s access to knowledge was being formed in a new way, where encyclopedias became an emblem representing a new social order based on the monopoly of knowledge and power. The aim of this publication is to represent the process of the formation and development of encyclopedias in the USSR. Based on the materials of the fonds of the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, as well as periodicals, the evolution of encyclopedic studies in the USSR is presented. The conclusions are drawn, which give an opportunity to show in a new way the
peculiarities of the formation of encyclopedic work in the USSR as an ideological phenomenon, which still remains a valuable heritage that preserves the memory of our country and our people. The Soviet period can be considered the era of laying the foundations of a new system of encyclopedias, when the necessary internal prerequisites for the development of the encyclopedic work were created, combined with the influence of external factors. The works of Soviet scientists of the 20th century reflected the formation of the encyclopedic paradigm as an integral part of Soviet culture. This paradigm was subsequently embodied in the work of scientists at the beginning of the 21st century.