Abstract: by the example of E.N. Gorodetskiy, a famous historian, the article explores the methods of the ideological campaign against the “bastard cosmopolites”. The author follows the immediate course of the anti-cosmopolite campaign (research in various research and training centers, as well as the criticism of the “Mintsin-Razgon-Gorodetskiy” group), basing his research on a broad variety of sources, many of which freshly rediscovered. As a result, the author concludes that this campaign has affected the native historical sciences and played a role in changing the ideological outlook of a part of the intellectual elite towards more anti-Stalin views.

Keywords: history, ideological campaigns, stalinism, cosmopolitism, soviet history science, E.N. Gorodetskiy, I.I. Mints, A.L. Sidorov, ideology, MSU.

Abstract: the article deals with the main milestones of the development of Russian historical geography, explaining its emergence and subsequent growth into a separate branch of science and academic discipline. The prolonged period of time required for determining historical geography’s own field of research is explained by the interdisciplinary nature of this field and particular qualities of the object of research. The broadening studies of historical geography have inevitably lead to this discipline being taught in Russian higher education institutions in late XIX-early XX-th century, thus signifying the establishment of a new academic discipline. Relatively young, historical geography has been taught in Russia for slightly more than 100 years. The article reviews available academic literature on historical geography from early XIX-th century to contemporary times.

Keywords: history, historical geography, auxiliary and specialized history disciplines, spatial history, natural and geographical factors, interdisciplinary, Moscow University, Archeology Institute, Archeological congress, historical science society.

Abstract: the article studies the political elite of Spain during the General F. Franco regime. The author scrutinizes the political views and career outlooks of the men at the top of the Francist regime. Analyzing the bibliographical material, the author researches the social characteristics (age, education, background) of various groups of Spanish elite of 1960s. The author concludes that, despite the changes in public administration and political course during the Francist regime, traditional traits of the Spanish elite were never lost.

Keywords: history, history of Spain, F. Franco, traditionalism, political elite, social characteristics, military elite, ministers, functionaries, representatives.

Abstract: the involvement of Russian population into a democratic election process in early XX-th century played an important role in the political history of this country. Politicization of Russian society was a necessary condition, and one of the manifestations of the birth of a democratic culture, the forming of a political identity of the citizens and their political consciousness. The author explores politicization in the context of interaction between government and society on the basis of introducing the average citizen into the political sphere. The author is basing the research on the testimonies of contemporaries and analyzes a broad number of sources, including written letters of governors to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Research on this particular kind of documents requires us to pay attention to historical context during research, minding other documents of a different origin, but similar in content. The testimonies of the people in power do not offer an accurate or complete picture of social and political life in early XXth century Russia, but they cannot be ignored by a historian that seeks to understand and explain the motivation of Russian electorate at the very beginning of democratization in our country.

Keywords: history, State Duma, political history, political parties, democratic culture, politicization, parliamentarism, elections, revolution of 1905–1907., election law.

Abstract: the article deals with the history of political struggle that took place during the period of V.I. Lenin’s death and resulted in I.V. Stalin’s rise to power, based on the analysis of XII-XVIIth Russian (bolshevik) Communist Party congresses, party conferences and plenums of the Central Committee. XIV Congress realized radical redistribution of power at the top of the Party, elevating Stalin and extrusion of L.D. Trotskiy, L.B. Kamenev and G.E. Zinovyev.

Keywords: history, Soviet Russia, party and political struggle, Leninism, Bolshevism, Trotskism, Stalinism, culture, socialism.

Abstract: in closing of a series, this article summarizes the outcome of the 1901-1902 food campaign, demonstrating the scale of government contribution, as well as its shortcomings which were mainly brought about by the underdeveloped transport infrastructure. The author points out a rather modest influence of individual charity and brings the reader’s attention to the measure of efficiency of the food campaign, evaluating mortality and sickness rates during the food crisis, as well as the general economical background.

Keywords: history, famine, food, transport, crop failures, pricing, sickness rate, mortality rate, charity, statistics.

Abstract: the article performs a comparative study on the social group of hereditary aristocracy in traditionalistic Far East societies, analyzing the composition and role of aristocracy in Chinese empires of different periods as well as in countries neighboring with China, which shared its political culture during different periods of history. The author attempts to evaluate the magnitude of monopolization of top government administration by aristocracy in Asian societies of different backgrounds.

Keywords: history, Far East, social group, aristocracy, bureaucracy, functionaries, Emperor, government administration, clan, family.

Abstract: the article reviews the relations of the ruling circles of leading Western European countries and the emerging Expert and Analytical society during World War I, pointing out the role of various group representatives of the intellectual elite of Great Britain, Franc and, Germany in expert evaluation of international relations. The authors analyze social and political preconditions that determined the course of relationships between governments and the expert society with the background of “office room diplomacy” and strict military censure. The authors determined and compared the situation in different countries and determined that the time frame of World War I, considering it’s controversy, was a turning point in the foundation of expert and analytical societies in Great Britain, France and Germany, because it revealed the increasing influence of the intellectual elite on maintaining legitimacy of ruling regimes and generating collective views and values.

Keywords: history, World War I, Great Britan, Germany, France, experts, intellectual elite, propaganda.

Abstract: the article deals with the search of Russian statehood identity. The author contemplates on the definitions of “despotism” and “democracy” from both, modern and historical perspective and attempts to determine if Russia’s political future lies with the Western, or the Eastern political model. He analyzes the main vectors of social, economical and political development of global civilization and Russia as its part; models of globalization, comparison of traditional and liberal values, the concept of “melting pot” and “unity and diversity”. The author attempts to unveil the lines of demarcative rifts between civilizations, to determine the axiological component of Russian statehood and its correlation with global axiological concepts. The author attempts to formulate a set empirical rules to help determine Russian statehood identity, and to formulate its new implications, basing them on the exploration of points of fusion between the East and the West. The author focuses his attention on issues and vectors of democratic development, the laws and regularities of fading democracy (in the points of its prominence, U.S. and E.U.) and its rise in countries that it was not originally pronounced in (Russia, Islamic Republic of Iran, People’s Republic of China). It seems that those factors will play an important role in determining the distribution of power in the world and Russia’s place in the greater picture.

Keywords: history, axiology, Europe, Russia, Asia, Eastern despotism, politarch, democracy, traditionalism, globalization.

Abstract: the article explores socialist competition as one of the premier stimulating factors in Soviet engineering institutions during the first pre-war five-year national economy plans. Shock labor and Stakhanovite movement analysis allows to determine the correlation between the scale and role of an engineering institution (factory) in Russian economy with the role and the efficiency of competitive practice, basing the research on archive data.

Keywords: history, industrialization, engineering, socialist competition, shock labour, Stakhanovite movement, labour relations, motivation of labour, productivity of labour, discipline of labour.

Abstract: the Volzhskiy water transport basin is a paramount transport and economic system which affected the development of several branches of industry and agriculture, as well as the placement of industrial and social sites. Freight transport across Volga and its many confluents (Kama, Sura, Oka, etc.) have essentially formed an “industrial orbit” consisting of vast territories and massive human reserves, presenting perfect conditions for production of goods and development of foreign trade, as well as reinforcing and stimulating communication. The functioning of Volzhskiy water transport basin during the second half of XIXth and the beginning of XXth century has affected the economical development of the European part of Russia.

Keywords: history, Volzhskiy water transport basin, Volga shipping, water transport, freight transport, transport-stimulating territories, composition of traffic, wharfs, freight transport and economic connections, railways.

Abstract: the article analyzes the fruits of historical research of the “Bruzhalovo village and its surroundings. Past and present” book (M.:Smireniye, 2012) which studies the Bruzhalovo village and its surrounding landscape in the Istrinskiy district of Moscow region (other researcha ttempts dated at 1920s and the turn of XX and XXI centuries). This research is characterized as one of the turning points in deep and broad-viewed study of Russia’s cultural history.

Keywords: history, Bruzhalovo village, Moscow suburbs, Istra, culture, local history, landscape, church of Preobrazhenie, holiness.

Abstract: the article provides a detailed critique of the “new chronology” school which was presented on the “Culture” TV channel, as well as other representatives of “folk history”. The critique is based on the thesis of intellectual poverty of such pseudohistorians, as well as the factors in modern society which allow for pseudohistorical views to find a place in the modern culture and gain mass media coverage. The true goals of “folk-history” proponents is successful commercialization of historical research. It is quite obvious that their actions accelerate the forming of “diet history”, “bubblegum history” for the unthinking consumer.

Keywords: history, folk-history, chronology, middle ages, Russia, Europe, Law, Crusades, Mongol-Tatar empire, Huns.