Abstract: The topic of the living standards of population during the World War I remains polemical, namely due to the fact that worsening of food insecurity was traditionally regarded by Soviet historiography as one of the factors of escalation of revolutionary moods in the society. The article describes the dynamics of industrial protests during the wartime, which were caused shortage and costliness of food products. The research is based on the 2019 edition of the chronicle of industrial protests during the World War I, which contains information on the higher number of conflicts than that of materials used in earlier research. Assessment of the severity of food insecurity through the prism of industrial strikes demonstrates that the situation becomes critical by the beginning of 1917, gradually changing for the worse during the wartime. In the initial stages of the war, the demands for food provision and lowering the prices were expressed during the strikes in the remote provinces. Although in 1916, the provinces of the Central Industrial District take on the leading positions, the Moscow province is not among them. The employees of light industry, and particularly textile industry, were engaged in the strikes more often. By the end of 1916, the escalation of protest activity due to food insecurity issue is observed in Moscow and Petrograd provinces, involving the workers of metal industry and defense enterprises.

Keywords: arrests, factory shops, prices, workers 'living standards, food issue, World War I, strikes, economic demands, industry, workers' protest

Abstract: The subject of this article is a historical and political study of the key vectors of the state-confessional policy of the USSR in the countries of "people's democracy", which received their practical embodiment within the framework of prevailing legal practices. Special attention is paid to the study of the intervention of Soviet diplomacy in state-confessional relations on the territory of socialist Yugoslavia. After the end of World War II, one of the largest religious organizations of the Yugoslav state, the Serbian Orthodox Church, faced numerous historical challenges. The course of the historical process pushed this religious organization into opposition to the political elite of Yugoslavia. Numerous external "players" sought to take advantage of this situation, including the Soviet Union, whose relations with Yugoslavia significantly worsened during the period under study. The main method used in the preparation of the article was comparative historical. The novelty of the research lies in the study of the relationship of political and ideological discourses of state-confessional relations of the mid-twentieth century with modern practices of state confessional policy of the Russian Federation. The study of the genesis and practical implementation of the main vectors of "confessional diplomacy" of the Soviet Union is primarily connected with the practical implementation of Marxist political and legal ideas, in the field of "political compromise" with the "capitalist world". The key conclusion of the article: in the international "confessional diplomacy" of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church has historically served as its instrument and an expression of the interests of the ruling political regime in the USSR, which influenced both the international position of the ROC and its internal state.

Keywords: geopolitics, politics, power, religion, church, world, conflict, factor, diplomacy, history

Abstract: The object of this research is the antirecession policy of the United States during the Great Depression. The subject of this research The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, process of its adoption, and consequences. Special attention is given to the history of increase of tariffs on imported goods. The legislative bill drafted by congressmen R. Smoot and W. Hawley is considered one of the unsuccessful economic reforms in the history of the United States. The tax reform was conceived before the recession and was called to protect local farmers from excess of cheap foreign agricultural products on American markets. However, there was no substantial benefit from the increased tariffs on imports. Most historians find that this measure worsened the position of the lower classes of the population. There is also an opposing opinion that the legislation did not play a serious role in deepening of the recession. The article analyzes the extent of the impact of this legislation in the U.S. during the 1930s. The scientific novelty of this research consists in utilization of the transcripts of addresses of the members of U.S. Congress as the sources for research of the process of passing the legislation, as well as press materials in order to examine opinions on the legislative bill and consequences of increased tariffs. It is established that the adoption of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act had negative consequences for the economy, although not as severe as commonly cited. The impact of the new law was not as substantial on the background of the ongoing Great Depression. Passing of the protection measures took place almost simultaneously with other countries, with some countries raising the tariffs before the United States. The tax reform greatly affected the political situation in the United States, playing its role in diminishing the ratings of the President and the Republican Party. 

Keywords: the US trade policy, statistics, international relations, Herbert C. Hoover, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, protectionism, the USA, the Great Depression, the US tax policy, the US Agricultural policy

Abstract: This article is first in historiography to set the subject of the analysis as the political language of the “Notebooks of the Upper Ural political detention center” – a body of texts written by the incarcerated oppositionists of Communism during 1932-1933. These documents became part of public domain only as recently as 2018. They have practically not been implemented into the scientific discourse, which complicates the task of authorship, detailed reconstruction of the practices of creation and proliferation of the “notebooks”, but at the same time raises the relevance of these texts from the political and cultural perspectives.  The author poses the question of rhetorical and pragmatic peculiarities of the texts of various genre. The texts are viewed in the context of the discourse on the language of the 1920s and early 1930s, canonic formulas of writing of the revolutionaries, as well as the factor of incarceration and internal discussions among the authors. The article highlights similarities and dissimilarities with the so-called “Soviet language” in the aspects of usage of clichés, citation techniques and stylistics eclectics. A hypothesis is advanced that the stylistics of texts carried an imprint of the cultural level of the authors and the conditions of incarceration, combination of which showed traces of the canonical political narratives of the revolutionaries, as well as bureaucratized depersonified language. The conclusion is made that the “notebooks” served as support of collective identity of the oppositionists, and can be viewed as the language of opposition.

Keywords: Soviet Socialism, Stalinism, Soviet political history, Trotskyism, Soviet political language, communist opposition, Bolshevik-Leninist, USSR, anti-stalinism, Soviet repressions

Abstract: The subject of this research is the preventive measures aimed against extremist activity in the conditions of falsification of history in youth environment. Leaning on students’ survey results, questionnaire materials of the student youth of Kemerovo Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, Chelyabinsk Oblast and Altai Krai, the author analyzes the factors that create favorable environment for falsification of history and growth of extremist manifestations. The article demonstrates the principle of organization of measures for countering the proliferation of extremist ideologies among youth. The experience of Kemerovo State Medical University on preventing extremist activity, which can be also use in other secondary and higher educational institutions, is described. Extremist ideology that is based on erroneous interpretation of historical facts and events, i.e. intentional distortion of history, underlied any extremist activity. These two phenomena and interrelated. Therefore, prevention of extremist manifestations is impossible without understanding and countering the mechanisms of falsification of history. Knowledge of the Russian history among youth is an important tool in prevention of falsification of history, and thus, extremist activity. A significant part of preventive work should be conducted starting from middle school history classes. The formation of fundamental knowledge on the key events of the Russian history, sense of patriotism, skills of working with information among youth is the property vector of anti-extremist activity, and is impossible without systematic and extensive implementation of this direction in educational institutions, beginning in grade school and continuing through university. The author underlines the need for training pedagogical personnel and changing approaches in teaching history.

Keywords: The Great Patriotic War, historical memory, students, young people, prevention, extremist activity, falsification of Russian history, teaching history, Information Technology, Mass culture

Abstract: The subject of this research is the examination of the first stage of reforms of camp economy: its transformation after adoption of the Decree “On the Changes to the Development Plan of 1953”. The goal of this work consists in determination of consequences of the large-scale reduction of the economic activity of the GULAG. The question of impact of the Decree on the Changes to the Development Plan upon economic activity of forced labor has not previously been the subject of a separate research. The author analyzes the incidence of reduction of economic activity of the GULAG, as well as generalizes the data on the activity and fate of the forced labor camps assigned to the constructions under liquidation. The conclusion is made that the changes to the development plan of 1953 became the first and crucial step in the GULAG reforms, which predetermines its final liquidation in 1960. After adoption of the decree, work was immediately halted on twenty largest construction objects of the GULAG, combined cost of which amounted to 49.2 billion rubles.

Keywords: construction program, reform, forced labor, camp system of the USSR, economic activity of the Ministry of Internal Affairs USSR, camp economy, GULAG, Great construction sites of communism, economic efficiency, historiography

Abstract: This article is first to examine one of the lists of chronicle that goes under the code name “The Chronicle of the Exodus of the ancestors of the tribe Nahci from the Settlement of Nahcivan" (N. S. Semenov). Iznaur Nesserhoev – scribe of the list – names the chronicle “Tarikh Chachan”, which is taken as the basis in this article. H. U. Basnukaev translated the text of this list of manuscript; Z. A. Tesaev compiled the commentaries on the translation and conducted scientific research relying on analysis of the contents of manuscript and its comparison with other lists. The author carries out a comparative analysis between this version of “Tarikh Chachan” and the previously published materials (N. Semenov, P. Takhnaeva, A. Salgiriev, etc.) is carried out. Publication of the translation and examination of the contents of the manuscript “Tarikh Chachan” are performed for the first time. This article reveals the similarities, discrepancies and new records on the content of a number of other lists of the chronicle under review. The examined text of “Tarikh Chachan” indicated the new, previously unpublished details in the narrative dedicated to the personalities of the Kalmyk Khan – Nowruz Khan along with other Caucasian rulers of Kakhar and Surakat. The author observes the identity of the introductory part of the text and the main plotline in the lists of the aformentioned authors (N. Semenov, P. Takhnaeva, A. Salgiriev, etc.). The conclusion is made that this list of the chronicles "Tarikh of Chachan" is an additional source on the medieval history of the North Caucasus.

Keywords: Argvani, Surak, Kahar, Navruz, Iznaur Nesserhoev, Chechens, Nakhchuvan, Sham, Nashkha, Dagestan

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the protest campaign of Labour Party of Great Britain, which unfolded in the early World War I. Based on the range of sources, such as socialist workers’ press of Great Britain, party documents, parliamentary debated, the author sets a goal to examine the key arguments of the opponents, namely activists of the Independent Workers’ Party, which became a stronghold of antiwar sentiment of the Labours. Special attention is given to such publicists as R. MacDonald and K. Hardy. The article also traces the evolution of antiwar campaign and reveals the reasons. Research methodology is based on the systematic approach towards analysis of public speeches of British activists printed in the workers' socialist publications of antiwar orientation. It is demonstrated how in the space of a few days, in August 1914, the moods of majority of the British workers changed dramatically, from unreserved condemnation of the war expressed in the slogans of the Second International towards support of the government in the fight against militaristic Germany. The conclusion is drawn that in the initial months of war, the antiwar campaign has experienced significant transformation. If in the early period it was characterized mostly by the emotional and somewhat sarcastic rhetoric, then later on the background of tremendous human losses, the campaign adopted a rather moderate tone. Attempts of the publicists to grasp on causes of war and focus the need to rebuild society after its completion comes to the forefront.

Keywords: socialist movement, antiwar activity, labour movement, antiwar press, First World War, Independent Labour party, Labour party, British history, Keir Hardie, Ramsay Macdonald

Abstract: The subject of this article is the project of the “Russian Historical and Cultural Reference Institute” proposed by the philologist and historian of the Russian booklore P. K. Simoni for consideration by the Academic Council of the Russian Historical Museum in May 1917. The October Revolution triggered the major changes in the infrastructure of historical science. Dozens of scientific and cultural establishments were restructured or ceased their activity, and dozens opened up. The project of P. K. Simoni was one of many in this series of transformations. It was developed by a practicing scholar in the humanities, who knew firsthand about all the difficulties of research work, which defines the uniqueness of this project. This fact makes this document a valuable historical source on the history of the Russian humanities in the late XIX – early XX centuries. Although the project of P. K. Simoni has been previously mentioned in the special literature, this is the first detailed analysis on the topic. The conducted analysis allowed revealing the challenge faced by scholars in the humanities of the late XIX – early XX centuries in their research activity, as well as outlining the possibilities for establishment of a new institution to resolve them. The author described the similar in their concept projects, which inspired P. K. Simoni in his work, as well as determined the similarities and differences of the proposed solutions. The conclusion was made that the Russian scientific community requires an institution that would solve the tasks of information support for the humanities, since the 1820s. Such need was formulated, clarified and modified over time, and yet does not fully meet the demands.

Keywords: scientific archive of the humanities, infrastructure of science, information support of science, history of science, museum collections, State Historical Museum, Pavel Konstantinovich Simoni, scientist archive, history of the humanities, humanities infrastructure

Abstract: Yamskaya mail delivery as the postal communication system played an important role for the Russian State. The word “yam” is of Turkic origin. The Tatar post stations were known as “yamy”. In order to understand the degree of influence of the Golden Horde on the Russian lands, it is crucial to understand what influence the Tatar (yamskaya) postal system had upon the formation of the Russian postal (yamskaya) service. This question has the scholars’ attention; however, there is yet no uniform opinion. The subject of this research is the factor of the Tatar influence upon establishment of the Russian postal (yamskaya) system. The object is the scientific works of pre-revolutionary, Soviet, and modern Russian scholars on the topic. The studies are demonstrated in chronological order. The article employs the traditional methods of historiographical research: historical-narrative and historical-comparative. As a result, the author determines the three groups of researchers: 1) Scholars, who recognize the considerable influence of the conquerors upon the formation of the Russian postal (yamskaya) service. Their conclusions indicate direct participation of Tatars in establishment of the Russian postal system, or taking the Mongolian system as an example; 2) Historians who denied the influence of the Tatar postal (yamskaya) system upon the formation of the Russian postal service. 3) Researchers who believe that the influence of the conquerors was significant, however not determinant for the Russian postal service. The experts underline the borrowing of terminology and introduction of the new postal tax.

Keywords: special tax, feed and wagon, post station, Mongol-Tatar impact, postal system, Yamskaya chase, yam, Golden Horde, Yamskaya duty, Russian land

Abstract: This article is dedicated to parish libraries of the XVIII-XIX centuries. The author examines the library acquisition and functionality throughout the centuries. The subject of this research is the library of the Church of Praise of the Mother of God in Orel-Gorodok (in the XIX century – the village of Orlinskoe, currently the town of Orel, Perm Krai). Located in the administrative center of the vast Stroganov’s estates, in the XVII – early XVIII centuries the church was under the patronage of the prominent family, which is reflected in numerous book contributions. Later on, the clergy of parish and parishioners took charge of the church. Among them are the clergy dynasties of Gorbunov, Korovin, Smyshlyaev, etc., as well as peasants. The library collection was constantly changing; 12 out of 62 books were removed from during the XVII – XVIII centuries. By the end of the XIX century (based on handwriting of the note), the collection of the church library contained no fewer than 33 books: No. 33 is the highest number identified on the books that previously belonged to this church. It is worth noting that 33 (53%) were attributed to liturgical publications, 25 (40%) –  educational books, 3 (5%) – Holy Scripture, and 1 (2%) – legislative normative texts. Despite the fact that the oldest books were removed from the church library, the early printed books were preserved in its collection up to the end of the XX century.

Keywords: clergy, book contributions, Cyrillic books, old printed editions, Smyshlyaevs, Stroganovs, library, Church, existence, storage

Abstract: The subject of this research is the celebration of the Day of Russian Culture in Harbin. This holiday was widely celebrated in most countries of emigration in the 1920s – 1930s; however, its popularity subsided after the World War II. An attempt is made to examine and analyze the arrangements for the Day of Russian Culture in the major center of White Russian émigrés in Northeast China – Harbin. For achieving the set goal, the author meticulously reviews all key aspects of the celebration: its preparation, main events for adults and children, release of festive publications. The article employs the previously known materials, such as the journal “The Day of Russian Culture” that published the reports of celebration and articles that better describe its essence; as well as introduces the new sources into the scientific discourse, such as materials from the State Archive of Khabarovsk Region, namely documents on the preparation and holding of the Day of Russian Culture. The conclusion is made that the festival was an important event for the Russian population of Harbin, united various emigrant communities, and contributed to preservation of the national culture in the conditions of separation from their homeland.

Keywords: holidays, russian emigration, Manchukuo, national education, Harbin, Day of Russian Culture, Pushkin, national culture, emigrant culture, BRAM