RUDN Journal of Russian History

The author examines the demographic and medical aspects of the existence of the military parish of the Transfiguration Naval Cathedral in the Solombala Admiralty settlement, a parish church for military personnel and officials of the Military and Naval Departments of the Russian Empire and members of their families. The source base is archival documents (above all, parish registers), as well as official statistical handbooks on the settlement. There is essentially no other historiography on this subject. The article is interdisciplinary and utilizes historical demography, examining the birth rate, number of marriages, and mortality statistics for 1850, 1855, 1860, and 1861. There is also data on postmortem diagnoses with an analysis of the recording system. As a result of the analysis of parish registers and other sources, the author concludes that the military parish of the Solombala Transfiguration Naval Cathedral was demographically different from the population of the Solombala Admiralty settlement, since the parishes were divided, and separate statistics were kept for each of them. In addition to the demographic statistics, there were statistics of post-mortem diagnoses for the years under review, which makes it possible to identify disease outbreaks for each year.

The authors examine the main directions of research on the traditional economic activities of the population of the Russian North and attempts of their modernization in the 1920s - early 1930s. The aim of the study is to identify the nature of the transformation of traditional resource use amid a new stage of industrial development in the North. The research is based on archival materials from the Arkhangelsk Society of Regional Studies, documents of regional authorities, and local periodicals. The traditional means of livelihood for the population of Arkhangelsk Province in early 20th century are briefly characterized, highlighting the significant impact of aquatic and forest resources on the socioeconomic development of the region. The activities of the societies for regional studies, which played an important role in studying the region’s economy and developing measures for the growth of traditional industries, are analyzed. The difficult economic situation after the Civil War sparked interest among the new authorities and the expert community in the traditional occupations of the population, seen as a resource for overcoming the food crisis, restoring and developing industry. Key areas for the modernization of traditional trades included their technical and technological re-equipment, as well as the cooperation of resource users. Trades connected to industrial production (such as the forest chemical and fishing industries) received priority support. There were attempts to introduce new types of activities as part of traditional industries, such as the harvesting of seaweed for iodine production. The process of collectivization that unfolded at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s, in the context of the transition to a planned economy, effectively marked the end of economic independence and individuality for the resource-dependent population of the Russian North.

The author examines the regional characteristics of the Polish separatist uprising of 1863 (January Uprising) in the territory of Lithuania and Belarus, a territory which was part of Western Russia at the time. The general goals of the uprising aimed at separating the Kingdom of Poland and Western Russia from the Russian state, and its regional Western Russian characteristics had a direct impact on the formation of the political discourse of the Orthodox clergy and their conceptual output. The special role played in the uprising by the politicized Roman Catholic clergy determined the content of those concepts and the ideological values of the component of discourse used by them. An important role in the religious and political propaganda of the Polish Catholic clergy was played through the issue of restoring the Uniate Church of Western Russia, which had been abolished at the Synod of Polotsk in 1839. The Western Russian Orthodox clergy, which mainly consisted of former Uniates, turned out to be an attractive subject for such propaganda. The propaganda arguments in favor of restoring the union were accompanied by threats, violence, and murders of Orthodox priests. The response to the actions of the separatists was a political discourse, the main concepts of which were formed by Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) of Lithuania, who had previously belonged to the union. The historical basis of the discourse was the conceptual ideas of N.G. Ustryalov, who considered the history of Russia as all-Russian, including the history of Western Russia. The author comes to the conclusion that the main concepts of the political discourse were “Russian nationality” and the unity of Western Russian Orthodoxy (political, ecclesiastical, and ethnic) with the Russian monarchy, the Russian Church, and the Russian people. The political discourse of the Western Russian clergy found expression in church services, publications of the church press, sermons, and overt actions to support the policies of Alexander II.

The authors in their article determine the role and place of the Timiryazev Academy in the broader system of Soviet science and education. The source base of the study is materials from Russian archives and personal files of the Academy employees from the funds of the Museum of History of the Academy. The study is based on historical-chronological, source, and biographical methodology. The authors analyze the history of the Timiryazev Academy activity, demonstrating its successes, achievements, as well as problems and difficulties that arose from the point of view of fulfilling the state tasks for the training of qualified personnel for the agricultural sector of the economy and the formation and development of agricultural science in the USSR. This approach demonstrates the capabilities of agricultural universities and showing their effectiveness. The result of the study is the creation of the periodization of the history of the Soviet-era Timiryazev Academy, the wording of the names of each period: early Soviet, reorganization, military, restoration and virgin lands, and stabilization.

The author in their article focuses on the analysis of the causes and nature of the relations between Russia and Moldavia in the second half of the 15th - early 16th centuries, as well as their influence on the development of state ideology in Russia. This issue is usually not given much attention when historians consider the history of the unified Muscovite state during the reign of Ivan III. The issue of creating an alliance between the Muscovite and Moldavian monarchs remains a hotly debated subject of scholarly discussion, and the influence that the actions of Stephen III and his positioning toward Muscovy is often underestimated when analyzing the beginning of the creation of Russia’s new state ideology. The author analyzes the attempts of Moldavian ruler Stephen III the Great to create an antiOttoman alliance with the ruler of all Rus’ Ivan III. They conclude that the Moldavian monarch failed to achieve his goal, and at that time, based on the priorities of Russia’s interests, the Muscovite sovereign used interaction with Moldavia to his great advantage.

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of defectors from the Soviet Union in the first years after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The article is based on documents from the Archive of War, Revolution and Peace of the Hoover Institution (Stanford, USA), the Bakhmetev Archive of Russian and East European Culture of Columbia University (New York, USA), the Archive of the Center for East European Studies of the University of Bremen (Germany), etc. The author shows that Germany was the most important center where significant flows of defectors were directed. It is proven that one of the most noticeable groups of defectors were soldiers and officers of the Soviet troops stationed in post-war Germany. The situation of defectors in the Russian diaspora after World War II, their relations with representatives of the “second wave” of emigration from the USSR are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the 1st conference of post-war political refugees (Hamburg, September 1951), it was established that it did not lead to the consolidation of defectors . The article devotes considerable space to the problem of the perception of the West and its foreign policy of the Cold War era by the defectors , and proves that they repeatedly subjected it to harsh criticism. The article proves that a number of defectors broke with anti-communist émigré organizations and decided to return to the Soviet Union. The author concludes that the reason for this was the disappointment of many defectors in the values of Western democracy, their critical attitude toward the spiritual atmosphere within Western societies and toward the US political elite.

The ethnographic study of tribal groups is of great importance for understanding the history of an entire people. Such studies allow for a deeper understanding of the origin, formation, and interaction of different ethnic communities. In this article, based on the published documents and archival materials in Russian and Mongolian, an attempt by the author is made to reconstruct the history of the settlement of the Soyan tribal group of Tuvans. There is also an attempt to examine the related territorial dispute with the Mongols, which lasted through the 1930s and 1940s. It is shown that from the 17th century, the Soyans roamed over the vast territory of the Sayan Range and at different times paid tribute to the Altyn Khans, Dzungars, and Russians. Afterwards, the Soyans appeared in the south-western part of Tuva. In the mid-18th century, the Dorbets were resettled from the Ili and Tarbagatai regions to the vicinity of Ulaangom, which led to the displacement of the Soyans to the foothills of Tannu-Ola. Subsequently, by complaining to the Uliasutai Jian-Jun about the lack of pastures, the Tuvans obtained permission to roam in the Khan-Khokhii Range; in addition, territorial disputes, which had deep historical roots have periodically arisen between the Mongols and Tuvans. During the Qing rule, decisions were made by higher authorities (Uliasutai Jian-jun, and the Chamber of Foreign Relations), hopefully taking into account the opinions of all parties. The Tuvan People’s Republic and the Mongolian People’s Republic handled the border issue through more organized treaties, including with the participation of the USSR. The author concludes that the border issue between the Mongols and Tuvans was initially handled within the framework of the vertical management system of the Qing, but due to the protracted nature of the conflict and the change in the political landscape, this issue was transformed through a new format of interstate relations.

The authors in their article reveals the key areas and results of geographical research of the Black Sea region in the 1800s - early 1850s. Based on archival materials and historical and geographical research, the authors illustrate that this stage of research was characterized by the intensive development of mapping, hydrography, and historical toponymy, due to the geopolitical interests of the Russian Empire. The authors analyze the role of marine expeditions led by F.F. Bellingshausen, M.P. Lazarev, E.P. Manganari, and other major researchers of this region. The works of these researchers made it possible to clarify the coastline, depths, currents, and areas of the Black Sea dangerous for navigation, a feat which was crucial for the safety of navigation, particularly the navy. The growing tension in international relations, the Russo-Turkish wars of the first half of the XIXth century, and in particular, the Caucasus War led to an increase in Russia’s marine geographical exploration in the region. The authors highlight the significant contribution of the researchers of the first half of the 19th century in historical geography and toponymy, as scientists and officers recorded ancient names of settlements, comparing them with ancient and medieval sources as well as modern popular names, which also contributed to the academic study of the region. Geographical studies of the Black Sea in the first half of the 19th century were comprehensive, combining scientific, military-political, and economic objectives. The results obtained laid the foundation for further exploration of the region and strengthened Russia’s position in the Northern Black Sea region against the backdrop of rivalry with Turkey and Western European countries. In addition, Russian studies of the Black Sea region contributed to the formation of the domestic geographical school. In particular, the maps and atlases drawn up during the expeditions, as well as descriptions and photographs of objects in the Black Sea, served as the basis for subsequent research and study, which is still partially relevant today. The Black Sea geographical studies of the first half of the 19th century, especially those conducted in the 1840s - early 1850s, played a major role in the development of overall geographical science in the region. They demonstrated the importance of combining military-practical objectives and scientific knowledge in the context of the complex foreign policy situation and wars of Russia fought throughout the first half of the 19th century.