RUDN Journal of Russian History

Editor-in-Chief: Marina N. Moseykina, Doctor of Science (History), Professor

ISSN: 2312-8674 (Print)ISSN: 2312-8690 (Online)

Founded in 2002. Publication frequency: quarterly.

Open Access: Open Access . APC: no article processing charge.

Peer-Review: double blind. Publication language: Russian, English

PUBLISHER: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)

 Journal History

Indexation: Web of Science Core Collection's Emerging Sources Citation Index, Scopus (SJR), Russian Index of Science Citation, Google Scholar, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, WorldCat, East View, Cyberleninka, DOAJ, Dimensions, ResearchBib, Lens, Research4Life, JournalTOCs

  

 RUDN Journal of Russian History is a periodical international peer-reviewed scientific publication in the field of historical research. The Journal covers all spheres of studying the historical process of Russia from antiquity to the present. Particular attention is paid to the history of Russian peoples and regions.

See the Journal History to get information on previous journal titles.

Announcements

 

Dear authors! Acceptance of manuscripts for publication in 2024 completed!

Posted: 15.04.2024

The editors begin accepting manuscripts for issues in 2025.

 
More Announcements...

Current Issue

Vol 23, No 2 (2024): The Russian Empire in Context of its Period and Geopolitical Environment

THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN CONTEXT OF ITS PERIOD AND GEOPOLITICAL ENVIRONMENT

“Greek Project” in Terms of Political Practice and Russian Imperial Ideology during the Reign of Catherine II
Chernikova T.V.
Abstract

The author gives an expanded interpretation of the “Greek Project” as not only a foreign policy undertaking, but also as an internal political project used in order to buttress state authority with specific ideological components. The source base for the project, in addition to the letter of Catherine II to Joseph II, are the papers of G.A. Potemkin, A.V. Khrapovitsky, the letters of Alexei and Grigory Orlov, and correspondence of the Russian Empress with Voltaire and other ideologists of the European Enlightenment. In addition, the writings of Greeks, in particular Eugenios Voulgaris, along various documents of foreign and domestic policy, and Russian cultural monuments are important to the project. It is shown that a characteristic feature of the imperial ideology of the reign of Catherine II was philhellenism, which included, above all, the noble elite’s awareness of the heritage of ancient Hellas as the source of pan-European civilization. On one hand, this ideology also included sympathy for the descendants of the great Hellenes, co-religionists who fell under the foreign Ottoman yoke, and on the other hand, the authorities and Russian society unanimously positioned the Russian Empire as the legitimate successor of Byzantium, which could and should return fellow Greeks to European civilization.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):130-142
pages 130-142 views
From the Yeisk Fortification to the Yeisk Settlement: Transformation of the Settlement Structure and Features of Land Surveying on the Southern Borders of Russia in the Second Half of the XVIII - First Half of the XIX Century
Stepanova L.G.
Abstract

The modification of the settlement structure of the Yeisk fortification, which belongs to one of the first Russian settlements on the Azov coast, is analyzed. The foundation of the Yeisk fortification is associated with the struggle of Russia with the Ottoman Empire for access to the southern seas. Subsequently, the Yeisk fortification (Eisk town) was an important stronghold in establishing ad-ministrative boundaries between the Land of the Black Sea Cossack Army, the Land of the Don Army, the Yekaterinoslav Governorate and the Caucasian Viceroyalty. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the transformation of the settlement structure and land surveying in the southern territories of Russia in the process of settlement and development of new territories. It is concluded that the evolution of the settlement from a military fortification to a village demonstrates a model of coexistence of various historical types of settlements in Cossack territories at the end of the XVIII - first half of the XIX centuries. After the General Land Survey at the beginning of the XIX century. Compared to neighboring settlements in the territories of the Rostov district of the Ekaterinoslav province, the Black Sea Cossack Army and the Don Army, the Yeisk fortification found itself in a less advantageous position. It lost many lands and access to fishing. However, the further history of the Yeisk fortification demonstrated its sustainable development. Fishing re-mained the leading economic activity of the settlement's residents. Thanks to the economic devel-opment of new southern territories, trading activity was revived in the Yeisk fortification.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):143-154
pages 143-154 views
Russia’s Imperial Bureaucracy and the Problem of Forming New Managerial Ethos on the Eve of the Great Reforms
Mogilevskiy N.A.
Abstract

The author examines the problem of forming new foundations of the managerial ethos in the Rus-sian Empire in the first years of the reign of Alexander II. As an example, there is analyzed the Note of legal adviser of the Naval Ministry V.E. Wrangel, as well as the opinions of high-ranking officials on it. The purpose of the research is to establish the foundations of new ethical standards that the authorities intended to apply to officials. The article shows an important aspect of the problem of reforming the administrative apparatus - the change in the moral character of senior officials, most of whom were never classified by either contemporaries or researchers as the so-called enlightened bureaucracy. There are also identified new ethical standards that laid the basis for the formation of new ethical principles. The author comes to the conclusion that the appearance of the Note indicated the continuation and acceleration of the important process of professionalization of the bureaucracy, a change in the moral guidelines of officials, which was fully consistent with the very spirit of the times. Although the Note itself was never officially enforced, the problems it raised, and the changes planned served as an important basis for the development of new manage-rial ethos in the future.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):155-166
pages 155-166 views
Viewpoints of Russian Gendarmerie Staff Officers on the Structure of Local Management Apparatus in Siberia during Pre-Reform Period
Rumyantsev P.P.
Abstract

The author examines the view of gendarmerie officers on the apparatus of officials in Siberia in the 30s - 50s of the XIX century. Through the course of their study, the author formed a list of officials in order to determine about whom gendarmes reported in their reports, sources were also identified of where gendarmes the received information about officials, and the transformation of the views of gendarmerie officers on the imperial administration in Siberia was revealed through source material. The main sources for the research were legislative acts of the imperial government, orders on the Gendarmes Corps, annual reports, reports, various reports of gendarmes stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation. Some of these sources were introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. Though the course of research, a historical and systematic method was used, a method which allowed them to explore both the subject and the object of research as a set of interrelated elements. As a result of the research conducted, the author came to the following conclusion: that gendarmerie officers innately considered Siberia an integral part of the Russian Empire. In their re-ports, gendarmerie officials reported on virtually all other officials, despite their official position. In their reports, they also highlighted a number of features of the Siberian administration: the lack of effective supervision of their activities, that local officials were not afraid to commit any official crimes, excessive corruption of the bureaucracy, the spread of favoritism, etc. However, over time, the severity of criticism of the Siberian bureaucracy decreased in gendarmerie reports, as the gen-darmes themselves gradually entered officialdom. Eventually, the gendarmerie department in turn became the main tool of political investigation of the state government.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):167-178
pages 167-178 views
Serbia in the Economic Strategy of the Russian Empire in Late XIX - Early XX Century
Vishnyakov Y.V.
Abstract

The author identifies the role of the economic factor as an integral part of the broad Russian-Austrian rivalry in the Balkans, as well as its role in the implementation of the global political strat-egy of St. Petersburg ruling circles. The source base is the materials from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire. The article analyzes the plans of the Russian Empire for economic penetration into the Serbian markets in the late XIX - early XX century, as part of the global political strategy of St. Petersburg ruling circles to strengthen their influence in the region. Particular attention is paid to the activities of the Russian Danube Shipping Company, since its development at the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX century allowed the Russian Empire to gain a foothold in the oil markets not only of the Balkan countries, but also of Austria-Hungary and Germany. Its strategic role increased significantly after the coup of 1903, when big Russian capital began to penetrate into Serbia; it was connected with Belgrade’s interest in military supplies from the Russian Empire. The author comes to the conclusions that Russian diplomacy did not always correctly use its capabilities to strengthen its influence in the country. The Russian Empire products failed to gain absolute dominance on the Serbian market. However, obtaining a monopoly on the sale of kerosene in Serbia, despite the general unprofitability of the Russian Danube Shipping Company, provided St. Petersburg with important strategic presence in the Balkan region, being a serious argument in the political confrontation with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was especially evident during the First World War.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):179-190
pages 179-190 views

ARTICLES

Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission in the Documents of the Russian State Historical Archive of the Russian Far East
Belyaeva N.A., Sigalov K.E., Alexandrov P.G.
Abstract

The research is devoted to the reflection of the economic activity of citizens of the Czechoslovak Republic in the Russian Far East during the Civil War. The main focus is on the Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission created to solve the economic problems of the considerable military contingent concentrated in Vladivostok awaiting departure to Europe. The activities of the commission have not yet been reflected in historiography; there have not been introduced into scientific use the documents that allow reliably presenting the structure, personnel, main field of activity, and contribution to the solution to problems vital for former prisoners of war and members of their families who were in a foreign land. The research is based on documents of the Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East, primarily on the funds of government institutions located in Vladivostok. Particular attention is paid to the agreements concluded by the Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission with the Provisional Government of the Far East - the Primorsky Regional Zemstvo Administration, the Central All-Russian Union of Consumer Societies (Tsentrosoyuz). It is shown that the status of the Czechoslovak Central Economic Commission changed during the Civil War. If initially it acted as a government agency, then later as a private commercial enterprise, the activities of which ended in criminal prosecution.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):191-202
pages 191-202 views
Ensuring Legality and Service Discipline in the NKVD Bodies of the Far East during the Great Patriotic War
Zhadan A.V., Shabelnikova N.A.
Abstract

The authors examine the service discipline and legality in the territorial bodies of the NKVD of the Far East during the Great Patriotic War, the reasons for the commission of offenses by the NKVD employees, the specificity of bringing perpetrators to justice, as well as forms and methods of preventive work with the personnel. The source base for the analysis was the internal documentation of the NKVD departments of the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, as well as the materials of primary party organizations stored in the regional archives of the subjects of the Russian Federation. There were also used the documents of the central office of the NKVD of the USSR, the Procurator's office of the USSR and the CPSU Central Committee Politburo stored respectively in the funds of the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archive of Modern History. Studying the problem, it was possible not only to state the facts of the unfavorable situation in the field of discipline and legality, but also to establish the determinants of these phenomena. In the course of the study, there was largely confirmed the fact repeatedly noted in historiography concerning the influence of the staff shortage and problems of material security on the effectiveness of the NKVD bodies in the war and post-war periods. It was established that the set of preventive measures aimed at strengthening discipline and legality included as follows: prevention of the employees’ moral decay; the use of methods of group responsibility; collective discussion of the most resonant violations of the rule of law; control by the NKVD leadership; personnel rotations; improvement of legal culture and literacy of the personnel; introduction of army methods of maintaining discipline.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):203-215
pages 203-215 views
Everyday Anti-Semitism in the USSR
Mironov B.N.
Abstract

The article considers the phenomenon of everyday anti-Semitism based on mass statistical data on the elections to local Soviets of Workers' Deputies. The ethnic composition of deputies sheds light on the attitude of the population towards not only Jews, but also the national policy of the authorities. The author shows that the election results indicate persistent negative attitude of the population towards Jewish candidates and, accordingly, towards Jews in general. In the local government Jews were always underrepresented, since their share among deputies was almost always lower than that in the population. However, the representativeness of Jews grew along with the enhancing of the status of the Soviets, as the influence of the authorities on the composition of deputies increased. In the All-Union and Republican Soviets before the war, Jews were even overrepresented. Thanks to the state, the anti-Jewish sentiments did not exclude Jews from the public life, elite and governance of society. Only the moving of many Jews into the opposition to the regime and the mass emigration to the West which began in the 1950s fundamentally worsened the attitude towards them on the part of the Soviet authorities and voters.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):216-231
pages 216-231 views

HISTORIOGRAPHY AND METHODS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH

Russia and the Central Caucasus in Soviet and Modern Scientific Discourse: from “Colonialism” to Russian Statehood
Kanukova Z.V., Tuaeva B.V., Plieva Z.T.
Abstract

The authors consider the problem of the Central Caucasus peoples’ joining Russia in Soviet and modern historiography. The purpose is to determine the main trends of the regional segment of Soviet historiography which remain relevant in the modern discourse, and to present the modern vector of research of the problem under consideration. There is given the periodization of the Soviet historiography. It is revealed that in the 1930s the formula of “absolute evil” was replaced by that of “the lesser evil” from the point of view of non-Russian peoples’ joining Russia. In the 1950s, there was taken a course to substantiate the progressive role of non-Russian peoples’ joining Russia and there appeared the idea of the voluntary nature of their joining. The article shows the fate of those historians who could not unconditionally accept the change in the research paradigm. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of modern historiography; its fundamental difference from the Soviet one is shown - the study of the issue without any ideological guidelines and its transfer exclusively into a scientific plane. The motive for addressing the problem is the research interest in the modernization processes of the post-reform period. As a result of the multifaceted research, there has been revised the assessment of the role of the socio-cultural institutions that served the goals of the peaceful conquest of the Central Caucasus peoples, and their positive role has been identified.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):232-243
pages 232-243 views
Genealogy in the System of Modern Knowledge: Theory and Methodology of Cognitive History of O.M. Medushevskaya
Sabennikova I.V.
Abstract

The author analyzes the place of genealogy as a unique indicator of humanitarian culture both in historical retrospect and modern society, since the subject of its study has traditionally been universal human values - family, kinship and relationships between different generations. The purpose of the article is to show the role of famous historian O.M. Medushevskaya and the significance of the theory and methodology of cognitive history developed by her for determining the place of genealogy in the system of modern knowledge. In the article, within the framework of this theory the place of genealogy in the system of modern knowledge is determined; the author gives a clear definition of the subject area of genealogy as a sphere of research, the possibility of interdisciplinary synthesis with a number of fundamental sciences, and formulates a program for the development of this field of knowledge in Russia. The author comes to the conclusion that the approach developed by O.M. Medushevskaya transforms genealogy from an auxiliary and applied discipline into one of the central areas of humanitarian-historical knowledge, making it an information resource for studying the history of family and clan, economic history (movement of property), the socio-political structure of society (or the history of classes), culture and its individual representatives.

RUDN Journal of Russian History. 2024;23(2):244-252
pages 244-252 views

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