No 4 (2015)

The article analyzes the ideological program of the independent non-party newspaper "Russkiye Vedomosti". In the person of their editors N. Skvortsov, V. Sobolevsky and liberal professors the newspaper promoted the values of social responsibility in politics. In the matters of the development of credit and charity there clearly revealed the liberal-democratic character of the newspaper ideological platform. Like populist writers, the newspaper publishers were concerned about the difficult financial situation of the peasantry. The newspaper actively raised the issue of social and charitable assistance.

This article deals with the penetration of political slogans into the masses of the Soviet people due to the governmental and press propaganda and agitation in the conditions of the NEP. This issue analysis helps to understand people's reaction to the new linguistic constants and changes that the government offered them. Thus, the author managed to trace the feedback mechanism in the dialogue between "authorities and society". The analysis enables to state that the government’s and press bodies’ propaganda and agitation in the Soviet Union in the middle of the 1920s had a very big influence on the biggest part of the Soviet society. The analysis of the slogans showing the extent of the penetration of the political language into the socio-political and even everyday life demonstrates that almost every question that a Soviet citizen faced was politicized one way or another. The author concludes that the mechanism is deeply opposite to the democratic institutionalization of the so-called European type of society. At the same time this mechanism was traditional for Soviet people despite the change of the ideological paradigm and political rhetoric in the specific historical conditions of the “new” Soviet society.

The article discusses the views of Chinese scholars on the foreign policy of Catherine II, determines the range of sources serving as the documentary basis of the research of the Russian-Chinese relations in the second half of the 18th century. Special attention is paid to the changes in the interpretation of the Russian history in the times of Catherine II that have occurred in the Chinese historiography at the present stage of its development.

The article analyzes the perspective directions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan in the sphere of fuel and energy complex. The authors give particular examples of the joint implementation of the adopted documents aimed at strengthening the two countries’ cooperation in the exploration and production of oil and gas in the past decade. Particular attention is paid to the Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation in the spheres of nuclear power, oil and oil products. These areas are considered by the example of the largest enterprises of fuel and energy complexes of Russia and Kazakhstan. One of the main components of the fuel and energy complex is the Petroleum Industry.

The article shows the process of the establishment and development of the so-called “Russian style” in the Russian Empire’s architecture in the 19th century, which in foreign historiography is also known as the Russian revival style. The article demonstrates the importance of choosing a perfect state policy in architecture to match with the growing mood of national honor after the glorious victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, the style that will show all the beauty and greatness of our country. The author examines the changes the style takes and the symbolic meanings that the Russian revival architecture holds within to become an object of commemoration of the national tradition, to depict the history in stone and to save it for ages. Nowadays the interest in the Russian revival style architecture is constantly increasing. It can be observed in the lately constructed churches in the “Russian-byzantine” style, in the scientific researches of this style in architecture and international conferences held in this sphere.

The author researches the materials of the Prague Slavonic library to show the struggle of various political groups in exile for the leadership. The analysis of the documents leads to the conclusion that the socialist-revolutionary leadership of the Russian foreign historical archive in Prague was severely criticized by politicians of different lines, seeking to occupy the key positions in the archive to leave "their" history of еmigration to descendants. The examination of the personal records of employees reveals their attitude to the duties and to the archive as a whole. The majority of the staff saw their work in the archive as an honorable mission to preserve the "documented" memory of emigration as a part of the cultural heritage of Russia.

The article describes the main tendencies in the development of musical life and culture in Russia at the end of the XIX-beginning of the XX centuries. This period symbolized the establishing of new cultural trends and influences in musical culture that have not suited classical academic canons. New forms of musical activity found their practical realization in creation of people's instrument orchestras and choirs and changing of students' composition at the higher institutions of musical education and politization of musical culture.

The article discusses the issue about the death of Prince Ivan, son of Ivan the terrible, examines the sources and historiography of the problem. The analysis allowed to establish that often coming today appeals to review this story for "the betterment" of the image of Ivan the terrible have no historical basis. The main conclusion of the article Tsarevich Ivan tragically died at the hands of his father, which was a deep shock to Ivan the terrible and accelerated his death.