No 8 (2023): Историческая демография

The paper, based on archaeological data, considers the history of the appearance and disappearance of settlements in the territory adjacent to the mouth of the river Sysola within the modern urban district “Syktyvkar”, in ancient times and the Middle Ages, in the context of climate changes and the division of the Ural language community.

The paper considers cartographic sources that can be the basis for studying the settlement of residents in the Komi territory. The significance of the results of the General Land Survey of the late XVIII century and cartographic sources compiled on their basis is emphasized. To study the settlement system, the importance of maps compiled under the leadership of I. A. Strelbitsky is determined. Data on the settlement of the Russians or Zyryans in each village of the region is provided based on the results of the Ethnographic Map of European Russia, published edited by A. F. Rittich.

The paper deals with ethnic groups of the Russians of the late XIX- first quarter of the XX centuries. The author divides all local groups of the Russians into ethno-territorial, ethno-class, ethno-confessional and ethnographic ones. They were formed in the context of the development of territorial-economic and historical-cultural clusters: Southern and Central Russian, North Russian, Siberian, Far Eastern and Central Asian. Subethnic groups of the Russians had to adapt to different climatic conditions, perceive the way of life and a new type of economy, elements of the material culture of the aboriginal peoples. The degree of closeness to indigenous peoples varied. From self-isolation to close contacts and mixed marriages. At the same time, as a rule, the Russians retained their language, cultural elements, ethnic identity and other basic values. The paper presents demographic indicators of local groups of the Russians of the late XIX-first quarter of the XX centuries.

The internal and external migrations of the population in the Komi Autonomy from the time of its creation in 1921 to the end of the 1930s are studied. The authors considered some characteristics of migration processes in the Komi Autonomy of the 1920s - 1930s: the direction of migrations, the role of internal and external, voluntary and forced migrations in the 1920s and 1930s, the ratio of migration and natural increase, the influence of migrations to expand the populated territory and the ethnic composition of the population, the main types of new settlements. It is noted that in the 1920s migration growth was inferior to natural one. Migration processes, the emergence of new settlements and the expansion of the populated territory occurred due to internal demographic resources during voluntary resettlement and agricultural colonization of previously undeveloped lands. In the 1930s migration growth prevailed over natural growth due to the forced resettlement of special settlers and prisoners into the region, sent to work in timber extraction, development of coal and oil fields and construction. By the end of the 1930s the system of settlements and the ethnic composition of the population of Komi Autonomy changed.

The losses of the Bulgarian armed forces during combat operations against Nazi Germany are analyzed. The paper considers the peculiarity of the transition of the Bulgarian armed forces to the side of the Allied forces in the fight against Nazi Germany in the period from September 1944 to May 1945. The problems preceding the turning point are analyzed, the characteristics of the actions of the 3rd Ukrainian Front of the Red Army on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula, to whose operational subordination the Bulgarian People’s Army was transferred, are given. The stages of the reformation of the Bulgarian troops into a single 1st Bulgarian army are investigated. The issues of interaction between Soviet and Bulgarian military formations in the framework of the implementation of common combat tasks are reflected. The participation of Bulgarian troops in alliance with the Red Army in major operations of the Great Patriotic War allowed Bulgaria to defend its pre-war territory and achieve worldwide recognition at the final stage of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Based on archival sources, the paper considers the problems of age, gender and national composition of students of secondary specialized educational institutions that trained agricultural specialists in the Komi ASSR in the 1950s. It is concluded that a significant proportion of students were female. In the context of the age groups of students during the study period, the proportion of representatives of the oldest group, both among female and male students, increased. It is shown that representatives of many nationalities were trained in the educational institutions under study. However, in terms of the number of students, their ratio was unequal.

The analysis of statistical, archival materials and literature allowed us to draw the following conclusions. If in the second half of the XIX century among all the indigenous peoples of the Lower Amur and Sakhalin (for example, the Nivkhs, Evenks, Uilta (Oroks)) same-ethnic marriages prevailed, then from the second half of the XX century mixed marriages began to prevail, women more willingly preferred mixed marriages. Besides, if previously interethnic marriages were registered mainly between representatives of different indigenous minorities of the North, then now marriages with the Slavic population predominate. The reasons for this phenomenon are: a large percentage of consanguineous ties within ethnic groups, an unfavorable sex ratio (there are more women than men, especially in reproductive age), and the reluctance of men to do anything, which further contributes to the search for marriage partners outside their ethnic group.

The paper considers the post-Soviet period of transformation of the urban settlement network and urban settlement system of the Komi Republic. The dynamics of the population of shrinking towns and decreasing urban-type settlements under the conditions of increasing negative demographic processes in the period between the population censuses of 1989 and 2020 is analyzed. The main problems of development and typology of urban settlements and urban aglomerations of the region are revealed. General approaches to their solution and possible options for further actions are proposed, depending on the complexity of the socio-economic and demographic situation.