No 5 (2025)
Articles
Higher governing bodies in besieged Leningrad: sources and digital methods of their analysis
Abstract
The article presents the formulation of the scientific problem regarding the study of actions taken by the higher Soviet and party leadership of Leningrad during the blockade years. The author focuses on the relevance of examining the methods of managing the city under these unique circumstances. The analysis of the distribution of power authority will clarify the principles of Leningrad's functioning during the war and its connection to the overall structure of political leadership in the USSR. In recent years, this area has gained significant momentum due to the publication of a wide range of documents and materials. In this regard, the research's source base consists of a substantial array of decisions and resolutions from the Bureau of the Regional and City Committees of the VKP(b), the Military Council of the Leningrad Front, and the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council of Workers' Deputies. The analysis of Soviet-party governance in Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War, based on a large array of decisions and resolutions of power institutions, including appendices and transcripts, relies on methods of historical informatics. The historiographic review of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods allows for conclusions about extensive references made by researchers to the connection between political governance of the city with numerous economic and social themes. However, within this context, there is a palpable lack of attempts to analyze the stated problem using interdisciplinary methods. In this regard, the scientific novelty of the proposed research lies in the approach to the issue at hand. The article provides thematic narratives on the application of historical informatics methods, including computerized content analysis, machine learning, descriptive statistics, and correlation analysis. The capabilities of these methods represent a relevant tool that allows for progress in addressing some of the general tasks posed. Correlating the research results with historiography will yield a more comprehensive understanding of the state management system in besieged Leningrad.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):1-15
1-15
Unknown letters of Antonio Possevino from the collection of historian N. P. Likhachev.
Abstract
In the article, the author analyzes unknown letters of the papal legate Antonio Possevino (1534–1611) from the collection of the historian – source scholar N.P. Likhachev (1862–1936), which were discovered by the researcher during the study of Russian-Polish documents in the Scientific and Historical Archive of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences on January 25, 2024. Antonio Possevino met several times with Ivan the Terrible, trying to convince the ruler to convert from Orthodoxy to Catholicism, to conclude a religious union. The diplomat acted as an intermediary between Ivan the Terrible, Stefan Batory and the Pope. However, for a number of reasons, the mission of the papal envoy was unsuccessful. And although Muscovy lost in the Livonian War, it did not change its original faith. The author used various research methods: analysis, synthesis, adhered to a systematic approach and scientific objectivity, used textual analysis, contextual analysis. Textual analysis helped to understand the worldview of Possevino The letters of the papal envoy presented in the article are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time and were previously not known. The letters help change perceptions of Possevino and his mission, reinterpreting his role in history. The analysis of the sources that we introduce into scientific circulation contributes to the understanding of diplomatic relations between Muscovy and the West in the 16th century. It becomes clear that Muscovy for the papal envoy is a country that is interesting to him. Russia did not seek to advertise its actions in Europe. Evidence of this is that European courts did not feel interest in her, and Possevino, through a familiar bishop, advertised his works. We learn the extra information about Antonio Possevino's personality. The ideological opponent of Ivan the Terrible acquires the features of a living person who is cunning, dodgy and professional. Possevino has a sincere interest (despite the fact that he is an ideological opponent of Ivan the Terrible) in Muscovy, which follows from the nature of these letters. The letters are different in content: in the first more about Posevino's attitude towards Muscovy, in the second about the private religious affairs of the papal legate.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):16-23
16-23
The methodology of history and the scheme of the genesis of the revolution in Russia by M.Ya. Gefter (comments on his works "There will be no Third Millennium" and "Stalin died yesterday")
Abstract
The article offers comments on two works by Mikhail Gefter, "There will be no Third Millennium" and "Stalin died yesterday." There is a certain agreement between the views of the author and M. J. Gefter regarding the understanding of history and the methodology of history. Several problems that arose when reading these works are discussed: M. Gefter's understanding of history as several local stories with beginnings and endings, different approaches to reconstructing the personalities of Lenin and Stalin, and Gefter's explanation of the logic of the Russian revolution. A methodology for solving these problems is outlined, which involves the analysis of two objects: the first, Gefter, who studies the history of Russia and its heroes (Lenin, Stalin, etc.), and the second object, the author of this article, who analyzes and interprets Gefter's work. Everything is clear to Gefter about Stalin, the leader's life is known in all his deeds, and no definitions other than negative ones can be applied to him. Gefter's attitude to Marx and Lenin is different: he tries to organize a conversation with these historical subjects. From Gefter's point of view, Lenin was close to admitting that there would be no world revolution at all, it could not take place in the form that was expected. The author suggests that Gefter's reconstruction opens up the prospect of resolving the impasse in Russia's development: not revolution, but evolution, not a unitary state, but a federation, thought out and secured by a new social order and law. The last part of the article is a brief historical self–determination of the author. Using the material of personal history and the analysis of the life of Emanuel Swedenborg, he outlines his understanding of history and methodology of history, noting the similarities with the views of Gefter.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):24-37
24-37
Mineral and raw material resources of the European North of the RSFSR in the program of scientific study of the natural productive forces of the country in the early years of Soviet power.
Abstract
The article brings attention to the problem of mastering the mineral and raw material potential of the European North of Russia through the lens of understanding the historical experience of researching this territory in the early years of Soviet power – from 1917 to the early 1920s, in the context of addressing state tasks related to the study and practical use of the natural productive forces of the RSFSR. The object of study is the activities of state departments and scientific institutions of the RSFSR aimed at the development of natural resources in the European North. The subject of research is the historical role of science in studying the mineral and raw material resources of the European North of the RSFSR and the significance of the results obtained for further industrial development of the region. The basis of the research consists of documents from the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive, the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of St. Petersburg, and the St. Petersburg branch of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, some of which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. One of the foundations of the source base of the work consists of published legislative acts that characterize the work of the Soviet government, as well as scientific works by researchers of the North. The methodological basis of the work includes the main principles of modern historical science: historicism and scientific objectivity. The research is based on a systematic approach that allowed for the creation of an objective historical reconstruction of events related to the study of mineral and raw material resources in the European North during the specified time period. Based on the analysis of sources and reliance on methodological approaches, it has been determined that after 1917, the European North was in a zone of special priorities for the government. The need to address state tasks aimed at expanding the mineral and raw material base of the RSFSR to overcome the economic crisis necessitated the wide application of mineral resources from this territory in economic development. This marked the beginning of the intensive activities of scientific institutions (the Geological Committee, the Northern Scientific and Industrial Expedition, the Russian Academy of Sciences), whose main directions became the study of resource potential and its assessment for industrial use. It is concluded that during this period the problem of developing the European North gained national significance, which provided a powerful impetus for its systematic study and industrial development. Familiarity with this historical experience is essential for the implementation of modern plans for the development of the European North of Russia.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):38-54
38-54
The 1925 International Exhibition in Paris and the crimean exhibits: on the question of preparing the traditional costume of the Crimean Tatars and crafts related to its production
Abstract
The history and features of the preparation of Crimean Tatar exhibits related to traditional costume, which were exhibited at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925, were examined. The general scientific principles of generalization, historicism, and objectivity were applied in the article. Thanks to special methods (the method of historical reconstruction, comparative-historical, historical-genetic, and retrospective methods) in the process of comparing new written sources (Soviet periodicals, reports, programs of the event, diaries of the organizers, and the exhibition catalog), the stages of collection, preparation, and direct display of details of the Crimean Tatar costume were identified. The novelty of the research based in the fact that the leading role of U. Bodaninsky in the presentation of his concept, sketches, selection of items for the exhibition, the Preparation Program and cost estimate, and the problem of rewarding exhibitors. It was concluded that the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925 was one of the most important events in the cultural life of the Crimean Tatars, since the traditional costume were seen by millions of visitors, a high level of craftsmanship and a wide range of products were demonstrated. The contribution and responsible attitude of the organization of the event are shown, who, thanks to the employees of Crimean museums and Crimean Tatar artisans, was able to collect a collection. A number of issues were identified and resolved: that U. Bodaninsky was denied a visa; the names of some of the artisans who created exhibits presenting traditional costume were presented; an attempt was made to systematize the exhibitors' awards related to costume, nominations and a list of exhibits that received a bronze medal from the international jury were identified.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):55-79
55-79
Illegal financial and economic activities of Lenmyasorybtorg during the years of «Khrushchev reformism»
Abstract
A diverse array of materials from the State Archives of the Russian Federation, introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, and examines the shadow financial and economic activities of the Leningrad meat and fish retail trade (Lenmyasorybtorg) during the «Khrushchev thaw» were analyzed in the article. The measured liberalism in the economic sphere, characteristic of the period of «Khrushchev reformism», contributed not only to the improvement of the economic situation in the country, but also to the development of the shadow economy. The illegal financial and economic activities of the management of «Lenmyasorybtorg», as well as employees of subordinate institutions, in the absence of proper control from higher party and state organizations of Leningrad, who often used the services of trade and stores, contributed to the establishment of a new social category – «Khrushchev's rich» from among trade workers. «The workers of the counter», using the privilege of free access to material and commodity values and financial and economic resources, openly demonstrated the desire for a better life, which they provided for themselves and their loved ones using various fraudulent schemes. The purpose of the article is to concretize the assertion in the post-Stalin period of shadow practices implemented by trade organizations for the purpose of personal enrichment, when underground profit was obtained due to the secret implementation of various types of economic and financial machinations. The conducted research allowed us to reveal that in the era of N. S. Khrushchev, when the idea of consumerism gradually began to spread in Soviet society, trade organizations were a kind of Eldorado for earning illegal money. They developed and used various schemes that made it possible to extract unearned income, gradually undermining the foundations of the planned socialist economy.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):80-90
80-90
Russian-Czech Cultural, Enlightenment, and Scientific Cooperation at the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries: Key Personalities and Areas of Cooperation
Abstract
The article studies cultural, educational and scientific aspects of interaction between Russia and the Czech Republic at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The analysis focuses on institutional models of cooperation, the activities of key personalities and their contribution to the formation of Slavic studies, the development of legal and literary thought, musical and theatrical dialogue. Special attention is paid to transnational and interdisciplinary practices, as well as the role of cultural mediators in the formation of a common Slavic space. Through the biographies of I.S. Palmov, F.F. Siegel, V.A. Frantsev, A.A. Vrzal, J. Rokita and others, it is demonstrated how personal and institutional ties ensured the circulation of ideas, shaped intellectual reference points and contributed to the development of models of cultural autonomy in the conditions of imperial multiculturalism. The cooperation culminates in Neo-Slavism as a form of ideological consolidation aimed at preserving the identity and developing the project thinking of Slavic peoples. The study reveals stable patterns of interaction, in which cultural exchange acted not only as a means of communication, but also as a strategic platform of civilizational choice on the eve of geopolitical transformations of the XX century. Scientific novelty of the study consists in a comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis of Russian-Czech cultural, educational and scientific interaction at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, presented through the prism of personalized practices, institutional models and transnational strategies of humanitarian integration. For the first time, the biographies and contributions of such key figures as I.S. Palmov, F.F. Siegel, V.A. Frantsev, A.A. Vrzal and Ya. Rokita, with emphasis on their role in shaping Slavic studies, legal thought and literary dialog. Special attention is paid to conceptualizing Neo-Slavism not as a completed ideological construct, but as a dynamic intellectual project with the potential for cultural consolidation. The author interprets Czech diaspora structures as hybrid forms of cultural autonomy combining diplomatic, educational and enlightening functions.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):91-103
91-103
Formation of Jules Ferry's socio-political views in the 1860s.
Abstract
Jules Ferry is a principle French politician of the last third of the XIX century, who can rightfully be considered one of the "founding fathers" of the Third Republic in France. His early views were quite contradictory: he called himself a liberal and a republican, but his political opponents sometimes defined him even as a socialist. He played an important role as a journalist and pamphleteer in the liberalization of the authoritarian Second Empire in France in the 60s of the XIX century. However, despite the importance of his political heritage, expressed in the establishment of republican values and institutions in the 80s of the XIX century, the formation of his socio-political views was not examined properly in historiography. There is still no special research on this topic in Russian Federation. The sources for writing this article were his numerous speeches, pamphlets, letters, newspaper articles written by him, as well as the memoirs of his contemporaries. The important issue explored in this article is the correlation of liberal and republican ideas in his system of views in the 60s of the XIX century, that is, until the moment when he began political activity, becoming a member of parliament in 1869. The article draws an important conclusion that in the 1860s Ferry was much closer to the classical liberals than to the "red" Republicans. It is concluded that there was a lot of classical liberal ideas in J. Ferry's views: he was a supporter of "necessary freedoms" (the expression of A. Thiers), he supported the idea of decentralizing France and condemned attempts to rehabilitate the Terror of the French Revolution at the end of the XVIII century. At the same time, like all other liberals, he defended the gains and values of the Revolution.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):104-117
104-117
Production activities of food industry enterprises in besieged Leningrad (1941-1943)
Abstract
The relevance of this article is due to scientific interest in the study of the production process at food industry enterprises in besieged Leningrad. However, a number of issues within the framework of the above scientific problem still remain poorly understood and need to be developed by modern researchers. The industrial activities of food enterprises were aimed at producing goods for the needs of the city and the front. Plants, factories and combines restructured the organization of their work in the current new environment. In conditions of limited resources, the production process was accompanied by the search for the necessary raw materials and substitutes. They began to use soybeans, cakes, and soybean meal in their work, which is why the food range they produced was able to expand. The article uses the following research methods: historical, historical-genetic, logical and historical-systemic, through which it is possible to consider the production activities of Leningrad food enterprises as an integral system. The scientific novelty lies in the analysis of archival documentary sources, which made it possible to identify information about production work at food enterprises. The materials contain explanatory notes, reports on economic activities, orders, some of which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The documents preserved data on production plans, product quality, equipment characteristics, etc. Being in the most difficult blockade conditions, the factories continued to produce food products. After the winter of 1941-1942. the work process gradually began to recover. Some mothballed enterprises became productive from the beginning of 1942. New methods of manufacturing products were mastered in laboratories, which were then introduced into production. However, it was not possible to completely restore production operations.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):118-132
118-132
Jazz music in the discourse of power and cultural policy of the USSR during the period of late Socialism ( 1950s — 1980s)
Abstract
The author discusses the formation and development of jazz music in the USSR in the context of the cultural policy of the Soviet government. The subject of the study is jazz music in the cultural discourse of the Soviet government from the 1950s to the 1980s. The object of the study is the actions of the Soviet government aimed at adapting jazz music to the socio-cultural landscape of the USSR during the period of late socialism. Special attention is paid to the interaction of representatives of jazz culture in the USSR and the Soviet government, as well as the formation of underground culture within jazz music in the USSR. Such aspects of the topic as the reasons for changes in cultural policy towards jazz music in the designated period and the results of activities and motives for the formation of the underground within jazz music in the USSR are considered in detail. The methodology is based on a historical and cultural approach, which helps to shift the emphasis from a linear historical narrative to local socio-cultural spaces and their inclusion in a common global space. The main methods used by the author are historical-genetic, historical-systemic methods. The novelty of the research lies in determining the role of the Soviet state as the most important actor that influenced both the adaptation of jazz music to the realities of the USSR and the emergence of a jazz underground community within it. According to the author, a special role in these processes was played by the phenomenon of "pop and jazz ensembles", as well as the construction of an image of elite music for intellectuals around jazz, as opposed to destructive rock music, which penetrated and enjoyed great popularity in the USSR. Formally, from the late 1950s to the late 1980s, jazz music gradually became more accessible and official, however, this did not lead it to popularity in the USSR, which is explained by the peculiarities of its official positioning and the compromise nature of "pop-jazz ensembles", which generally have little in common with authentic jazz.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):133-140
133-140
Hungarian Campaign 1697: Planning and Preparations
Abstract
The article examines the preparation activities for the military campaign of 1697, carried out in the period from December 1696 to July 1697. The study focuses on the military operations planning and the relationships between various military-bureaucratic departments and military leaders, the process of procuring all the resources necessary for the campaign, the methods of coordinating commanders and military officials in order to ensure the combat readiness. The preparatory activities were studied, which involved not only the high command and the Court Military Council, but also the Banus of Croatia and Emperor Leopold I. The next stage was a detailed analysis of the measures taken by the military leadership in July 1697, in particular, Eugene of Savoy, at a time when the army was already in Hungary, but was not ready to act against the Ottomans. The sources used were the published letters of Eugene of Savoy from January to September 1697 and the minutes of the Court War Council and the War Council of Lower Austria. The sources allowed us to study the systemic interactions between different levels of the military hierarchy, officials and the emperor and to achieve a contextual perception of military command institutions, which made possible to separate the system-factors from the phenomenons of the 1697 campaign. Finally, the decisive role of systemic and collective efforts in ensuring the combat readiness of the armies of the Danube Monarchy was established. The competence of the commander-in-chief in the Danube Monarchy was determined during the period of equipping the troops, during the period of stay with the army in the theater of military operations and during preparation for a combat clash. In addition, the degree of personal efforts of Eugene of Savoy in organizing and successfully conducting the campaign of 1697 was assessed.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):141-151
141-151
The military-political context of the development of Virginia after the end of the French and Indian War of 1754-1763.
Abstract
The article examines changes in the relationship between Virginia and Great Britain in the first half of the 1760s after the end of the French and Indian War. The subject of the study is the factors of military-political cooperation between the colony and the metropolis. The object of the study is diplomatic agreements and armed clashes in the western borderland of Virginia. Important attention is paid to the military cooperation of the Virginia militia and British troops in suppressing Pontiac's Rebellion of 1763-1766. A special role is given to the analysis of the desire of the British authorities to establish control over the political, legal and military field of Virginia. The author uses chronological and historical-comparative research methods, which allow him to analyze an important stage in the evolution of British-Virginia relations in the first half of the 1760s. Several theses can be identified as the main conclusions of the study. Firstly, the growing contradictions in the relationship between the colony and the metropolis occurred against the backdrop of the victorious conclusion of the French and Indian War, but the views of the local community and royal officials on the further development of the colonial space differed. Secondly, in the first half of the 1760s, ideological contradictions between Virginia and the metropolis were not clearly expressed. Thirdly, the financial aspect dominated the discussion of military-administrative issues between Virginia and Great Britain. The author's contribution is the study of little-studied aspects of religious-cultural disunity and problems of land ownership in the western borderlands. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that this stage in the evolution of British-Virginia relations in the first half of the 1760s is considered part of the global process of development of American colonial society.
Genesis: Historical Research. 2025;(5):152-161
152-161