scholarly journals Draft Constitution of the “Thaw” period: historical-legal analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-65
Author(s):  
Viktor Sergeevich Pletnikov
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Communist Society ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Thaw Period ◽  
First Time

The author discloses details of the work of the Constitutional Commission on the new Constitution of the Soviet Union in the period from 1961 to 1964. The list of members of the Constitutional Commission, persons responsible for the formation of constitutional values at the initial stage of building a communist society, and their reassignment to subcommissions is published for the first time. On the example of the activity of the subcommission on the questions of “Public administration, activities of soviets, and nongovernmental organizations”, the author describes the organizational aspects of its work and the nuances of functionality. Assessment is given to the organizing role of apparatus of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR with regards to elaboration of a number of articles for the new Constitution, through the prism of the form and content. The article leans on the materials preserved in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (Fund 7523. Register 131). The presented material is the result of summary of archival research previously not available to the broad academic community. It allows you to debunk the myths that developed after publication of some works and memoirs on the topic. The article illustrates the contribution of staff members of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and a researchers to the creation of the first constitutional framework of the establishing communist society. The author also lists the actors who made considerable contribution to the development of basic constitutional values.

Žurnāla „Inostrannaja Literatura” rezonanse Latvijas literārajā telpā politiskā atkušņa laikā

2021 ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
Zanda Gūtmane
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Socialist Realism ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
New Historicism ◽  
Foreign Literature ◽  
Nikita Khrushchev ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Russian Literary ◽  
Thaw Period

The paper is devoted to a parallel description of the literary processes in the Soviet Union and Soviet Latvia during Nikita Khrushchev’ reign, also known as the period of political thaw or the liberalisation of the communist regime (1953–1964). The main object of the research is the literary magazine Inostrannaja literatura (Иностранная литература), issued in the Soviet Union since 1955, dedicated to foreign literature and its translations; the principles of creating its content and structure during the political thaw period. The aim of the research: with concrete examples, to show the role of this legendary Russian literary periodical in the Iron Curtain period, expansion of freedom of thought, decanonization of socialist realism dogmas in general in the USSR, and also in the Latvian SSR. The methodological basis of the research consists of a comparative literature approach and a new historicism position that the literary text is important in studying different lines of history. The analysis of the publications clearly shows the replacement of the so-called periods of thaw and freezing. The article proves that the appearance of translations, reviews, previews, and research articles of foreign literature in this journal is closely connected with various political peripeteia of the USSR. In Latvia, there is a great resonance of Inostrannaja literatura, and it had an eventual influence on overcoming the dogmas of socialist realism in Latvian literature. The publications about the journal in Latvian literary editions and the study of the reception of one text example, a comparison of various editions of the writer Ēvalds Vilks’s (1923–1976) story “Twelve Kilometers”, prove it.

scholarly journals From Jules Verne to “Apollo”’ Missions (How the Decision for Lunar Landing Was Made)

2019 ◽  
pp. 114-133
Author(s):  
Yuri Mikhailovich Baturin
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Lunar Landing ◽  
Jules Verne ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Us ◽  
Technical Innovations ◽  
Scientific Results

The landing of a man on the Moon is considered within the framework of a four-phase scheme for the development of technical innovations. The article focuses on making a political decision by the US President. The influence of NASA, political advisers to President Kennedy, the academic community and the success of the Soviet Union on making the decision is discussed. The price of national prestige, scientific benefit, the risk to the crew and budget expenditures were thoroughly weighted. The scientific community warned that scientific results should be more substantial, but this criticism was neglected. It is demonstrated how the first factor – national prestige – won. The role of scientific advisers in the presidential decision-making mechanism is shown.

Lacking intelligence? British intelligence, ministers and the Soviet Union

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. B. Lomas
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Intelligence Community ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Intelligence Services ◽  
Election Victory ◽  
First Time

Chapter Two looks at Ministerial use of, and attitude towards, intelligence after Labour’s 1945 Election victory, drawing on the papers of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). While it has been argued that Attlee, a committed internationalist, was opposed to any hostility towards the Soviet Union, the chapter shows that he was kept fully aware of Soviet interests and intentions despite his commitment to renewed Anglo-Soviet relations. In addition to highlighting the role of intelligence in early Cold War crises, particularly the Berlin Blockade, it also looks at Ministerial doubts about the intelligence community, particularly those of Attlee himself. By 1949, he had grown increasingly critical of the intelligence services and, a year later, ordered a review of the intelligence community by the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman Brook, which is explored here for the first time.

scholarly journals From Jules Verne to “Apollo” Missions (How the Decision for Lunar Landing Was Made)

2019 ◽  
pp. 108-133
Author(s):  
Yuri Mikhailovich Baturin
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Lunar Landing ◽  
Jules Verne ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Us ◽  
Technical Innovations ◽  
Scientific Results

The landing of a man on the Moon is considered within the framework of the four-phase scheme for developing technical innovations. The article focuses on making a political decision by the US President Kennedy. The influence of NASA, political advisers, academic community and successes of the Soviet Union on making the decision is discussed. The price of national prestige, scientific benefit, the risk to the crew and budget expenditures were thoroughly weighted. The scientific community warned that scientific results should be more substantial, but this criticism was neglected. It is demonstrated how the first factor – national prestige – won. The role of scientific advisers in the mechanism of presidential decision-making is shown.

Formation Of Mechanical Engineering For Timber Processing Complex Of The Soviet Union During The Period Of Modernization Of The Late 1920s And Early 1940s

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-139
Author(s):  
Ivan V. Zykin
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Forest Industry ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Competitive Products ◽  
First Time

The development of the forest industry of the Soviet Union during the modernization of the country in the late 1920s and early 1940s led to an increase in the industry’s needs for advanced technology. This task was solved by purchasing imported tools, equipment and machines, developing own research, educational institutions, enterprises, mastering of advanced technologies. The stress was made on domestic mechanical engineering, which was to produce competitive products for timber production, adapted to the conditions of the regions of the country. These issues in historical science are not sufficiently developed, the study on the formation of mechanical engineering for the forest industry of the Soviet Union during the period of modernization was undertaken for the first time. The pace of equipping the forest industry with new equipment and the role of domestic mechanical engineering, specialized enterprises, research and training institutions in this is considered. Conclusions were drawn about the substantial development of mechanical engineering in the country for the forest industry from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. New tools, equipment and machines, including samples that exceed foreign analogues, were developed and introduced into production. However, the equipment only affected the most labour-intensive types of timber activities. The industry used general purpose machines, the production of specialized forest equipment was minimal.

scholarly journals Крымский период жизни Басана Городовикова

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-478
Author(s):  
Vladimir E. Polyakov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
The North ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Crimea ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Military ◽  
First Time ◽  
Events Data

Introduction. The article deals with the Crimean period (August 1941 – June 1942) in the life of Basan Badminovich Gorodovikov, Hero of the Soviet Union and a major military and political figure of Kalmykia. The present article aims at describing and analyzing this less-known period of his biography, which was significant and full of dramatic events. Data and research methods. For the purposes of this research, the author has used a wide range of archival materials, as well as memoirs of participants of the partisan movement in the Crimea (including unpublished papers). Results. The author describes the first battles in the north of the Crimea in which Gorodovikov’s regiment was engaged; then, its retreat into the mountains and transition to partisans, the creation of a partisan detachment and the actions behind enemy lines. The activities of Gorodovikov’s detachment are shown against the general background of the partisan movement in the Crimea; special attention given to the discussion of warfare under the specific conditions on the peninsula. The article focuses on the role of the military personnel, especially at the first stage of the partisan movement, revealing, among other things, the problems in the relationship between the command staff of the 48th cavalry division and the partisan leaders in the Crimea. For the first time, the article sheds light on the history of awarding Gorodovikov with the Order of the Red Banner, which was the first award of the Crimean partisans. The dramatic story of his evacuation from the partisan forest to the “Bol´shaia zemlia” is also documented in detail; with previously unknown documents and materials introduced in this paper. The undertaken research allows to conclude that the Crimean period in the life of Gorodovikov was one of the most dramatic in his biography. During a difficult period for the Crimea, he became the commander of one of the most successful partisan detachments, which after he left was officially named after him, its first commander. Notably, Gorodovikov was among the first Crimean partisans to be awarded a military order and to get a promotion in rank and in office.

POST-SOVIET CITY AS A PALIMPSEST

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-68
Author(s):  
Elena A. Kosovan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Soviet Space ◽  
The Coordinator ◽  
Post Soviet Period

The author of the publication reviews the photobook “Palimpsests”, published in 2018 in the publishing house “Ad Marginem Press” with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The book presents photos of post-Soviet cities taken by M. Sher. Preface, the author of which is the coordinator of the “Democracy” program of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Russia N. Fatykhova, as well as articles by M. Trudolyubov and K. Bush, which accompany these photos, contain explanation of the peculiarities of urban space formation and patterns of its habitation in the Soviet Union times and in the post-Soviet period. The author of the publication highly appreciates the publication under review. Analyzing the photographic works of M. Sher and their interpretation undertaken in the articles, the author of the publication agrees with the main conclusions of N. Fatykhova, M. Trudolyubov and K. Bush with regards to the importance of the role of the state in the processes of urban development and urbanization in the Soviet and post-Soviet space, but points out that the second factor that has a key influence on these processes is ownership relations. The paper positively assesses the approach proposed by the authors of the photobook to the study of the post-Soviet city as an architectural and landscape palimpsest consisting mainly of two layers, “socialist” and “capitalist”. The author of the publication specifically emphasizes the importance of analyzing the archetypal component of this palimpsest, pointing out that the articles published in the reviewed book do not pay sufficient attention to this issue. Particular importance is attributed by the author to the issue of metageography of post-Soviet cities and meta-geographical approach to their exploration. Emphasizing that the urban palimpsest is a system of realities, each in turn including a multitude of ideas, meanings, symbols, and interpretations, the author points out that the photobook “Palimpsests” is actually an invitation to a scientific game with space, which should start a new direction in the study of post-Soviet urban space.

The Fight against Smuggling at the Soviet-Polish Border throughout 1921-1939

2017 ◽  
pp. 192-201
Author(s):  
Roman Kotsan
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Interwar Period ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Economic Crime ◽  
Private Capital ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Security Services ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Liability Limitation

The article considers smuggling as economic crime in the Soviet-Polish border in the interwar period. The reasons for smuggling activities are studied and summarized. Range of smuggled goods is shown. The number of arrested smugglers, their nationality, the value of seized goods both from Poland and the Soviet Union are investigated. Smuggling as a political phenomenon in the Soviet-Polish border in 1921-1939 is under study. The use of smugglers by the intelligence agencies of both Poland and the USSR are emphasized. The role of public authorities of both abovementioned countries in the fight against smuggling, namely Border Guard Corps from Poland; border guards, customs, security services and local Soviet authorities on the part of the USSR are studied. The influence of anti smuggling measures (increased criminal liability, limitation of private capital in trade, strengthen of the state borders protection) on its amount decrease is studied. Keywords: State border, smuggling, crime, scouting, Poland, USSR

Implications

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Edele
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Soviet Regime ◽  
World War ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Middle Position ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
War Effort ◽  
Second World

This chapter turns to the present and explains the implications of the current study for the ongoing debate about the Soviet Union in the Second World War and in particular about the role of loyalty and disloyalty in the Soviet war effort. It argues that this study strengthens those who argue for a middle position: the majority of Soviet citizens were neither unquestioningly loyal to the Stalinist regime nor convinced resisters. The majority, instead, saw their interests as distinct from both the German and the Soviet regime. Nevertheless, ideology remains important if we want to understand why in the Soviet Union more resisted or collaborated than elsewhere in Europe and Asia.

Christian Radicalism in the Church of England and the Invention of the British Sixties, 1957-1970

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Brewitt-Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Church Of England ◽  
Social Revolution ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Moral Arguments ◽  
Cultural Origins ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Church

Like all transformative revolutions, Britain’s Sixties was an episode of highly influential myth-making. This book delves behind the mythology of inexorable ‘secularization’ to recover, for the first time, the cultural origins of Britain’s moral revolution. In a radical departure from conventional teleologies, it argues that British secularity is a specific cultural invention of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which was introduced most influentially by radical utopian Christians during this most desperate episode of the Cold War. In the 1950s, Britain’s predominantly Christian moral culture had marginalized ‘secular’ moral arguments by arguing that they created societies like the Soviet Union; but the rapid acceptance of ‘secularization’ teleologies in the early 1960s abruptly normalized ‘secular’ attitudes and behaviours, thus prompting the slow social revolution that unfolded during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. By tracing the evolving thought of radical Anglicans—uniquely positioned in the late 1950s and early 1960s as simultaneously moral radicals and authoritative moral insiders—this book reveals crucial and unexpected intellectual links between radical Christianity and the wider invention of Britain’s new secular morality, in areas as diverse as globalism, anti-authoritarianism, sexual liberation, and revolutionary egalitarianism. From the mid-1960s, British secularity began to be developed by a much wider range of groups, and radical Anglicans faded into the cultural background. Yet by disseminating the deeply ideological metanarrative of ‘secularization’ in the early 1960s, and by influentially discussing its implications, they had made crucial contributions to the nature and existence of Britain’s secular revolution.

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