THE «ALTERNATIVE» MEANS OF USAGE OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS IN RUSSIA OF THE 18TH CENTURY

The 18th century was marked by the appearance of a great number of unusual objects in Russia. Besides military ships, wardrobes and beds, wigs and Holland-fashioned suites they were all kinds of scientific instruments – compasses, astrolabes, sundials, clocks, bisecting dividers, electrostatic machines etс. They were visible and tangible signs of western culture, processes of Russian modernization and westernization. And besides the obvious for us today means of usage they had some other ones. Many instruments were multi-faceted. As a rule they all were rear and expensive things, hand-made by individual order in just few or even the only exemplar. Not everyone could use them. So the instruments demonstrated the high level of education and the high social status of the possessor. The instruments were used for entertainment both at the court and for general public. This kind of court activities was an important tool of attracting attention and state investments to the scientific researches. Clocks, sundials and telescopes played diplomatic role as gifts both on the level of transnational communication and on the local one (the establishment of good relations between arriving expeditions and local authorities). At last local peasants preserved the strange objects possessed by alien-dressed men as a super-modern weapon of pillage.

«DISCOVERING» JAPAN ON THE PAGES OF THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS (1853-1854)

The Far East was an important economic direction in European politics of the second half of the XIX century. Closed for centuries from the outside world Japan became the object of attention of the West. An American squadron under the command of M. Perry arrived on the coast of Japan in 1853 to conclude a trade treaty with it and put an end to isolation. The «discovery» of the land of the Rising Sun became a significant event in world history which couldn’t pass unnoticed. The European press published reports about the progress and results of the USA expedition, about the mission of the Russian Empire under the command of E. V. Putyatin, pursuing the same goals, and ones about Japan, a little-known country for Europe, whose culture and art admired the European public. The article examines the publications of the British newspaper The Illustrated London News in 1853-1854, devoted to Japan. The author analyzes the image of the country which was presented to the Victorian readers, highlights the aspects that are most interesting to the authors of the articles and the tone with which the notes are written. The press of the Victorian era helps to look at the world through the eyes of contemporaries of Queen Victoria and to identify the features of the concept of the land of the Rising sun.

GREATER LONDON POLICE: ORIGINS AND CURRENT STATUS

The article is devoted to the interaction of the police and the elected bodies of Greater London-its Administration and municipal districts (boroughs) - in ensuring law and order. Both the history of the issue and its current state are touched upon. The foreign experience of interaction of the authorities in the maintenance of public security is of interest to the Russian Federation, which continues to search for effective forms of regional and municipal government, its place in the implementation of state functions. The experience of the United Kingdom is of particular interest in this regard, since in this country, the municipal and regional (self) government has historically developed significantly. The article mainly uses political and legal documents as sources of information. The author concludes that historically municipalities and local social forces played a crucial role in ensuring public security. It was typically for a «small state» with a tiny bureaucratic apparatus. Then government bodies played this role. Changes in the organization of the police were associated with the transition from the traditional rural society to modern urbanized. This required the creation of a professional centrally managed police force. The reform lasted for several decades. It’s important stage – Home office secretary R. Peel′s activity. Currently, efforts are being made to entrust the elected regional and municipal authorities with a new mission in ensuring public security – the exercise of democratic control over the activities of the police. In London this control is carried out by the mayor and the city council – Assembly. Municipal districts coordinate the activities of public services, civil, non-profit organization, business and individual citizens to ensure security in their territory.

MILES SHEROVER AS A SALES AGENT OF REPUBLICAN SPAIN IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1937-1938

The article describes the activities of Miles Sherover, an American entrepreneur, president of the Hanover Sales Corporation, who served as a sales agent of the Spanish Republic in the United States in 1937-1938. During the study period, M. Sherover, being authorized by the Government of the Second Republic, participated in a number of initiatives of the leadership of the Spanish Republic, such as Spanish-American negotiations on the security of the finances and property of American companies in Spain and the sale of silver reserves of the Bank of Spain to the United States in order to pay for the purchase of military equipment, civilian goods and raw materials with the proceeds. In addition to being as a middleman between the Spanish Republic and the United States in the trade, M. Sherover was actively engaged in political activities, the consequences of which discredited the Embassy of the Republic in Washington, as the Spanish Ambassador Fernando de los Rios, who was wary of the entrepreneur, regularly reported to the Prime Minister of the Spanish Republic Juan Negrin and Foreign Minister Julio Alvarez del Vayo. In general, the activities of Miles Sherover were contradictory: in order to help the Second Republic, he was engaged not only in issues of Spanish-American trade during the war, but also was carried out active political activities that went beyond his official powers and put the diplomacy of the Second Republic in the United States in a difficult position

ORIGIN OF HEAD CROWNS IN ANCIENT AESTIA AND PRUSSIANS

The archaeological material of the south-eastern Baltic States contains several rare specimens of typeset head corollas for the antiquities of the Western Balts. The conclusions obtained as a result of the analysis of the head corollas of the Western Balts of the I-XIV centuries can be presented as follows: 1. Northern European masters at the beginning of our era created their own versions of head wreaths, based on examples of ancient votive wreaths. The latter were used both in triumphal events and at the burial of notable members of ancient society. It remains unclear under what conditions the Scandinavians could adopt the idea of a votive wreath, reworking it in the form of head corollas. 2. In phase B1, individual representatives of the northern tribes appear on Sambia, who brought crowns with them to the Amber Coast as part of the matrimonial "import", which were attached in especially solemn (cult ?) in cases of head covering. 3. In Roman times, head crowns did not find their place in the material culture of the population of the western outskirts of the Baltic world. In the early Middle Ages, through the mediation of master jewelers of south-eastern Europe, the tradition of wearing corollas made using Byzantine traditions spread in the Baltic States. It is possible that these traditions came to the Baltic States with groups of artisans along the Vislin trade route – the ancient Great Amber Road.

AMERICAN-MEXICAN BORDER CONFLICTS IN THE 1870–1910S

The article analyzes the border conflicts between Mexico and the United States at the turn of the XIXth and XXth centuries. American-Mexican relations were an important factor in the development of the regional subsystem of international relations in the Western Hemisphere. Historically, Mexico and the United States have had a complicated relationship. Mexico in the late XIXth – early XXth centuries was a secondary peripheral state, which was mainly agrarian in nature. There were both phases of acute confrontation (almost the entire XIXth century and the beginning of the XXth century), as well as periods of good neighborliness, relatively good, friendly, stable relationships and constructive cooperation. In relations with the United States at that time, it remained rather not a subject, but an object of influence. The extreme American expansionists proposed in the middle of the XIXth century to capture all of Mexico. In response to the aggressive aspirations of America, the Mexican radicals put forward their territorial claims to the neighboring country. They hoped to regain the vast northern region, that was lost during the wars of 1835-1848, which included Upper California, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Texas (which was called the "New Philippines" during the era of Spanish colonization). There are two stages of confrontation between the two countries: the 1870s – 1890s and the 1910s – 1920s. The most serious exacerbations on the border occurred in 1876, 1877, 1891-1893, 1896, 1906 and 1910-1919. Both government troops and irregular (militias, partisans, rebels) formations took part in the regional armed conflict. As a result, the situation stabilized for almost a century.

ALEXANDER GOLITSYN 'S ACTIVITIES BASED ON MATERISALS OF RUSSIAN STATE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES

The article examines some little-studied documents devoted to the state activities of the prince, the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, the minister of public education and spiritual affairs, the chief of the postal department A.N. Golitsyn (1773-1844). A brief historiographic review is given in connection with the examination of documentary materials of the Russian State Historical Archive, which are related to the administrative-charitable, administrative-religious and state aspects of A.N. Golitsyn’s activities. The prince was one of the most famous and controversial statesmen of the Russian Empire in the first half of the 19th century, which means that it is important to update his documentary heritage. The figure of A.N. Golitsyn, who have already gained popularity in Russian fiction in the second half of XIX century, is still being actively studied by Russian and foreign scholars both in the traditional «source-studying» context and the «new imperial history» approach. Since the documentary basis, related to the activities of the prince, is stored in various Russian scientific and archival institutions, the article attempts to give a general description of some documents from the founds of the Russian State Historical Archive, revealing the significance of A.N. Golitsyn outside his activities as the chief of the postal department, Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod and Minister of Public Education.

THE ACTIVITIES OF THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT TO CLOSE ORTHODOX CHURCHES ON THE TERRITORY OF THE EASTERN TRANSBAIKALIA IN THE 1930S

The article describes the features of the Soviet government's activities in Eastern Transbaikalia to close Orthodox churches in the most difficult period of its Orthodox history – in the fourth decade of the XX century. It is noted that this time in the history of Orthodoxy in the region is poorly studied. The few available publications contain fragmentary data on the problem. This predetermined the appeal to the sources-the documents of the State Archive of the Russian Federation (SARF). On their basis, data on specific churches are provided, in some cases, the closure process is described, some communities of believers are mentioned, and the correspondence of believers with the OCAK containing complaints about the actions of local and regional authorities is characterized. The research is based on the principles of objectivity and historicism. The work is based on general scientific methods of collecting, analyzing and synthesizing material, as well as special methods of historical knowledge. It is noted that in the history of the closure of churches in Eastern Transbaikalia in the 1930s, there are controversial points that require clarification. In general, the data on the problem field of the article, to date, seems sketchy, which determines the need for further work with sources to clarify the available information and supplement the picture with new facts.

HISTORICAL SPACE IN A MODERN HISTORICAL STUDY

The paper considers some problems of learning Historical Space, which is one of the modern historical knowledge’s directions. In the mid-twentieth century, F. Brodel foregrounded matter of Historical Space social component. Understanding of different globalization’s scope, correlation between national and supranational, special features of developing different nations becomes more and more demanding in modern social, humanitarian knowledge. In methodology topic geographical space is limited by social interaction, and in certain way, transforming into historical space. Subject field of Historical Space anyway is sociocultural and defines features of social community’s existence. Boarders of community forms chains of interaction, also forms limits of real individuals’ behaviour and their interpersonal relationships. Nature of Historical Space’s subject produces the problem of correlation between sociological and anthropological approach. The importance of anthropological episteme, the profound unconscious basis of social practises, is more and more visibly in modern historical knowledge (I.M Savelieva). Lack of attention to such basis became an object of criticism Brodel’s «geohistory» and his irrecognition of history of mentalities as a subject defining main directions of social development. With specific examples, P.U. Uvarov considers the process of establishment medieval civilization in the context of epoch different social communities’ interactions. Relocation of nomadic civilizations from East and Central Asia to the West led to fundamental changes in landowner’s society in the West of Eurasia. In this area were formed circumstances, that provided effective interaction between individual and society in space of parish and manor, these two centers of power and influence, in the condition of weak government. Way of thinking in the region guaranteed creative potential of social contradictions. Spain’s loss of power and wealth by the end of XVI century was analyzed through perception of the world so-called picaro, the peninsula citizen, disrupted his entire routine, the keeper of social negative attitudes of mind and behavior, by I.U. Nikolaeva. Time and space perspectives of learning Historical Study with appropriate multidisciplinary approach gain new heuristic potential.

SANITARY AND HYGIENIC MEASURES AT THE FRONT AND IN THE REAR, CARRIED OUT ON THE TERRITORY OF THE MINSK MILITARY DISTRICT IN 1914-1917

The article highlights and analyzes sanitary and hygienic measures carried out on the territory of the Minsk Military District at the beginning of the First World War. With the outbreak of war, the number of cases constantly increased, the growth of infectious diseases was especially large. Cholera epidemics were recorded annually. There was a high incidence of typhoid fever and dysentery. There was an increase in the incidence of variola. The spread of diseases was facilitated by huge flows of refugees who were evacuated by whole echelons to the internal provinces of Russia and whose route passed through the territory of the Minsk Military District. The program of anti-epidemiological and preventive measures included concern for the health of soldiers, contentment, and a place to relax. Awareness-raising activities were carried out. However, the measures taken at the beginning of the war turned out to be ineffective due to the lack of a single military medical organization and medicines. The lack of medical staff in the rear and especially at the front, material and human resources, and the inconsistency of actions between departmental structures complicated the implementation of preventive and therapeutic measures to prevent and reduce the spread of morbidity rate. The article is written on the basis of the materials of the Orders of the Minsk Military District Administration at the theatre of war.