On the question of the place of Sergei Fedorovich Platonov in modern Russian historiography

Aim. To study the changing approaches to evaluating S. F. Platonov's work in Russian historiography in the twentieth and first quarter of the 19th centuries.
Methodology. The research is based on the materials of a comparative historiographical analysis of assessments of the role and place of Sergei Fedorovich Platonov's work in Russian historiographical science from the second quarter of the twentieth century to the present. In addition to the historiographical method, the study also uses elements of the content analysis method.
Results. The study showed that S. F. Platonov made a fundamental contribution to Russian historical science by offering an innovative interpretation of key phenomena of Russian history, including the Oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible and the Time of Troubles. His approach, based on multifactorial analysis and rigorous source studies, combined political, social and economic perspectives, which set him apart from his contemporaries. Despite the period of oblivion, in the 1980s and 1990s, a rethinking of his legacy began, and today his works are recognized as an example of scientific integrity and pedagogical skill. Platonov not only formed the St. Petersburg historical School, but also influenced the methodology of teaching history, creating one of the best textbooks of his time, relevant even in the post-Soviet era.
Research implications. The research materials can be used by specialists in the field of Russian historiography, teachers of the historiography course in preparation for classes.

1. Brachev, V. S. (1989). The case of academician S.F. Platonov. In: Questions of history, 5, 117–129 (in Russ.).

2. Mitrofanov, V. V. (2021). "Theatrical notes. Part I" Sergey Fedorovich Platonov. In: Bulletin "Alliance-Archaeo", 34, 144–175 (in Russ.).

3. Tsamutali, A. N. (1986). The struggle of directions in Russian historiography during the period of imperialism: Historiographic essays. Leningrad: Nauka Publ. (in Russ.).

4. Fuchs, A. N. (1993). Sergey Fedorovich Platonov: brief. Ist.-Biographers. Essay. In: Platonov S. F. Lectures on Russian history. Moscow, 7–34 (in Russ.).

5. Fuchs, A. N. (2017). School textbooks on Russian history as a historiographic phenomenon (late 17th century – second half of the 1930s). Moscow: MGOU Publ. (in Russ.).

6. Fuchs, A. N. (1983). Reflection of the concept of Russian history in the school textbook of S. F. Platonov. In: Questions of Russian and world history in the works of Russian historians of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Voronezh, 34–44 (in Russ.).

7. Mitrofanov, V. V. (2023). Participation of S.F. Platonov in the fate of individual private library collections. In: Kolpakova, N. V., ed. Science and Library: Sat. works. Iss. 6. St. Petersburg: BAN Publ., 187–193 (in Russ.).

8. Prokoshev, V. A. (2023). Moral assessment of the oprichnina in the works of S. F. Platonov. In: Human capital, 9, 11–19. DOI: 10.25629/HC.2023.09.01 (in Russ.).

9. Mitrofanov, V. V. (2025). "The town is very insignificant": the Platonovs on vacation in Valuyki in 1909. In: Province in Russian culture (to the 120th anniversary of M. Gorky's stay in Staraya Russa). Veliky Novgorod, 28–41 (in Russ.).

10. Suzdaltseva, I. A. (2024). Stages of pedagogical activity of Sergei Fedorovich Platonov. In: Youth and science: reality and development prospects. Makhachkala, 142–147 (in Russ.).