In this article, the current discussion on the development of Russian education is correlated with the pedagogical discussion of the 1920s-1930s. A clash between the left-communist and neoclassical Soviet pedagogical movements in the post-revolutionary period is identified. In this context, the figure of Nadezhda K. Krupskaya as a pedagogical theorist and ideologist is considered. Krupskaya's position is interpreted as that of a supporter of pedagogical experiments. Parallels are made between her views, the practices of the Soviet school and current innovations in Russian education - a practice-oriented approach, project-based learning, metasubject education, modernized textbooks, a concept of natural learning. The influence of American pedagogy, namely J. Dewey’s philosophy of education, on Krupskaya’s pedagogical views is shown. Reasons for the failure of the pedagogical experiment in the 1920s - early 1930s are studied as history lessons for modern Russian education.

In this article, the author considers the idea of public education in the theoretical heritage of N.K. Krupskaya. Her project of creating an orphanage network with the aim of providing all children of the republic with a proper communist education, which was later recognized as a social utopia, is important for studying the intellectual context of the 1920s and 1930s. The article analyzes N.K. Krupskaya’s published works, which provide a clear understanding of her concept. The author considers the evolution of Krupskaya's views on the possibility of creating a network of orphanages, which would raise homeless children together with those of workers and peasants. Such parents then would devote all their time to work. The article concludes that projects aimed at creating institutions of public education were an integral part in the ideological concept of educating a person of new type. The article can be of interest to specialists in the history of pedagogy, as well as to those studying the phenomenon of Soviet society in the era of developing a new statehood.

The article analyzes Uzbek as well as international interpretations of regional history. The main focus of attention is on the formation of regional history and its specific character in modern Uzbekistan. On the basis on works published by Uzbek historians, the author concludes that the history of the regions, rather than regional history, is being predominant in Uzbekistan at the moment. The ambiguous character and heterogeneity of Uzbek academic and pseudo-scientific circles gives rise to the restoration and strengthening of local rather than common regional identities.

Following the analysis of available historiography, the author concludes that the most important component of conservatism - its focus on settling politically sensitive issues via the methods of socio-economic practice - has not received a proper scientific analysis yet. In this regard, a study of Zemstvo, which was an experimental platform for implementing self-government principles via economic practices in Russia, is of great practical importance. There is no doubt that Zemstvo forged Russian liberalism, which is well studied at the present time. However, Zemstvo conservatism has so far not been properly studied.

In this article, the author undertakes a study of different interpretations of dual power in modern reference and educational literature using the comparative-historical method and the principle of objectivism. It is shown that the concept of dual power generally complies with the concept having prevailed in the Soviet historiography. The discrepancy between the concept of dual power in modern reference, educational literature and the new educational-methodical complex of historical and cultural standard requires an in-depth study of the period of the Great Russian Revolution. A methodologically sound and not contradictory concept of dual power is necessary for organizing an effective educational process. The article can be of interest to lecturers (secondary and higher vocational education), historians, graduate students, history teachers and students.

Absract. This article gives a brief historiographical analysis of contemporary Russian academic publications on the most crucial issues of the foreign policy of the USSR in Austria after its liberation from fascism in 1945. Historiographical sources under study comprised published documents, monographs, academic papers, textbooks and thesis works. As a result, the author concludes that the post-Soviet theoretical and methodological pluralism has brought domestic Austrian studies to a new level. As a result, conventional and largely politically motivated values have undergone revaluation, thereby raising previously unexplored and sensitive issues. Nevertheless, the author believes that ideological and political preferences of Russian researchers still have a negative effect on their objectivity. An unbiased approach to the foreign policy of the Soviet Union in Austria, or Soviet occupation policy in particular, is still in demand.

The article presents the views of Soviet historians on the evolution of Syrian ideology and politics in 1963-1970. In this work, the author aims to identify approaches commonly used in the Soviet historiography for assessing the ideological and foreign policies of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. Three key stages are distinguished over the course of change in the Syrian ideological and foreign policy: the Revolution of 8March 1963, the Movement of 23 February 1966 and Asad's Correctional Movement in 1970. The historiographical works on these events are divided into three periods: 1963-1980, 1980-1984 and the period of Perestroyka. In the works published before 1980, the process of Syria’s ideological and foreign political evolution was considered to be a progressive change from one stage to another. However, works published in 1980-1984 period scrutinized the specifics of each stage, and the works of the Perestroyka period showed marked differences between the periods of Syrian development. The author concludes that the achievements of Soviet historiography should be taken into account in new historical and political science studies. Stereotypes regarding the assessment of the Syrian events by Soviet historiography should be revised.

The events that took place in Czechoslovakia in 1968 have not lost their significance today, which determines the relevance of the issue under study. Unfortunately, this topic has not yet become the subject of serious scientific research. Various publications tend to be superficial, politicized, sometimes biased. Conclusions reached by some authors are based not on the objective assessment of the events and a comprehensive analysis of the available documents and materials, but rather on their own subjective politicized views. A number of publications, especially in the media, are highly emotional. This fully applies to the assessment of the Czechoslovak events of 1968: today, unfortunately, the information confrontation on the world stage has grown into an information war and is reflected not only in the media, but also in a number of historical works.

The article is aimed at analyzing current US foreign policy towards China. The authors examine key elements of the US strategy in terms of China containment and its consequences not only for the two countries, but also for the region of Southeast Asia as a whole. The article shows the complexity and contradictory nature of the US-China economic relations, the interdependence of the two countries in the financial and trade spheres. In this work, the authors analyze the goals and interests of the US and China's current foreign policies, as well as identify trends in the relations between the two countries.

Absract. This article is aimed at analyzing changes in the foreign policy of China in the Middle East and in North Africa under the influence of Arab Spring. The research involved an analysis of specific responses of China’s government to the challenges of the Arab unrest and actions undertaken to ensure and protect its economic interests in the region. The study concludes that China has departed from the traditional foreign policy, intensified diplomatic efforts, increased its involvement in the problems of the Middle East region, as well as aimed for greater economic integration of China’s economy with the countries in the MENA region. China regards these measures as ways to pacify conflicts in the region considered to be crucial for its economy. The article may be of interest to researchers working on China’s foreign policy in the Middle East and its influence on the processes occurring in the region.

The paper is devoted to the actions of the Don Flotilla built in 1723-1724 and 1733-1735, which played a crucial role during the siege of Azov in 1736. Despite a rather extensive historiography of the Russian-Turkish (Austro-Russian-Turkish) war, this issue has been studied poorly and in isolation from the Russian military-historical context. Based on a large number of Russian and Turkish sources, the author reconstructs and analyzes key stages in the use of the Russian navy against the Turkish garrison and ships, which were sent from Istanbul to help the fortress. Using sources that have not been previously considered in historiography, the author clarifies a number of facts and proposes their new interpretation. A comparative analysis of the actions of the navy during the siege of Azov in 1696 and 1736 is conducted, which allows new trends in the development of Russian military art of naval warfare to be determined.

The article is aimed at analyzing materials on auditing customs offices, which played a significant role in replenishing the budget of Russia in the 19th century. Using general scientific and specific methods for studying the economic history of that period, the author analyzes materials on auditing the Baku customs (1810-1812) that have not been previously investigated. These materials are studied in the context M. M. Speransky "Financial Plan” that was being implemented at that time. Taking into account the results of audits and the profitability of customs for the state, the author estimates the efficiency of measures having been undertaken by the government to establish the Russian customs system in the Caspian region of Transcaucasia at the beginning of the 19th century. The article can present interest to researchers studying the history of economy and Russian administration.

The article analyzes the process of creating the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission commonly known as Cheka. This subject has been assessed and treated differently in contemporary historiography. Following the analysis of documents of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, the author shows the complexity of decisions aimed at retaining power in the hands of the Bolsheviks while creating government institutions. As a result, the experience of the Military Investigation Commission of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee showed V.I. Lenin that the aggravated political situation required establishment of a state security body with extensive powers, subordinate to the Council of People’s Commissars.

The article investigates main aspects of the religious policy of the German occupation regime in the North Caucasus during the Great Patriotic War. On the basis of archived data, the authors set out to highlight the state of religious societies and their attitude towards the Nazi regime in 1942-1943. The focus is on the critical analysis of the Orthodox and Islamic confessions in this region. The Armenian Apostolic Church is also considered. The authors conclude that the German occupation regime was characterized by its favourable disposition towards various religious societies, which was met with approval by the majority of the religious population. However, coming into contact with German authorities, the Islamic and Armenian clergy, as well as the Russian Orthodox Church, remained patriotic and supported their people in the struggle against the invaders.

The article discusses the role and place of residential complexes with developed forms of public services during the period of the Khrushchev Thaw. The author analyzes the idea of a “house of the new life”, a utopian principle of changing living conditions in the period of extensive communism development. The article covers the following points: the search for new types of communal housing, the development of group resettlement principles, the problems of household infrastructure. The author also examines the collectivist forms of education of the Soviet people, as well as the communist norms of everyday life.

The article characterizes the evolution of ski activities, which were popular among people in the Soviet Union during the winter period and related to recreational tourism. For this purpose, key materials on the subject selected among all-union periodical publications (mainly in specialized tourist magazines) were reviewed using the method of discourse analysis. By focusing on public discourse materials, the author distinguishes political, military and sports, recreational (health-improving), sociocultural and leisure functions of ski tourism for the period from the 1920s until the end of the 1980s. It is pointed out that the importance of these functions for the government and public life varied at different stages of the Soviet Union history. The author concludes that the extent of politicization and militarization of ski tourism was gradually decreasing; its collectivist nature and masculinity during the late Soviet period were diminishing. From the perspective of seasonal leisure activities, the study enables concretization of theoretical generalizations pertaining to the relationship between the state and the society in the USSR at different historical stages.

The study analyzes main industries in Latin American countries, in the development of which China is currently undertaking major capital investment. Issues and contradictions arising during this process between China and Latin American countries are considered. A particular attention is given to competitive advantages enjoyed by China in political, economic and military spheres. Main challenges to US dominance in Latin America are identified. On the basis of the conducted systemic and comparative analysis, it is concluded that common strategic interests shared by China and Latin American countries, as well as increased economic interaction and intensified political contacts between these contries, have contributed to the strengthening of China's geopolitical influence in Latin America. The results of the research can be used for studying the role of the so-called “Chinese factor” in world politics.

This article is aimed at giving an overview of China’s environmental policy in the context of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, the author analyzed China’s environmental policy over the past decade and its legal basis, as well as environmental indicators specified in the UN Agenda 2030. It is shown that, although the government has prioritized economic growth over environmental protection for a long time, recent years have seen a policy shift towards environmental protection. The author concludes that this transformation has made a positive contribution to China’s sustainable development, forming a more balanced structure for future development with both mandatory and market instruments. However, for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals plan in the environmental sphere, it is necessary to accelerate the process of building an ecological civilization, as well as to pay more attention to the policy coordination taking into consideration problems existing in ecological, social and economic spheres.

This article examines the activity of UNESCO in the current political environment on the basis of research into the legal framework of UNESCO, its documentation and statistics. The author aims to identify the constructive role of the organization in the system of contemporary international relations. An analysis of the main activities of UNESCO, which was conducted using the example of Arab countries, confirms its extremely important role. The approaches used in the study (systemic, political, historical, etc.) suggest that, through its projects, the organization carries out the political agenda of forming a foundation for the dialogue within the framework of international cooperation, maintaining peace and stability; it acts as a constructive platform for the interaction between states.

The article deals with the concept of political interaction between three countries - Russia, India and China, which make up the strategic triangle of the region. In this work, the author sets out to identify existing problems and contradictions between the countries participating in the RIC, as well as to determine possible ways of resolving them. Using modern approaches to the study of international relations and security (systemic, historical, political science, etc.), the author analyzes the dynamics of the relations between these countries in the framework of the formation of a new international security system. On the basis of current trends in international relations, as well as expert assessments, the author outlines key directions of political cooperation between Russia, India and China within the framework of triangular cooperation and at the level of bilateral relations. The findings of the study can be used to predict the directions of the development of relations between these countries.

The article is aimed at studying changes in the public policy of Middle Eastern and North African countries on the media, which occurred after the Arab Spring. The research was conducted using the methods of comparative and critical discourse analysis. The conducted comparative analysis, which involved a comparison of situations in different North African countries, allowed the typological features of the Arab information society to be identified. Critical discourse analysis was used to examine the information policy applied in different Arab countries. Our analysis showed that the changes that had taken place led to the introduction of stricter restrictions on the media both in direct and indirect ways. A conclusion is made about extremely ambiguous and complex prospects of relations between the media and governments in the Arab world. Following a review of available publicatons on the topic, both advantages and limitations of the new media are formulated. The article may be of interest to political scientists, Orientalist scholars, journalists and representatives of related fields.

This article discusses the possibility of Eurasian integration through the SCO and BRICS. The study is aimed at identifying issues involved with the process of interaction between Russia and China in these alliances and suggesting possible solutions. Since the stated problem is complex, the author uses interdisciplinary, systemic and issue-oriented approaches, as well as political science, historical, sociological, comparative and other research methods. Conditions for the formation of a new world order fundamentally affect the nature of relations between the countries. Key directions in the activity of the SCO and BRICS are outlined, along with integration prospects for Russian-Chinese relations. The research findings can be used for developing areas of mutual interest for both countries.

The present article analyzes the activity of BRICS. In this work, the author sets out to determine the political role of the Association and to identify the range of existing problems in the interaction of the participating countries. To this end, the author uses political science, economic, historical, sociological, comparative and other research methods. In the article, the role of BRICS is defined as the formation of a new center of political influence. The author provides a brief overview of issues arising in the course of interaction between the countries. A particular attention is paid to the political prospects of cooperation between the countries of the Association under the conditions of contemporary international relations in the context of regional and global security. Following the analysis of documents and statistical data, conclusions are drawn.