During the round table discussion organized by the editorial staff of the academic journal «Bulletin of Moscow State Regional University. Series: History And Political Sciences» and Moscow branch of Russian Society of Politologists the reasons and possible geopolitical consequences of the modern Syrian crisis were discussed. The participants concentrated on the issues of reasons and main parties to the conflict, as well as on the energy source and confessional background of the events in Syria. The adequacy of depicting by mass media the participation of Russia the Syrian crisis was also discussed. The activities of prohibited in Russia ISIS were paid attention to during the round table. Besides, the issues of the colour revolutions of “Arab Spring” and the disintegration of the modern system of international security were scrutinized through the context of the events in Syria The politologists N.A. Komleva, G.N. Valiakhmetova (Ekaterinburg), G.I. Gribanova, I.V. Radikov (Saint Petersburg), A. V. Sarabjev, A.V. Manoylo, A.V. Abramov (Moscow), G Simons (Uppsala, Sweden) took part in the discussions.

In the mythology of the Ancient Greeks, Indians, Iranians there are some myths that demonstrate the detailed knowledge of the Arctic regions. They can get their explanation in the light of the concept of the Indo-European homelands [11]. Having gone to the north up to the southern Scandinavia some groups of the late Proto-Indo-Europeans (Funnel Beaker culture - FBK «AB») had the opportunity to observe the polar phenomena directly. The climate changes about 3000 BC made their descendants (FBK «C») return to the Danube-Tissa region where they and the people of Lengyel IV/V culture formed the alliance that can be identified as the Greek-Aryan community that corresponds the co-existence of the archaeological cultures such as Boleraz/Baden +Pit Grave I (with flat-bottomed pots) cultures. Realistic stories about the Arctic regions that were brought by the northern group of Indo-Europeans had become the common knowledge inside this community, and as time went, they were transformed into fantastic tales which had been persisting for more than three millennia as sacred heritage, until they were recorded and included into the literary works of the Ancient Greeks, Iranians and Indians.

The article deals with the unpublished letter from Sapinuwa which was made public by A. Suel at the congress of Hittitology in Çorum in 2014. This letter contains a mention of an armed conflict between the Lycians and Cyprus. As announced by the scholar, the letter should be dated by the reign of Tudhaliya II, i.e approximately the first half of the 14 century BC. Based on this dating the present author suggests that chronologically similar parallels for this text can be found in the letter EA 38 and the so-called «Indictment of Madduwatta», which mention Lycian raids to Cyprus too. In his opinion, all of the three documents reflect the intensification of Lycian raids in Eastern Mediterranean at the end of the 15 - early 14 centuries BC because of weakening Hittite control in western Anatolia. Key words : Alasia, Cyprus, Lycians, Lukka, Madduwatta, Sapinuwa, Tudhaliya II.

Having analyzed the variety of archival and published materials the author considers the place and role of a powerful state institution of Dagestan Shamkhalate Tarkovsky in Russian-Iranian and Russian-Turkish relations in the second half of the XVI century. Pursuing a rather aggressive policy in the Caucasus, each of the powers - Persia, Porte and Russia tried to pre-engage Shamkhal Tarkovsky in its favour and make it an ally. According to the author, in the period under review Shamkhalate managed to maintain its independence from the neighboring great powers thanks to a flexible and consistent policy of "maneuvering" held by Tarkovsky Shamkhalov. Skillfully playing on the contradictions of Iranian shahs, Turkish sultans and Russian tsars, they received gifts from them and paid them salaries formally promising to be obedient.

The article describes main aspects of Peter I’s stay in Holland in 1716-1717 years. Special attention is paid to the cultural aspect of the trip, due to which Russian culture continued integration into the European one. The comparative analysis of the historical component of the sources describing this trip enabled the author to draw the conclusion that the Russian-Dutch relations were very contradictory. The economic aspect of the trip was related to the problem of trade in the Baltic and merchants’ discontent with the Russian tsar’s policy pertaining to the Russian ports. The negotiations on finishing the Great Northern War, initiated by the Swedish party, started in Holland.

Administration projects and reforms for Kazakhs of Orenburg region are considered in the article. The author starts to study the problem with the bill offered by Orenburg military governor P. Essen in 1823. Special attention is paid to the study of the 1844 Statute for Management of the Orenburg Kyrgyz. The article finishes with consideration of the 1854-1856 legislation for Syr-Darya Line. The studied sources indicate that a unique administrative model formed in the Kazakh steppe. It allows to develop a hypothesis that the Russian government in the first half of the 19th century was occupied with the search of the most optimum model of management for the Kazakh population.

The article examines the socio-economic conditions of formation and development of the handicraft industry farms in Kursk province in the middle of the XIX century. Despite the economic evolution of Kursk province being similar to other agricultural regions, its social economy development had its own distinctive features, such as: extensive involvement in the national market. This circumstance determined the regional specificity of the peasants’ handicraft sector growth in the post-reform period, described in the article.

The article analyzes the process of discussing the drafts of the 1864 primary education reform in the Russian Empire, the proposals from the provinces in particular. Besides, the initial stage of the «Regulations on the primary national schools» implementation is presented. The state of primary education in Orel province in the post-reform era is considered. The novelty of the research is determined by the fact that in addition to the nationwide trends in the development of primary education the authors analyze the state of education on the example of one of the regions - namely, Oryol province.

Using archival sources the author analyzes some aspects of teachers’ life and work in Moscow province. The author considers the educational level and educational institutions the teachers graduated from, as well as the teacher training programs and values that were instilled. Besides, some aspects of teachers’ life and the problems they faced are considered. The article is based on the statistic data.

Since ancient times, in any society, doctors deservedly occupy a high position. Using high prestige, they also often get some privileges from the state. The position of the Russian Empire doctors were quite unusual. Many doctors enjoy privileges that gave the public service. In this article, the doctors are considered as part of the bureaucratic community in Russia in the early XX century, considered the specific features of this social group and the analysis of the origin of the medical birth Moscow province.

The article deals with the publications in British newspapers devoted to the zemstvo’s attitude to the political reforms on the eve of the first Russian revolution. British journalists’ attention was drawn to the November Meeting of the Zemstvo leaders in 1904 and to the Minister of the Interior P.D. Svyatopolk-Mirski’s attitude to it. The British press sharply criticized Emperor’s rejection of Zemstvo’s demands and the desire to limit their rights, which the British correspondents considered to be the result of the impact of the conservative circles.

The article is devoted to the history of the Independent Group (faction of the People’s Party), an insufficiently known association of the 4th State Duma of the Russian Empire. Using the materials from the newspapers and the documents of the Russian State Historical Archive, the author considers the composition of the fraction and the dynamics of changes of its size in 1913-1917. At the first stage the idea of the «people’s faction» ensured the growth of the group. The second stage meant that the Independent Group moved to the left wing of the Duma, which led to a sharp decline of its size.

Analyzing the reasons of World War I historians traditionally concentrate their attention on the all-European geopolitical changes of the end of XIX - the beginnings of the XX centuries. They generated deep contradictions between Germany and France, on the one hand, and between England and France, on the other. The author of this article believes that political stereotypes of the tsar and government circles had essential impact on the accession of Russia to the French-English anti-German block.

The article deals with the problem of students’ unsettled state, and the ways of solving the housing problems of Soviet students. The issue of student hostels infrastructure is also touched upon. Much attention is paid to the qualitative characteristics of student housing. The author analyzes the collectivist forms of educating students that had major impact on the lifestyle of Soviet students. The author examines the evolution of student hostels to high quality premises not only for the unmarried, but also for married students.

The conservative trend in the Russian social and political thought has never been a united ideological camp. The author compares the two concepts which appeared in the second third of the nineteenth century: "the theory of official nationality" and the teaching of the Slavophiles. The article describes the points where these two theories intersect and differ. The author comes to the conclusion that the meaning of identical values (Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality) in these theories differed greatly.

The article touches upon some methodological problems of teaching the concept of democracy in political science. It is suggested that the representation of the theory of democracy does not fully take into consideration the external conditions necessary for the existence of this political regime. Achievement of these conditions constantly involves the use of force by democratic states. The International relations system development after the collapse of the USSR, with the Ukrainian crisis being the last stage, testifies the statement.

The article tackles upon the integration of the Baltic States into the European Union. The author argues the erosion of the Baltic republics’ sovereignty on the basis the analysis of statistical data and indicators of the economic policy of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The author refers to I. Wallerstein’s world-system theory and justifies the peripheral position of the Baltic republics in the EU. Special attention is paid to the relations between the Baltic republics and the Russian Federation in the current international context.

The article analyzes the implications of the Russian Federation admission into the Council of Europe in 1996, as well as the actual status of Russia as a member of this organization. The texts of PACE resolutions and the general statistics of ECHR judicial decisions in relation to Russia are considered. The political and legal mechanisms to influence the institutions of the Council of Europe on domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation are shown. The negative effects of "limited sovereignty" of the Constitution of the Russian Federation in the sphere of human rights and freedoms are revealed, as well as the problem of its inconsistency with the sovereign nature and status of the Russian state. Possible strategies of Russia in relation to the Council of Europe in the new geopolitical conditions are given.

The article analyzes the way the Russians perceive the great battles that defined the history of Russia - the Battle of Lake Peipus in 1242 and the battle of Kulikovo in 1380 and the battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943. The origin and development of the Russian heroism phenomenon are studied. Special attention is paid to the battle of Stalingrad, which was the beginning of the radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War and World War II. According to the author’s conclusion the analysis of the great battles perception reveals the specifics of the Russian public and political consciousness as a whole.

The emergence of new states on the territory of the former Soviet Union was a global change in the political situation which in its turn led to the changes in all spheres of society, including the humanities. It reflected in scientists’ approaches to the main problems in history, such as the problem of ancient Russia baptism. Despite extensive historiography this problem continues causing discussions among historians. The article discloses the specific features of historians’ scientific approach to the topic.

The article is aimed at revealing the problem highlighted by national historiography, i.e. the great princes’ influence on the personality and the policy of Emperor Nicholas II. Domestic literature considers the relationship of the last Russian emperor and his relatives in connection with the political situation in the country in this or that period. In the soviet times and at present the authors of scientific papers and monographs about Emperor Nicholas II and his court were interested, first and foremost, in the grand opposition during the First World War. On the basis of the national historiography of the XX century, considering the great princes’ influence on the personality and politics of Emperor Nicholas II, it was concluded that there is certain lack of comprehensive review and analysis of such influence, covering the entire period of his reign.

The article reviews the polemics among the soviet researchers upon the character of social relations in Kazakh society in the pre-Soviet era. Those works authors had different approaches regarding this issue. One group of researchers considered Kazakh society to be classless, where clan relations remained invariable and the clan was the most important and independent subject of law. Other researchers believed that the development of commodity exchange economy and different noneconomic forces led to social class differentiation into two polar groups.