Aim. In the context of the entire history of the USSR, to analyze some key factors that influenced the evolution of the Soviet state from its formation to its collapse.

Methodology. The presented materials are based on expert assessments of the genesis and significance of a number of key factors in the dynamics of the Soviet Union. As part of the system analysis, the circumstances of the implementation of these factors in the spheres of public life are studied.

Results. The authors of the presented materials stated the absence of predetermination of the collapse of the USSR. The studied economic and ethnic factors of the evolution of the Soviet Union should be considered in line with a concrete historical approach, taking into account changes in the policy of the Communist Party. At the final stage of the USSR history, its leadership could not give adequate answers to the new challenges of modernization, which contributed to the collapse of the USSR.

Research implications. The results of the analysis can be used to develop a deeper understanding of the causes of the USSR collapse and use its experience to prevent similar cataclysms in the future. The presented materials can also be used in teaching social and humanitarian disciplines.

Aim. To examine the history of the emergence of the Orthodox Christian Renaissance and establish the place of its appearance, the approximate time and the reasons for its consolidation in the countries of the Orthodox Christian Slavic Civilization.

Methodology. The main content of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the written historic sources that reflect direct and indirect information about changes in the values and attitudes of the medieval society, with the involvement of historiographic material.

Results. A number of conclusions has been made which identify the geographical center of the genesis of the Orthodox Christian Renaissance and the role in this process of spiritual and political authority. The study also presents the approximate time and reasons for the consolidation of the Orthodox Renaissance in the countries of the Orthodox Christian Slavic Civilization as a historic and moral alternative to Catholic Renaissance.

Research implications. This study allows to supply and correct a number of significant aspects of the Middle Ages history in favour of Ancient Rus’ and the Orthodox Christian Slavic Civilization as a whole, starting from the thirteenth century.

Aim. To analyze and reveal the factors and conditions created in the post-reform period at the Imperial University of Dorpat for the development of scientific activity.

Methodology. The article examines the normative legal acts that influenced the formation and development of student independent organizations. The main content of the study is the analysis of the activities of scientific student societies that appeared in the middle of 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries at the Imperial University of Dorpat, as well as the conditions that were factors for the development of scientific activity of students. During the research, special historical methods were used, namely the chronological method, the problem-analytical method and the comparative historical method.

Results. As a result of the study of the development of scientific societies at the Imperial University of Dorpat, it was discovered that during the reform of the system of state and socio-economic structure in the middle of the 19th century, favorable conditions were created at the Imperial University of Dorpat for the formation of students’ scientific potential.

Research implications. The author updated the problems of the development of student corporations in the history of higher education in Russia.

Aim. To consider the policy of the Crimean Regional Government of S. Sulkevich in relation to the local self-governance bodies, the new electoral law adopted by him and the results of the elections to the city dumas of Crimea in 1918.

Methodology. Based on the materials of the press, the author makes an attempt to investigate the conflict between the government and the city municipalities of the Crimea. The new electoral legislation, which was supposed to contribute to the election of dumas loyal to Sulkevich, was studied in detail. The problem-chronological and comparative-historical methods were used in the work.

Results. The author concluded that the new curial system of elections helped to weaken the influence of socialists in the city dumas, but at the same time exacerbated the conflict of the government with almost all political forces of the Crimea and played an important role in its downfall.

Research implications. The research materials can be used both by historians in the study of the Civil War and by political scientists in the study of electoral engineering and its influence on the course of political processes.

Aim. To analyze the propaganda efforts of the Soviet government aimed at creating a positive image of the Church situation in the USSR in the eyes of the international community.

Methodology. The article is based on documents from the fund of the Authorized Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of Ministers of the USSR for Moscow and the Moscow region which is located in the Central State Archive of the Moscow region. It examines the practice of the influence of the state apparatus on the clergy and laity in order to form a favorable view of the position of the Church in the USSR in the eyes of foreigners. The article applies the comparative historical and problem-analytical research methods.

Results. The author comes to the conclusion that the first attempts to form ideas about the benevolent attitude of the authorities towards the Church were already made at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, which was expressed, in particular, in the publication of the book “The Truth about Religion in Russia” in 1942. To a large extent, the same goal was promoted by the creation in 1943 of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, which employees, among other functions, were to ensure the pro-Soviet orientation of any contacts of clergy and believers with foreigners. The article shows how such contacts were planned and organized, what kind of instruction was carried out with the clergy in order to exclude the possibility of independent answers to the alleged questions, as well as how the clergy were removed from their posts if their ability to communicate with foreigners within a strictly defined framework was doubtful from the viewpoint of the officials of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church. The author comes to the conclusion that the actions of the authorities taken to form a positive impression of church-state relations in the eyes of foreigners were often an interference in intra-church relations, and in some cases led to the destruction of temple buildings.

Research implications. The results obtained during the work on the article can be used in teaching activities in disciplines related to the study of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in the twentieth century.

Aim. To analyze the phenomenon of socio-cultural identity.

Methodology. The methods of theoretical analysis, observation, generalization, interpretation of the results were used in the study.

Results. In the article, the author explores the actualized phenomenon of socio-cultural identity. The problem seems to be quite timely from the viewpoint of both methodological “armament” in a concrete historical study and the development of approaches to assessing the prospects for its development in the modern social process. In the post-Soviet space, the socio-cultural factor is becoming quite a competitive instrument of integration and is increasing the potential for the formation of a new world order in general and integration associations in particular.

Research implications. The results of the research contribute to the theoretical understanding of the socio-cultural space concept and allow us to propose the author’s interpretation.

Aim. To conduct an analysis of the historical and political aspects of the academic controversy between German and Italian historians in the early 19th century.

Methodology. The origin of the disagreement among the scientists of both countries is reviewed in the article. The arguments and polemics forms are traced, as well as the connection with political movements. Such methods as comparison, synthesis, interpretation of results, political and textual analysis were applied in the work.

Results. The article shows the role of the sources which became the cause of struggle between the two academic centers. Besides, the author draws a conclusion on the impact of the national component on the conflict.

Research implications. The research results contribute to the study of socio-political ideas of Europe in the 19th century. It also concerns the contemporary problems of historical policy and restitution.

Aim. To identify the reasons for the establishment in 1923 and the prospects for further activities of the Economic Information bureau Hamburg-Bremen.

Methodology. The article analyzes documents from the funds of the Federal Archive of Germany related to the propaganda campaign during the Ruhr crisis of 1923. The research was conducted with the use of the historical-genetic, retrospective and biographical methods.

Results. The author concludes that the establishment of the Economic Information bureau HamburgBremen was associated with a nationwide propaganda campaign and its direct ties with the government, as well as the presence of stable business contacts abroad. The activities of this organization had a significant potential to exist after the resolution of the Ruhr crisis of 1923.

Research implications. The results of the research contribute to an understanding of the activities of the Economic Information bureau Hamburg-Bremen, and may contribute to further research of this organization in Weimar and Nazi Germany.

Aim. To consider the period of genesis of the Second Austrian Republic after the recognition by the Soviet government of the Provisional Government of Austria, when the victory over fascist Germany led to a colossal change in the balance of forces in favor of democracy and peace on the world stage. Methodology. The following methods were used in the work: historical-systemic, historical-comparative and historical-genetic.

Results. The author pays special attention to post-war Austrian nationalization, carried out on a scale that was not in any of the countries of Western Europe. It was concluded that the problems of nationalization were of general importance for the study of state monopolies and, primarily, Austrian state property.

Research implications. The materials of the article can be used for an in-depth study of the political history of Western Europe, as well as in the preparation of textbooks and lecture courses on recent European history.

Aim. To review the main directions of regional policy in one of the eastern provinces of China (Zhejiang Province) in the period 1990 to 2000.

Methodology. Historical approach, retrospective and comparative historical methods were applied in this work.

Results. In accordance with the provisions of the Eighth (1991–1995) and Ninth (1996–2000) fiveyear plans, Zhejiang province developed projects for socio-economic transformation, which formed the basis of regional policy in the eastern, western and central parts of the province. The retrospective method of research and the introduction of new historical documents on the regional history of the PRC into scientific circulation made it possible to identify two main stages in the development of Zhejiang Province in the 1990s: 1990–1995 and 1996–2000.

Research implications. The work will be useful in studying China’s historical experience in the implementation of regional policy in one of the most successful periods in China’s modern history and in studying the features of the development of Chinese partner regions with which Russia can develop cooperation.

Aim. To examine the views on the works of M. N. Pokrovsky of the Soviet period of the second half of the 1960s – early 1990s; to highlight the key features of the evaluation of M. N. Pokrovsky’s work in this period.

Methodology. The main content of the study is the materials of a comparative analysis of the assessments of M. N. Pokrovsky’s creativity in historical science of the second half of the 60s – early 90s of the 20th century.

Results. Based on the results of the study, the author concludes about the transformations of M. N. Pokrovsky’s works’ assessments in historical science during the period under study, the reasons for these transformations are revealed.

Research implications. The research materials can be used by specialists in the field of historiography, as well as by school teachers in preparation for lessons.

Aim. To analyze the explanation presented in English-language historiography of the political dual power phenomenon that developed in Russia in 1917, summarizing and comparing the positions of various scientific directions.

Methodology. Based on the comparative historical method and the principles of objectivism and historicism, to investigate the concepts presented in foreign historiography of the causes of the emergence and evolution of political dual power in Russia in 1917.

Results. The author compares points of view and approaches to the problem of the dual power phenomenon in Russia in 1917 of two main English scientific directions – “totalitarian” and “revisionist”.

Their differences and similarities in the issues of the reasons for the appearance, content, and chronology of dual power in Russia in 1917 are revealed.

Research implications. The analysis of English-language studies (“totalitarian” and “revisionist” scientific directions) devoted to the problems of the organization of power in 1917 makes it possible to compare the points of view of representatives of various scientific directions, which in turn makes it possible to eliminate the discrepancy in the concept of “dual power”, to give a chronology of its evolution and to present historiography on this topic in full.

Aim. To study the phenomenon of modern humanitarian diplomacy through the prism of its structure. Methodology. The basis of the study is a set of methods and approaches (analysis, synthesis, classification, study, and generalization of data), which allows us to explore the phenomenon of humanitarian diplomacy. Given the polymodal nature of the latter, its analysis occurs through the prism of a multilevel structure.

Results. It is concluded that humanitarian diplomacy is a structurally complex phenomenon, the study of which should be carried out at the global, regional, national levels, or a specific case of a humanitarian operation should be studied. The main actors of each level of diplomacy are identified (international governmental and non-governmental organizations at the global level, regional intergovernmental cooperation networks at the middle level, and government agencies and departments at the national level). It has been established that the motives of humanitarian diplomacy depend on the type of actors.

Research implications. The general structure of modern humanitarian diplomacy is presented. It is shown that structures and discourses that are alternative to the Western approach to humanitarian diplomacy are being actively formed at present. The results of this study can be used in the development of courses on world politics and international relations.