Aim. The round table was organized to consider modern problems of Russian genealogy with the purpose of assessing its current level of theoretical and methodological development. Methodology. The problems of the theory, methodology, historiography and source study of genealogy were discussed on the example of various social strata. The interdisciplinary links of the discipline with social history, phaleristics and museology were analysed. Results. The main directions in the development of modern Russian genealogy and its interdisciplinary connections were outlined. An analysis of approaches to the study of the genealogy of various social groups was conducted. New genealogical sources were characterized. Research implications. The results of the round table can be used for the modernization of genealogical research in Russia, as well as in the practical work of museums and archives. The results contribute to the development of Russian genealogy in the context of contemporary approaches to the study of the past.

Aim. To analyse the periodization of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic war in university textbooks on Russian history and to discuss issues related to this topic. Methodology. The content of about 20 textbooks on Russian history published over the past five years was analysed. Using the method of comparison, contemporary views on the periodization of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic war were considered, including those on the time frame of the so-called “major breakthrough” and the rationale for the day of the end of the war . Results. It was revealed that there are different views on the time frame of the war periods. Discrepancies in the existing interpretations of the time frame and events that characterize the so-called “major breakthrough” in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic war, as well as the day of its end, were discovered. Research implications. In the conclusion, suggestions are formulated that may help avoid discrepancies in the coverage of the periodization and content of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic war in educational literature.

Aim. To consider the question of settlement of the Eastern Slavs across the left-bank area of the Dnieper River based on the analysis of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”. Methodology. A comparison of the toponymic information from “The Tale of Igor's Campaign” (Slovo o Polku Iegorevy) with that from various antique sources was conducted. Results. The analyzed historical records demonstrate a close correlation between Western European and Eastern-Slavic historical development in the Middle Ages. A suggestion is made that the Severy (the name of the Eastern Slavic peoples, literally ‘people from the North’), who had settled the vast lands to the East of the Dnieper, were keen to keep the reminiscences of their past. Thus, they would name their settlements using conspicuous and sacred names containing the root ‘Rome’ (Rim, in Russian). Research implications: The article generalizes the available data from ancient and Russian medieval sources about settlement of the Eastern Slavs.

Aim. To assess the completeness of information on the problem of “the Cold War” in publications by English-speaking historians. Methodology. The paper analyses the views of English-speaking researchers on the Cold War published since the beginning of 1980s. The main subjects of coverage were the underlying reasons for the outbreak of the war, the responsibility of the United States and the USSR, including the role of political movements, parties, leaders of states, leaders and public organizations, and the chronology and consequences of the conflict. Results. It is shown that the reviewed publications fail to comprehensively cover the theme of the Cold War. Research implications. The main advantages and disadvantages in the coverage of the Cold War theme by English-speaking researchers were revealed, which should be considered when studying the historical period in question.

Aim. To identify the consequences of strategic decisions made by the main macro-political actors in 18th century Europe (the English and French elites). Methodology. The study used the comparative historical method and the method of historical periodization. Results. Using a large amount of factual material, various aspects of the confrontation between the two great powers - England and France, which was the axis of military and political events in Europe of the 18th century, were examined. The main stages, scope and consequences of this confrontation were analysed. According to the author of the article, the turning point in this process was the period of Regency (1715-1723), while the final stage included the events of the French Revolution (1789-1799) and the war of Napoleon. The main periods of Anglo-French confrontation and key stages of European hegemony transition from France to England were revealed. Research implications. This material can be of practical value in terms of predicting the consequences of strategic decisions taken by key actors in modern macro policy.

Aim. To elucidate the beliefs of a Russian monk of the 14th-15th centuries about monasticism. Methodology. The method of content analysis was used to investigate specific features of the 15th century text of monastic teaching “Ko ucheniku Kirila Belozerska chudotvortsa” (“To an apprentice of Cyril, the wonderworker from Beloozero”). The obtained data were interpreted using the method of comparative analysis: the text under study was compared with another medieval teaching text - “O podvize inoch’skago zhitiya” (“About the feat of a monastic life”). Results. The conducted study revealed the most frequently used semantic pairs that included the concept of “inochestvo” (“monasticism”). These pairs were analyzed against the ideal beliefs of monks about monasticism. The key meanings of monasticism were associated with the service to God and the attainment of heaven. Research implications. The findings provide a new understanding of the world perception of the monkhood during the age of Russian Pre-Renaissance. New approaches to examination of ancient Russian written sources were implemented.

Aim. To reveal the main trends and the development of the domestic trade in Russia during Peter’s reign in the context of reforms carried out during this period. Methodology. The available data from national and foreign literature sources published in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century were reviewed. The analysis was conducted using the historical systemic, historical typological and statistical methods. Results. It can be concluded that Peter the Great’s reign was marked by the development of regional markets, spread of trade fairs and diversification of the social range of of trade participants. However, no significant changes in this field of economy were observed. Research implications. The conducted research sheds light on the level of commodity-money exchange development as a result of Peter the Great’s reforms.

Aim. To study the structural changes that took place in the main foreign Ministry of Russia - the Embassy order (Posolsky Prikaz) - at the beginning of the 18th century. Methodology. Various documents issued by the Embassy order and other state departments concerned with the process under study were analyzed. Results. The stages of significant changes in the structure of the Embassy order were revealed, along with the factors that ensured the efficiency and coherence of the process of moving the staff of the Embassy order, its archives and Treasury from Moscow to St. Petersburg in the context of tense international relations and the 1700-21 Northern war. Research implications. The article presents new information about the field office of the Embassy order and its relocation to St. Petersburg. The available information on this problem was reviewed, thus elucidating the current understanding of this significant period in the history of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Aim. Using the example of the city of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, to demonstrate how the period of “multiple power” (February-October 1917) in Russian history affected the process of city formation. Methodology. An analysis was undertaken to study official state documents, transcripts of the meetings of state and public organizations, and materials of periodicals. The methods of induction and deduction were used to compare local and national processes. Results. It is shown that the local authorities and public organizations played a significant role in the final stage of the transition of Orekhovo-Zuyevo from a factory centre to a city. Research implications. The paper introduces previoulsy unknown sources into scientific circulation, thus presenting insufficiently explored facts about the regional history of the Moscow region to a wide range of readers. This information can be considered relevant for educators teaching the history of the Moscow region.

Aim. To identify factors that determined changes in the relations between the USSR and the United States, to analyse the interests of both States in easing the confrontation between them. Methodology. The author analyses the significance of the first trip of the Soviet leader to the main country of capitalism for both countries, describes careful preparation of the head of the Soviet state for this visit. Results. The atmosphere of meetings between the head of the Soviet state and citizens of the United States, as well as the interest of the head of the Soviet state in the success of his trip, were analysed. Research implications. It is shown that, during the era of ideological confrontation between the States with different social systems, significant political results were achieved. Khrushchev perceived his trip abroad as the beginning of a new era in Soviet-American relations.

Aim. To study the phenomenon of state-approved feminism as a gender equality policy in the post-revolution Russia and USSR. Methodology. The methods of descriptive, gender and legal analysis were applied to study theoretical and historical normative sources on the problem of gender equality published in the post-revolution Russia and USSR. Results. It is concluded that, despite some positive achievements, the policy of state-approved feminism led to new forms of discrimination against women in the post-revolution Russia and USSR. Research Implications. The paper contributes new knowledge to the field of Soviet gender studies, shedding light on the influence of political decisions in USSR on the international gender equality and human rights policy.

Aim. To analyse theoretical issues related to transformation of the consciousness and behaviour of Soviet people under the conditions of massive reforms in 1980-90. Methodology. The article analyses the views of Russian and foreign researchers on the problem under study using analytical (including content analysis), diachronic, classification and statistical methods. Results. Conclusions are draws about the significance of the analysed aspects of the transformation of Soviet people under the influence of reforms. Research implications. The article generalizes the available scientific information on the topic under study. Approaches to solving a number of theoretical questions related to the evolution of the consciousness and behaviour of Soviet people under the conditions of reforms are substantiated.

Today, when the emerging digital society is reshaping all economic and political dimensions thus affecting the life of citizens, and when the role and functions of state institutions are seriously questioned, the work of the British political scientist and political theorist Harold Joseph Laski "Studies in the problem of sovereignty" acquires a particular significance. The scholar believes that the sovereignty of the state should not be viewed in terms of coercion mechanisms, but rather as “the fused good will for which it stands”. On this basis, Laski shrewdly notes that the law is the result of consent that suits everyone, rather than some kind of command. The British thinker comes close to the modern political theory of legitimacy, arguing that the will of the state always competes with other wills and prevails over them as long as it gains universal acceptance and retains “the ability to cope with its environment”. The translation was performed by Ya. Yu. Moiseenko, Junior Researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, from the text of the original edition: Laski H. Studies in the Problem of Sovereignty. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1917. P. 1-18.