Abstract: Since 2012, scientists have been actively studying the monuments located on high hypsometric levels on the territory of the Ust-Menza archaeological complex. These studies have allowed the examination of the multi-layered monuments within a unique stratigraphic context. The subject of this article is the multidisciplinary geoarchaeological studies conducted on the basis of the location of Ust-Menza-15 (Kedrovaya) in Western Transbaikal. As the research object, the authors analyze the possibilities of the geoarchaeological approach for the reconstruction of cultural and natural-climate processes in a wide chronological range. The aim of this article is to form an integrated view of the nature of the archaeological objects located on the high river terraces of the Baikal region. The authors by "high terraces" intend Middle Pleistocene elevations from 20 meters onwards. The foundations for the study of high elevations were laid back in the 1980s, but at that time they were not given sufficient attention. In the framework of the latest research, sediment drilling was carried out to a depth of 8 m. and a comprehensive soil analysis was undertaken. Additionally, T. E. Yurieva, a research associate at the Museum of Geology of Central Siberia, conducted an analysis of the petrographic composition of the raw material base and of the stone artifacts from the culture-containing layer 1. The scientific novelty of this work is the presentation of the results of the latest research conducted on the monuments associated with high floodplain terraces of the Ust-Menza archaeological complex. The authors propose a division of the complex into three subdistricts based on the particular differences in the organization of monuments and the characteristics of their location. A detailed analysis of the stratigraphic context and the stone inventory will expand the possibilities of studying multi-layered monuments at high hypsometric levels of river terraces.

Keywords: stratigraphy, periodization, stone industries, geoarcheology, Upper Paleolithic, sub-district, Ust-Menza, Western Transbaikal, river terraces, petrography

Abstract: The subject of this research is the entirety of the religious communities and groups operating in the USSR throughout the entire period of this government's existence. The research object is the "territorial groups", seen as the basis of the Protestant associations in the Kemerovo region in the period of the 1920s - 1960s. In order to identify the reasons for the lasting existence of Protestant religious associations in the context of the repressive policies of the government, the author proposes an analysis of the associations' internal structures, identifying the "territorial groups" that form the basis of these communities. In addition to general scientific methods, the author applied the historical-comparative method, elements of system analysis and the statistical method of correlation analysis. In the concluding paragraphs, the author notes the complex structure of the religious associations, which included "territorial groups", that formed on the streets or districts where the believers lived. As a result of this research, it was possible to uncover the ethnic specifics of the believers' settlement systems. For the Russian groups, it was common to have a dispersed settlement, while for the German groups it was hearthstone-centered. The complex internal structure of legal and illegal religious associations predetermined their considerable stability under the external pressure from security officials and civil authorities during a period of tightening domestic religious policies.

Keywords: Mennonites, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, Christians of Evangelical faith, Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Protestants, Religious association, Territorial groups, Religious, State religious policy

Abstract: The article is focused on the Germans (the so-called converts), who converted to Islam, being born and living on the territory of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany. The aim of this study is to identify the factors behind the religious conversion. The author's main task was to determine what reasons influenced the adoption of Islam among Germans. The author analyzes the connection between the decision to adopt Islam and the place of residence of newly converted Muslims, the influence of political attitudes within German society towards immigrant Muslims, family circumstances and cultural preferences. The article is written based on the author's field material. The author applied the methods of field ethnographic observation, non-formalized interviewing, as well as an analysis of the literature on this topic. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the fact that this is the first study in Russian historiography on the reasons for the conversion of Germans to Islam, conducted on field material. The author comes to the conclusion that the Germans' decision to adopt Islam was not significantly influenced by political and territorial factors. Neither does distance from the Muslim world hinder conversion. Negative attitudes towards Muslims also do not play a significant role in making a conscious choice regarding the transition to the religion. The main reasons for adopting Islam were personal and family.

Keywords: Germany, religious organizations, Muslim community, new Muslims, converters, Islam, conversion motifs, religious conversion, Rostock, german Muslims

Abstract: The subject of this article is the role of a populist party in changing the two-party system in the state of Kansas, USA at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. The author examines the process of transforming the state party system and the attempts by populists to create a multi-party system in Kansas, where for several decades had dominated the Republican Party, which competed with the Democrats and defeated them in all local and national elections. This is the reason why the local populist party set before itself the main task of breaking the Republican domination and of luring to its side the electorate of the two main parties. As part of this study, the author applied the interdisciplinary approach, which allowed the author to more objectively evaluate all the factual material using the methodology of various social sciences and the Humanities. The author also widely used quantitative methods to count the electorate of various parties. This work is the first study in Russian historiography which demonstrates, on the basis of archival and published sources, the causes and consequences of the party struggle in 1888 - 1896 in Kansas. In the article's conclusion, the author concludes that the populist party was able to change the state party system only for a while, being unable to maintain its position in the long term.

Keywords: the Republican Party, Kansas, the crisis of the two-party system, William Peffer, the Populist Party, populism, the Farmer’s movement, the Democratic Party, fusion, the presidential elections

Abstract: The research subject of this article is the USSR's youth policy as a set of government measures aimed at creating the conditions for the successful self-realization of young people and the effective use of their potential as a promising part of society. The article's research object is the main directions of the youth policy, which were carried out by the Soviet state during the Great Patriotic War. To a large extent, the content of this policy was dictated by the military situation and the necessity to mobilize all of the state's forces to defeat its enemy. At the same time, this policy should not be considered only through the mobilization measures of the Soviet state. Even under wartime conditions, the government focused attention on the school system and vocational education, material support for students, employment issues for young people, and solving the problem of child neglect. The methodological basis of this work is the principle of historicism, general scientific methods, as well as special scientific methods: historical-genetic and historical-systemic, which allow the author to analyze the pre-war prerequisites of the youth policy of the Soviet government, as well as to examine it as a complex of multi-directional measures during the war. The author comes to the conclusion that the active participation of the Soviet youth in the battle to liberate their Homeland, was the result of a focused youth policy, which was carried out by the government, both in the period before the war and during the time of war. In addition to the mobilization measures in the youth policy of this period, the author reveals a number of social and even cultural aspects of this policy. On the whole, these measures, despite the difficulties and hardships that fell upon young people in wartime, these measures made it possible not to “lose” the younger generation but to lay the social foundation for their future life in the post-war era.

Keywords: military and patriotic education, mobilization, Communist Party, State Defense Committee, The Great Patriotic War, youth policy, communist youth, General military training, educational policy, homelessness

Abstract: The research subject of this article is the issues behind the organization and technical provisions of the award institutions of various White Guard armies during the Civil War in Russia. The authors analyze the problems of administrative, production-technical and personnel nature that appeared during the development and production of award groups belonging to various White Guard formations and governments. Additionally, the approaches and possibilities of "whites" and "reds" in forming award systems are compared. The authors examine the supply channels of White Guard units and divisions of award insignia and raw materials for their production, and distinguish the specific features of the White Guard award system. The article is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, systematics, and the methodological basis of this research is the historical-genetic method. The multilateral analysis of the many disparate objects (awards) allowed the authors to draw general conclusions about the specific problems and particularities in the White Guard award system and to highlight the elements of continuity and novelty in this system. The novelty of this study lies in the abandonment of the traditional individual-descriptive approach to award systems and the identification of common issues and approaches in White Guard governments regarding their award systems, with the emphasis being placed on organizational and production-technical difficulties. The authors point to various means of organizing the production of awards (pre-revolutionary reserves, centralized command orders, personal initiatives of unit commanders, placing orders abroad, etc.) and sources of raw materials (melting tsarist awards, confiscations of jeweler and church goods, gold reserves, etc.). The common problems of various White Movement branches were reflected in their award system: lack of a unified system, limited raw materials and production capabilities, drop in quality. It was precisely their attempts to create an award system with a limited set of resources that made the White Guard award system a unique phenomenon.

Keywords: faleristics, Jewelry, White Movement, Russian Civil war, medals, award system, decorations, emigration, enamel, precious metals

Abstract: The research subject of this article is the work of the special Amur Committee of the Russian emperor, which was a deliberative body called to discuss the means and methods of penetrating into the Amur region. The author proposes to consider the impact this institution had on the development of Russia's Far East policy in the second half of the 1850s. The author pays particular attention to the results of the committee's work during the period 1858 - 1861, when, as a consequence of the second opium war, Russia decided to intensify its activities in returning the territories of the Far East it had once assimilated into the Empire. The study is based on the analysis of published sources and unpublished materials from Russian archives (State Archive of the Russian Federation, Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire). The author seeks to observe the principles of objectivity and historicism in applying the historical-comparative and historical-typological methods. The novelty of this research lies in it compensating the existing historiographic lacunae concerning the work of the Amur Committee in Russian and foreign historiography. According to the results of this research, the author concludes that the Amur Committee was an irregular advisory body, which, in addition to the emperor, included the highest dignitaries of the Russian Empire on a permanent basis. The collective decisions made by the committee were an expression of the will of its influential members and therefore largely determined the general direction of Russia's policy in the Far East during the second half of the 1850s.

Keywords: Opium Wars, Amur Committee, Foreign policy, Japan, China, Far East, Russian empire, Putyatin, Muravyov-Amursky, Ignatyev

Abstract: The aim of this article is to create a comprehensive overview of the features of the Moscow Military District and its significance in the military-district system of the Russian Empire on the eve of the reforms of War Minister V. A. Sukhomlinov. The article's research subject is the Moscow Military District, and the research object is its specific features (territory, population, economy, armed forces). The author assesses the challenges in preparing Russia for the First World War at the local, military and district levels. The examination of this topic has significant potential because it has remained little-studied in historiography while having a large number of unused sources. One of the most important locations of that time was the Moscow Military District, which was headed by General P. A. Plehve for 5 years before the war – one of the most famous Russian generals of the First World War. The methodological basis of this research is the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity, and the main scientific methods are the problem-chronological and comparative methods. The novelty of this work lies in the absence of historiographical studies on this topic, and the article's relevance lies in the fact that it sets the foundation for further research on the preparation of the Moscow Military District for the First World War in 1909-1914. According to the results of the author's analysis, it was established that the district had great domestic and economic importance. It controlled the densely populated center of the country and provided the troops with everything they needed. The stable operation of the Moscow Military District was vital to the army, as its suspension would have threatened to deprive the army of its human reserves, weapons and material goods.

Keywords: domestic value, economic potential, South Black Earth region, Central industrial area, preparation for war, military reform, Russian Army, Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Pavel Plehve, Moscow Military District

Abstract: Based on evidence from the (quasi) private correspondence of American and Soviet artists, as well as from the internal documents of the Soviet cultural diplomacy bodies, the article reconstructs the specifics of the staged international communication during the period of the early Cold War. The involvement in this communication of creative artists included not only the participation in international events and public mass actions, but also in written correspondence with foreign colleagues (including personally unacquainted) organized by higher echelons. Foreign counterparts were guided by their own interests to support these initiatives: Soviet colleagues acted as a channel to popularize their works, to create the necessary ideas in the ranks of the Soviet party leadership, and to resolve specific issues about fees or medical consultations. The methodological basis of this research is an interdisciplinary approach that is at the crossroads of transnational history, cultural history, and intercultural communication. The use of official channels and mediating bodies was caused by the controlling functions of the Soviet Writers Union, the lack of knowledge of foreign languages, but above all the habit of self-censorship of creative figures educated by the Stalinist system. The necessary privacy and informality in correspondence were imparted by descriptions of family and leisure topics. The role of unofficial diplomats, familiar with the work of Soviet organizations abroad, the breath of thaw inspired Soviet writers to attempt to contribute to the improvement of international communication. At the same time, some of the statements were clearly discordant with the direction of the Stalinist cultural policy. However, if criticism by Soviet writers of system deficiencies in internal correspondence was already allowed by the regulatory authorities, its exit into public space was categorically suppressed and became possible only in the era of the Perestroika.

Keywords: Foreign Commission of SWU, Soviet Writers Union, Paul Robson, Howard Fast, Boris Polevoi, international communication, Cold war, cultural diplomacy, cultural policy, transnational history

Abstract: The article undertakes a study of the perceptions on the history of Veliky Novgorod, formed in the practical historical consciousness of the 18th century. The main research sources are the notes of travelers who visited Novgorod during this period. The author focuses attention on their impressions of visiting local monuments, as well as their reflections concerning the history of Novgorod and the role of Novgorod in Russian Medieval history. The author also identifies the sources from which travelers could have gathered information regarding Novgorod and describes the factors that influenced their perception of this urban space. The author's comparative analysis of the notes of Russian and foreign travelers suggests the existence of a number of characteristic stereotypes in the perception of the history of Novgorod in Modern times. The author comes to the conclusion that for Europeans the most famous events tied to the history of Novgorod were its joining to the Moscow State by Ivan III and its ruin by Ivan IV. The perception of Russian travelers of Novgorod antiquities was based mainly on the images from fiction and drama.

Keywords: Vadim of Novgorod, Martha the Mayoress, Antoniev Monastery, Ivan IV, Ivan III, memoirs, historical memory, Truvor, Sumarokov, Knyazhnin

Abstract: The subject of this study is the impact of modernization processes on the development of entrepreneurship in the field of trade and industry in Belarus in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The author reveals the main factors that led to the transformation of economic life in Belarusian provinces and characterizes how the Russian Empire government’s lawmaking affected the organization of private entrepreneurship and taxation. Additionally, the author reveals the particularities behind the legal regulation of land ownership and land-use by persons belonging to national minorities in Belarus. The article provides an analysis of the changes in transport infrastructure, the population structure of the Belarusian provinces and how they influenced the particularities of regional enterprise distribution. The author identifies the role of shared capital and monopoly associations in trade and industrial enterprise development in Belarus in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Consequently, the author comes to the conclusion that the influence of modernization processes on the territory of Belarus had caused changes in the forms and conditions of entrepreneurship realization, as well as in the structure and composition of entrepreneurs. This influence had also fostered the emergence of new production facilities and market institutions that supplemented the existing ones, rather than replace them. All this led to an increase in production output, the entrance into new markets and, as a result, an increase in trade turnover.

Keywords: joint-stock companies, trading houses, taxation, modernization, Belarus, history of entrepreneurship, transport infrastructure, industry, trade, credit

Abstract: The subject of this study is the monetary-loan policy of the Russian government in the second half of the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries. The object of this research is the assignation ruble. The author examines in detail the question of the termination of the free exchange of the assignation ruble for silver and copper coins. Particular attention is focused on the sources from the archive "Special Office of the Credit Branch of the Ministry of Finance". By all appearances, the article's author was the first to study some of the archive documents. In these sources, interesting data was uncovered concerning the correspondence of the Assignation Bank and promissory offices with the Ministry of Finance, which made it possible to draw conclusions regarding the date of the cessation of the assignation exchange. The study's main research method is the historical-genetic method of research and the inductive approach to problem examination. The identified data suggests the existence of the assignation exchange for coins at least before the start of the Napoleonic wars, and in the course of further research, the author hopes to clarify the date of the cessation of this exchange.

Keywords: Assignation Bank, inflation, silver money, Russia, paper money, russian ruble, Aassignation, issue, state credit, Cancrin

Abstract: In this article, the author examines from a regional perspective the credit operations of the State Bank of the Russian Empire in ten time sections of 5-year intervals during the period from 1868 to 1913. Lending was the bank's main function as a conventional commercial bank, as well as a developing central bank (credit regulation, operating as the bank of banks, and also lender of the last resort). The State Bank was the largest integrator of the banking market. The elements of the emerging two-tier financial system can be traced long before this bank assumed in 1897 the role of being the regulator of money circulation in Russia. The State Bank was the largest commercial bank in the country, but in terms of the number of loans issued it was always ceded to the system of joint-stock commercial banks. A significant number of State Bank loans were issued to the grain-producing areas of European Russia. The offices and branches of the State Bank were the reference points through which its resources, directly or through joint-stock commercial banks, were distributed throughout the country. The St. Petersburg and Moscow offices played an important role in this system. The cycles in the lending dynamics of the State Bank and joint-stock commercial banks did not coincide: the State Bank often increased lending when commercial banks reduced. This may indicate that the State Bank always had elements of being the lender of last resort in its operation.

Keywords: interest rates, lender of last resort, banking, integration of financial markets, historical information sciences, quantitative studies in history, lending, branch networks, State Bank of the Russian Empire, GIS

Abstract: The article presents the author's key results from studying the history of muskat breeding in the Chita region at the stage of its formation as the most important sector of the local commercial economy. Accordingly, the author examines the issues of zoning, surveying the territory of hunting grounds for the release of muskrat breeding material, expenses for acclimatization measures, hunting periods, labor organization of muskrat hunters, the quantitative composition of full-time and seasonal hunters, their equipment, and the quality of harvested fur. In carrying out the orders of the central management of hunting to increase the productivity of the hunting grounds and the final output of raw fur materials, the regional hunting structures sought to maximally populate with muskrats the reservoirs in the region and their further exploitation. However, this policy did not always reflect an understanding of the real situation in the districts, and poorly considered the factor of natural and climatic conditions. This is why in the 1930s - 1950s, muskat breeding in the hunting industry did not reach its main goal - the sector did not become autonomous, but rather developed in the context of the common frontiers of collective farms and industrial farms.

Keywords: labor organization, historical reacclimatization, fur, fur raw materials, muskrat breeding, procurement office, industrial farm, hunting industry, hunting periods, commercial exploitation