Abstract: The object of the study is the international relations of Azerbaijan at the junction of the XX and XXI centuries. The subject of the study is the relationship between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan after the disintegration of the USSR. The author dwells in detail on the bilateral relations between Baku and Astana during the presidency of Heydar and Ilham Aliyev. The greatest attention is paid to cooperation in various fields within the framework of Trans-Caucasian logistics projects through the prism of involving Caspian partners in them. This perspective allows us to note that Kazakhstan has gained an important "logistics hub" in Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan fount in Kazakhstan a partner. The research methods are content analysis, discourse analysis and historical research methods. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that Azerbaijan's foreign policy is reflected quite briefly in Russian historiography, especially in the framework of bilateral relations with the countries of Central Asia. The attention of domestic researchers, as a rule, focuses on relations with Russia, as well as other countries of the South Caucasus and Turkey, however, it should be noted that Azerbaijani-Kazakh relations became one of the foundations of the Caspian vector of Eurasian integration at the turn of the century. The main conclusion of the author is that the Azerbaijani-Kazakh relations allowed the two countries not only to solve their own geopolitical problems, but also to qualitatively improve the Caspian vector of Eurasian integration, harmoniously supplementing it with the "West-East" direction. It should be noted not only the intensity of contacts, but also their productivity, a reflection of this is the involvement of Kazakhstan in logistics projects in the South Caucasus, participation in which allows the Central Asian country to have another "corridor" to the world ocean. Probably, the bilateral relations under consideration were the most productive in the region between the post-Soviet countries, with the exception of bilateral relations in which Russia participated.

Keywords: Baku, Caspian sea, International relations, Eurasia, Kazakhstan, Astana, Russia, Caspian Region, Azerbaijan, Post-Soviet space

Abstract: The article is devoted to the changes in Soviet-French relations after the constitutional coup in France on July 10, 1940. This coup, which took place under the influence of the defeat of the French Republic in the war with Nazi Germany, led to the formation in non-occupied France of an authoritarian puppet state with its capital in Vichy and a sharp turn in her foreign policy. At the same time, the withdrawal of the French state from the anti-Hitler alliance and the declaration of neutrality in World War II created the conditions for a certain improvement in the country's relations with the Soviet Union, which at the initial stage of the war also adhered to a neutral position. Based on published and archival materials, the article examines the dynamics of relations between Vichy and Moscow after July 1940, analyzes the factors influencing it, shows the evolution of the foreign policy of the French state, characterizes the perception of the Vichy regime and its international policy by the Soviet side. Describing the spheres and specific features of the Soviet-French interaction, the author shows the limited opportunities for its development in the international context of 1940-1941. Ultimately, relations between the Vichy regime, whose pro-German orientation was becoming increasingly pronounced, and Moscow were severed after the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR in June 1941.

Keywords: Nikolay Ivanov, Philippe Pétain, collaborationism, Vichy regime, Soviet-French relations, constitutional coup, France, USSR, Second World War, François Charles-Roux

Abstract: Parallels in lunar myths of the Turks (ancient Turks), Mongolian peoples and Eastern Finno-Ugric peoples (Mordvins, Mari, Komi, Udmurts) are the subject of this research. So far, lunar motifs in beliefs of these ethnic groups have not been specially compared with each other. In the article, the authors make an attempt based on a comparative analysis of mythological images and plots, and specifically, lunar myths which are essentially universal for all peoples of the world, to provide additional arguments in favor of confirming the hypothesis of V.V. Napolskikh about the existence of a special North Asian community of the Northern Eurasian peoples mythologies. Based on the review analysis and the research, the authors have come to the following conclusions. Firstly, the moon deity in myths of the Turks, Mongolian peoples and Eastern Finno-Ugrians is a predominantly male deity having a close link with the underworld and the image of the death god. Secondly, the mythologeme about the origin of the moon from the water is another specific Ural-Altai element. Thirdly, in the mythology of the Turks, Mongolian peoples and Eastern Finno-Ugrians, the deities of the moon, most likely, go back to totems in the form of birds (primarily waterfowl), a bull, probably more related to the water element. Thus, the assumption of V.V. Napolsky about the existence of a North Asian mythological union receives additional support.

Keywords: Scandinavians, Kalmyks, Northern Eurasia, Eastern Finno-Ugric peoples, Mongolian peoples, ancient Turks, Turks, lunar myths, North Asian, mythological union

Abstract: This article presents the results of a study of the bear image in the Yakut hunting culture and the Yakut bear holiday "kurum". The aim is to identify the bear holiday among Yakuts. The cult of bear veneration can be traced in many peoples of Siberia, but until later it was believed that Yakuts had no bear holiday, only in the 19th century R. K. Maak recorded a bear holiday among Yakuts and Tungus population in the Vilyuysk district of Yakutia. The bear festival can also be traced among the Tungus population in the Vilyui district, where they lived closely with the local Yakuts and entered into various ties, which most likely caused the Yakuts to adopt some Tungus traditions. The source base of the work is ethnographic materials of researchers of the XIX-XX centuries, as well as previously unpublished field materials collected in Suntarsky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The main conclusion of the study is that the Tungus population of the Vilyui district, who had a fairly well-developed bear cult, took an active part in the formation of the bear ritual "kurum" among the Vilyui Yakuts. In the central and northern regions of Yakutia, the "kurum" festival as a bear ritual is not mentioned, in other words, it was not widespread, although the term itself is found in the Yakut lexicon and means a wedding feast.

Keywords: predator, ritual, hunting activity, bear hunting, Vilyuysky district, cult, bear, tungus, Yakutia, yakuts

Abstract: The object of this study is the system of national education in the Khakass Autonomous Region in 1946-1964. Special attention in this study is paid to such elements of the national education system as the development of a network of educational institutions, methodological and logistical support of the educational process, as well as quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the personnel. The author also examines the influence of geographical and demographic features of the region on the dynamics of national schools, and also draws attention to the consequences of the educational reform of 1958 in the field of teaching in the native language and the study of Khakass as a native language. The author analyzes the reasons for the gradual reduction in the number of national schools, and also notes the problems that hindered the development of the national education system in the Khakass Autonomous Region. The novelty of this work lies in the fact that for the first time the materials of the funds of the State Archive of the Krasnoyarsk Territory are introduced into scientific circulation, as well as a comprehensive study of the problems of national education in the post-war period is carried out. The author comes to the conclusion that the reduction in the number of national schools, as well as the reduction in the number of students who studied in the Khakass language and studied their native language, was due to a whole complex of factors, including: administrative, logistical, personnel.

Keywords: educational policy, material and technical base, teaching staff, post-war period, school reform, Khakass language, the system of national schools, Khakass Autonomous Region, public education, school system

Abstract: Solving the tasks of restoring Soviet industry during the NEP years was accompanied by the formation of a new system of labor relations and the search for effective forms of labor stimulation, among which wages were the main one. The main objective of the study was to identify and characterize the key principles of remuneration of workers and employees of the metallurgical industry, their changes and impact on wage differentiation in 1922-1928. On the basis of collective agreements and tariff agreements of the Sickle and Hammer plant, which in the period under review was experimental, new forms of remuneration were worked out. As a result, it was this company that had to demonstrate the effectiveness of the state's salary policy. Collective agreements during the NEP years reflected most aspects of labor activity. The duration of collective agreements gradually increased, they began to regulate a greater number of controversial issues in the field of remuneration. Due to high inflation, the terms and forms of salary payments were standardized. During the NEP period, there was an increase in wage differentiation at the Sickle and Hammer plant, both between different groups of workers and within them. However, this trend was partially offset by the actions of trade unions and the government aimed at equalizing earnings. Wages declined in the period 1923-1928, as workers faced tougher and more systematic requirements for defective products and their payment, with an increase in the production plan. Trends in time-based payment are determined mainly by the difference between tariff rates and minimum wages, which grew during the NEP period for all categories of workers. Bonus payments characterized the highest—paid group of factory workers - high-level employees. Their earnings were formed with the help of bonuses, earnings and the tariff rate, which made it consistently high.

Keywords: piecework wages, wage differentiation, labor relations, tariff schedule, collective agreement, metallurgical industry, wages, new economic policy, time wages, bonus payments

Abstract: Statistics of the Soviet period in Altai originates from the system of statistical institutions formed before the October Revolution. These are primarily institutions of zemstvo, as well as resettlement statistics. Although Zemstvo statistics were not fully formed, they served as the basis for the creation of Soviet statistical institutions. In general, the education and activities of statistical bodies in Altai in 1917-1925 have not been studied enough. The article examines the formation of the system of state Soviet statistics in the Altai province from 1917 to the beginning of its reorganization in connection with the formation of the Siberian Territory (1925). The process of creating and reforming statistical bodies in the Altai Territory stretched for several years. During this time, much of experience has been accumulated in the practice of statistical accounting and scientific and methodological developments in the field of statistical science, statistical personnel was trained. Largely thanks to the enthusiasm of the workers, it was possible not only to protect statistical structures with their achievements from destruction, but also to build new ones that meet the needs of the emerging Soviet state. There is no doubt that the work carried out by Altai statisticians in 1917-1925 deserves the highest praise and should be the object of close study.

Keywords: province, census, institution, source, statistical office, Altai, history, statistics, formation, staff

Abstract: The paper characterizes the state of a set of functionally interconnected settlements that developed by the mid-1930s on the territory of the modern Tyumen region. The subject of the study is the network of settlements in the region, the object is its number, economic and socio-cultural development. The density of the settlement network, the ratio of collective, individual and other farms in each district is determined. Attention is focused on the creation of collective farms in the course of collectivization that unfolded during this period. Statistical data on the number of industrial enterprises and points of trade in villages, as well as data on the development of communication institutions (post office, telephone), schools and hospitals, club institutions are presented. The scientific novelty of the publication consists in determining not only quantitative, but also qualitative indicators of the development of the settlement network of the region. The district specifics were revealed, which consisted in the economic specialization of the majority of administrative-territorial units in the production of oil, the dominance of timber processing enterprises in the northern regions and flax processing plants in the southern ones. The conclusion is made about the predominance of the cooperative form of trade in the villages over the state one. Positive changes in the state of socio-cultural infrastructure were noted, expressed in an increase in the number of school and medical institutions. At the same time, the school network consisted of 86% of primary schools. There was still a shortage of hospitals and outpatient clinics, medical personnel in rural areas.

Keywords: trading points, industrial enterprises, infrastructure, collective farm, Tyumen region, settlement network density, communication institutions, settlement network, school, hospital

Abstract: The object of the research is the change in the image of the Reform and Opening-up Era in the historiography of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping. The goal is to trace the transformation of the historical positioning of the reform period in the context of Xi Jinping's announcement of a "New Era" in the history of the PRC and to identify aspects of continuity and break points between the two stages of the country's history. The most representative texts were selected as sources: speeches of party leaders on the occasion of the round anniversary of the start of the Policy of reforms and openness in 1998, 2008 and 2018 and the 2021 "Resolution of the CCP Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century". The research method is qualitative content analysis. The novelty of the work lies in the consideration of issues that have not yet received proper coverage either in domestic or foreign science. The studies currently available on the topic of the change in the CCP’s approaches to its own historiography after the adoption of the “historic resolution” in 2021 are mainly publicistic in nature. The author comes to the conclusion that the proclamation of a "New Era" means the end of the period of reforms and openness, which the PRC entered in 1978 following the results of the 3rd plenum of the 11th CPC Central Committee. The related changes in party politics are indicated.

Keywords: Deng Xiaoping, Historical policy, Historic Resolution, Ideology, China, CCP, Historiography, New Era, Xi Jinping, Reforms and Opening-Up

Abstract: Studying the phenomenon of collaboration in times of military conflicts in any country is a difficult and painful process. It becomes difficult to consider this problem objectively, since the topic is often in the field of political regulation and propaganda manipulation. This is especially clearly seen by the example of studying the domestic historiography of the issue: this article presents an overview of the literature of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, including research works by modern historians and foreign authors, which highlight the issues of voluntary cooperation of Soviet citizens with the Nazi occupation authorities. The main directions of studying the designated problem are described and considered step by step: the purpose of the article is to analyze the difference in approaches to the study of the phenomenon of collaboration and identify new trends in this issue. The author's special contribution to the study of the historiography of the issue of Soviet collaboration was the introduction and analysis of foreign-language literature that has no translation into Russian. Taking into account a fundamentally different view of the features of voluntary cooperation of citizens of the USSR with the German occupiers of foreign authors, it can be stated that familiarity with concepts alien to the Soviet tradition helps to expand the research horizons and narrative space of scientists dealing with this issue, to see all the diversity of the issue. It was also possible to draw parallels between the scientific conclusions to the study of the topic not only by foreign and domestic authors, but also between historians of the past and the present: this approach allows you to place historical accents and get closer to an objective consideration of the phenomenon of collaboration.

Keywords: occupation authorities, occupation, Soviet-German relations, Nazi occupiers, cooperation with the occupiers, The Second World War, USSR, voluntary cooperation, collaborationism, The Great Patriotic War

Abstract: After 1917, historical everyday life museums became widespread, but there were also projects of military everyday life museums, which are the subject of this article. In 1919–1927 in Petrograd (Leningrad) there was the Military museums Section of the People's Commissariat of Education. Its activities were aimed at conservation the military museum property and developing projects for the creation of a unified military museum, which involved the creation of an everyday life department. However, the proposed ideas were not timely, and the Section was dissolved. But already in 1930, the Military-historical-everyday life museum was organized in the Military department, which existed for 7 years, and then became part of the Artillery Museum. For the first time, the composition and activities of the Leningrad Military museums section are considered, whose employees were officers of the Imperial Russian Army, founders of regimental museums, military historians, archivists, writers, collectors who tried to save the memory of the First World War and contribute to the preservation of pre-revolutionary military history. The continuation of the development of these ideas falls on the 1930s due to the new generation of the military, who realized the importance of museumification of the historical and cultural heritage, and the creation of the Military-historical-everyday life museum. Based on the analysis of some exhibits introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, conclusions can be drawn about the features of the collections. Based on archival sources, the article analyzes how the history of museum work reflects sociocultural changes in the country.

Keywords: Artillery Historical Museum, Quartermaster's Museum, regimental museums, Military-historical-everyday life museum, Military museums section, historical everyday life museum, military everyday life museum, Russian Museum of Military Medicine, Pototsky, Gabaev

Abstract: The article examines the main directions and problems of the development of Russian entrepreneurship in Northeast China in the 1920s. Based on the analysis of the emigrant press and reference literature of the 1920s, documents of Soviet foreign policy, as well as the results of scientific research, the author assesses the activities of entrepreneurs and the difficulties that complicated it. The question describes the activities of the white emigrant industries established before the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War on the territory of the former Russian Empire (1917–1922); the impact of European and North American business on the development of the economy of Manchuria in general and on Russian business in particular; the impact of the multinational composition of the Russian diaspora on the specifics of the development of white immigrant entrepreneurship; the activities of charitable organizations that actively supported emigrants in difficult life situations; the growing needs of the population in connection with the improvement of the quality of work and the growth of production activity. Summing up the research, the author notes the following points that caused difficulties in the sphere of entrepreneurial activity of Russians: unstable financial market; the presence of competition in the face of European merchants; restrictions on the part of local authorities caused by the growth of Chinese nationalism; the Soviet-Chinese conflict over the status of the CER, which not only brought regular income to white immigrants, but also provided many jobs; as well as an increase in the number of Hunghuz gangs due to weak protection of the North-eastern suburbs. Despite all the existing problems, the Russian diaspora in the 1920s made a significant contribution to the economy of the region, engaging in trade, the development of new industries, the creation of the banking system, participation in charity events.

Keywords: light industry, heavy industry, Russian diaspora, Russian emigration, Russian entrepreneurship, Chinese Eastern railway, Harbin, Manchuria, North-East China, sphere of services

Abstract: This article examines the territory of the Northern Crimea, which was part of the Perekopsky district of the Tauride province, in the late XIX – early XX centuries, the time when the province turned into one of the rapidly developing regions of the Russian Empire. The subject of this study is the economic development of the territory of the Northern Crimea, the northern border of which was the Perekop Isthmus, and the northeastern outskirts were washed by the waters of the Gulf of Sivash. At the same time, special attention is paid by the author to the development of the agricultural sector of the economy, first of all, the development of crop production and animal husbandry, as well as individual industries that have become widespread in the specified territory. The scientific novelty of the study is an attempt to give a more complete picture of the economic development of the northernmost Crimean district of the Tauride province, Perekopsky district, since this topic has not been widely studied in Russian historiography. To achieve this goal, the author has attracted a wide array of sources, represented by various statistical data and reference materials. As a result of this work, the author comes to the conclusion that in the late XIX – early XX centuries, the development of the agricultural sector of the economy prevailed on the territory of the Northern Crimea, represented primarily in the form of growing grain crops, which pushed the development of sheep breeding in this region into the background. At the same time, the industry was represented mainly only in the form of enterprises engaged in brick-tile and pottery production, flour milling and salt fishing.

Keywords: brick and tile production, industry, cereal crops, sheep breeding, agriculture, Perekop district, economy, Northern Crimea, the Tauride province, salt industry

Abstract: The author examines the economic aspects of the South African colonial exploration by the Europeans in the representation of accumulated contradictions between business organizations, which ultimately became a cause of the 1899-1902 conflict. Based on the study of Dutch East India Company’s activities in this region, as well as the specifics of the settlement establishment by the British and Boers, attention is paid to the root causes of the disharmonious economic situation of the rivalling parties, taking place before the discovery of gold deposits in the Witwatersrand (1886). The changing regional supremacy of the Cape colony and the other British possessions, as well as Boer States (the Republic of South Africa – Transvaal and the Orange Free State) has been periodized. The factors of the 1899 armed conflict have been structured to reveal the conflicting interests of trading companies which had sought to monopolize the business for extraction of valuable mineral raw materials. The author concludes that the main reason for the South African War was the desire of British trading companies to gain access to rich gold deposits in the Boer-populated Transvaal and form a single English-based state in South Africa. In order to achieve such goal, the British tried their best at delaying peace initiatives of the Boers, putting forward various contradictory demands to them, using the armies of private companies to conduct raids and sabotaging the formation of a federal state in the region. We have discovered the preposterous look of the British pretext for the outbreak of war, based on the protection of the Boer states English-speaking population interests, which had been supposed to initiate an uprising. The South African War became not only a place, where new methods of warfare were applied, and a “black hole” for the UK budgetary expenditures, but also a profitable market for new types of weapons and military equipment, which allowed their manufacturers to make considerable profits.

Keywords: labor camp, Transvaal, Cecil Rhodes, Paul Kruger, East India Company, mining for diamonds, gold production, De Beers, South African War, South Africa