Vol 7, No 3 (2025)

The article attempts to answer the question of how acceptable and possible it is to use the methodological and methodical arsenal of synergetics in historical research. It is noted that synergetics as an interdisciplinary methodology originated in the field of natural sciences (physics, chemistry, etc.), but currently finds application in social sciences and humanities. However, this trend creates the danger of pseudoscientific speculation using categories characteristic of synergetics (bifurcation point, attractor, fluctuation, etc.) As a compromise, it is proposed to consider the methodology of synergetics as a heuristic template for conducting research in such areas of social science as economics, sociology and history. Of particular interest is the use of the scheme of evolution of complexly organized systems in a specific branch of knowledge — the history of economics. The theories of socio-economic formations, economic cycles, technological patterns, etc., thus receive a new and original interpretation.

The purpose of the study is to expand and supplement the already available information about the main points in the history of the development of artillery and engineering under the leadership of Count Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov. Among the major figures of the Elizabethan period, the name of Count P.I. Shuvalov occupies a special place. The article focuses on the assessments of contemporaries and descendants regarding P.I. Shuvalov, which are present both in Russian historiography and in some foreign publications, which are quite contradictory.: sometimes it ranges from stingy and obviously unfair remarks, as on the favorite of the Empress, to a true understanding of his role and significance in the history of Russian artillery. It is noted that the name of P.I. Shuvalov is associated with important changes in the organization of artillery and equipping it with new models of artillery weapons. It is shown that as a prominent military commander, Field Marshal P.I. Shuvalov proved himself to be an innovator in matters of artillery and engineering education. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the study and introduction into scientific circulation of previously little-studied archival and other sources. The author comes to the conclusion that the reforms of P.I. In the field of military special education, the entire previous system of training officers and non-commissioned officers for the artillery and engineering corps has been changed.

The leadership of the interaction of troops during the Warsaw-Ivangorod operation is its most important component. The historical experience of leading the interaction of troops, as well as knowledge and understanding of the structure, essence, content and sequence of maintaining sustainable interaction will allow its application in modern conditions. The purpose of the article is to familiarize with the contents of the guidelines for the interaction of the troops of the Southwestern Front, the armies and corps that make up their composition during the conduct of defensive, then offensive operations, and subsequently the pursuit of the retreating enemy. The use of basic modern research methods such as historical-systemic, historical-typological and synthesis of information from published sources and archival documents allowed us to study a fairly large number of historical documents of the Southwestern Front, armies and corps that make up its composition at each stage of the Warsaw-Ivangorod operation in the First World War. The study reveals the sequence and content of the work of the field offices of the front, army headquarters and field offices of the corps that make up its composition to guide the interaction of troops during the Warsaw-Ivangorod operation. Based on the reviewed historical and analytical documents, the structure of the leadership of the interaction of the troops of the Southwestern Front with the beginning of the Warsaw-Ivangorod operation is revealed. Conclusions are drawn about the methods of maintaining the interaction of troops and the sequence of achieving sustainable interaction during the operation.

The article analyzes the process of building a system of higher education institutions in Yekaterinburg (since 1924 — Sverdlovsk) in the period from 1917 to the end of the 1920s. The article notes that the idea of creating a higher education institution in the city was hatched by local political and financial industrial elites from the XVIII century and was put into practice only at the beginning of 1917 before the February Revolution, which overthrew Emperor Nicholas II, by whose decree the first university in the Urals, the Mining Institute, was established. The article shows that the formation of the urban university system in the conditions of revolution and civil war, which established Soviet power in Russia, was extremely contradictory. Having gained a foothold in the power structures of Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk, the Bolsheviks, following the orders of the central authorities, constantly reorganized the network of higher educational institutions in accordance with the prevailing ideological and political views and the socialist transformations that began on their basis. The article concludes that permanent experimentation, expressed in the ill-conceived merging of heterogeneous institutions into a single whole, and in the “proletarization of universities”, which limited the admission of “class alien elements”, as well as in the unjustified persecution of “bourgeois professors”, and in curtailing the training of humanitarian specialists, etc., led to a decrease in the level of teaching and a large dropout rate of students, which led to the small number and insufficient professional training of the student graduates of the 1920s.

This article presents an analysis of the development of the Soviet system of higher military education in one of the largest regions of the USSR—the Urals. Particular attention is paid to the perestroika period initiated by N.S. Khrushchev's military reform and the subsequent measures to address its negative consequences. The paper examines the establishment of the Tyumen Military Engineering School, the Perm Military Aviation Technical School, and the Kurgan Higher Military-Political Aviation School, as well as the challenges of selecting faculty and providing the educational process with the necessary material and technical resources. Using archival documents introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time, it illustrates the challenges and achievements of the officer and cadet corps of that time. The research findings can be used in the preparation of military history materials and in the educational process at military educational institutions.

The study of institutional aspects of the world grain market at the beginning of the 20th century allows us to identify deep, often invisible on the surface of historical events, economic and business interests of its participants, underlying international trade transactions. While they formed the legal field of the world market. An important place in it was occupied by international grain conferences, which were held since 1904, in which Russia took an active part. Based on documents on the activities of Russian business (materials of the Congresses and Councils of Congresses of Representatives of Exchange Trade and Agriculture) and government agencies, the "mechanism" of the civilized ingrowth of the Russian domestic grain market into the world market is shown. It consisted of actions on weight standardization, analysis of quality and purity of exported grain, insurance and legal support of the transaction. All these issues were reflected in the German-Dutch type of grain contracts discussed at international grain conferences. This type of grain contracts, compared to the Anglo-Saxon one, took into account the interests of the Russian grain business to a greater extent. Further development of institutional aspects of the world grain market will allow us to better understand many actions of Russia's domestic trade policy, as well as the scale and depth of the transformation of the national economy in the context of early globalization in 1870–1914.

This publication, using declassified archival documents from the collection of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Russian State Archive of Contemporary History, examines the development of economic, scientific, and technical cooperation between the USSR and CMEA member countries in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It concludes that objective conditions had emerged that facilitated the intensification of integration processes within the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. The events of 1968 in Czechoslovakia can be rightfully considered a catalyst for these processes, but the determining factors were the pressing problems within CMEA in the areas of planning and pricing that needed to be addressed as quickly as possible. Party and state governance methods also played a role. A study of the positions of the allied countries reveals that the leadership of the Polish People's Republic was the most active initiator of the development and implementation of a special comprehensive program aimed at strengthening coordination and integration within the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA). Information contained in the reports and documents of planning bodies suggests that the established mechanism significantly increased trade turnover, created joint ventures, and intensified scientific and technical exchange. Overall, the reorganizations proved their effectiveness. An example was the interaction between the Polish People's Republic and the USSR, particularly in the area of Soviet hydrocarbon supplies in excess of planned volumes and the provision of loans. In turn, the volumes of machinery and equipment supplied from the Polish People's Republic to the USSR, as well as pipes of the required diameter for oil pipelines, increased. However, the CMEA countries largely developed import-substituting, low-tech, low-volume production systems characterized by high costs. Structural restructuring failed, innovation processes were stalled, and technological backwardness grew.

The article is devoted to the experience of intercultural dialogue in the early 19th century between Napoleon's prisoners of war and the civilian population of Russia. Based on the results of research conducted by Russian and foreign authors in recent decades and archival materials, the author concludes that the nature of this interaction was influenced by factors such as the proximity or distance of the regions where these contacts took place from the war zone, the social status of the prisoners, religious and linguistic factors, and random events or fortunate circumstances. The basic foundation that determined the overall outcome of this interaction was the nature of the sociocultural behavior patterns exhibited by the prisoners of war and members of the local civilian population.

The purpose of this research is to study the conditions of the emergence of Melanesian wage labor in Fiji in the 19th century and attempts to control it by the local government and the British government. The article examines the political, economic and social reasons for the recruitment and use of both the indigenous Fijian population and imported workers from other islands of Melanesia. The author suggests a conditional division of the study period into two stages based on the economic and political factors that led to the hiring of labor. The first agreements between European traders and Fijian chiefs on the provision of labor are being investigated. The processes of hiring and working conditions of Melanesians on plantations are described. The article observes the beginning of illegal labor trade in the region. An assessment of the systems of legislation aimed at controlling the trade in labor is given. The work includes the views of government officials and the public on the issue of bonded labor of hired workers. A conclusion is drawn about the causes and consequences of the exploitation of the indigenous peoples of Melanesia in both the pre-colonial and colonial periods of Fiji's 19th century history. The author points out the imperfection of the UK legislative system in the control of labor trafficking in the Pacific region.

The article examines the challenges of the building allied relations and developing political, economic and cultural cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPRK. It analyses the transformation of bilateral relations under the influence of external geopolitical events. The purpose of the research is to identify the key features of Russia-DPRK cooperation against the backdrop of global political changes in the period 2022–2025. This is essential for determining the main direction of Russia’s contemporary foreign policy and identifying its priorities. The result of the research is that Russia-DPRK cooperation experienced significant grownth between 2022 and 2025. The article highlights various areas of bilateral engagement that serve as the foundation for this result. In the context of increasing tension between Russian and the collective West, military cooperation has also emerged alongside political, economic and cultural ties. A major geopolitical event that initiated a new stage in strengthening Russian-DPRK relations was the special military operation started by Russia in February 2022. The research results suggest that after February 2022, profound changes took place across multiple spheres of bilateral cooperation, most notably in the political and economic domains.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the scientific activity of the Russian scientist, academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg Joseph Hamel. The reasons for his interests of history and technology of flax production are characterized. The main works of the scientist devoted to this issue are identified, their content is analyzed, their scientific novelty is assessed. As our research shows, thanks to the works of academician Hamel, the domestic audience got acquainted with the latest technological solutions in the field of flax processing, and his expert opinions on this issue largely formed the views of the monarch and senior government officials regarding the possibilities and prospects for the development of the flax industry in Russia.

The paper examines the mechanisms of preserving the historical memory of the participants of the Afghan War (1979–1989) using the city of Ekaterinburg as an example. It analyzes the monumental policy pursued in the city, expressed in the installation of monuments, memorial complexes and other memorial signs to the soldiers of the Afghan war; changes in toponymy associated with assigning the names of the Ural internationalist soldiers to city streets. Examples of museum representations and commemorative practices aimed at preserving the historical memory of the war in Afghanistan are given. A conclusion is made about the need for further study and improvement of the tools for mobilizing collective memory of the Afghan military conflict.