Vol 3, No 3 (2021)

More than thirty years have passed since the beginning of the collapse of the Yugoslav state, and this process has received considerable attention in the scientific literature. At the same time, there are practically no studies that would analyze the origins and causes that caused the formation of Yugoslavia as a state of the Yugoslav peoples. The purpose of the research carried out in the article was to analyze the causes and the initial stage of the transformation of the ideas of the common historical fate of the Yugoslav peoples into creative processes leading to their political and legal unification in one state. The historical method was used as the main one, which allowed the author to trace the process of crystallization of the ideas of Yugoslavism with all the contradictions. In addition, the author used a comparative method, which allowed him to study the specifics of each next stage of this process in a comparative way. According to the results of the study, the author came to the conclusion that, despite the general aspiration of the Yugoslav peoples to unite, nevertheless, each of the Yugoslav peoples sought to solve their problems during the unification process, which in some cases contradicted the interests of other peoples. All this created all those «cracks» in relations, which later, seventy years after the creation of a single Yugoslav state, led to the complete disintegration of Yugoslavia and the separation of the Yugoslav peoples.

Up to the present day only a few historic studies of current relations between the European Union and Japan have been carried out. Most of them are focused on events that took place during the first decade of the 21st century. Up to now the theme in question has mainly been researched by journalists and political scientists. At the same time, the massive integration processes initiated by Brussels and Tokyo pose and interest to historians involved in studies of international relations. The aim set by the authors of the current article is to study and analyze the development of contemporary relations between Japan and the nations of Western Europe. The authors resorted to the complex systems approach, as it is the best way to describe the multidimensional nature of ties between Europe and Japan. Among the main sources of information used for the research in question are foreign periodicals, bilateral and multilateral agreements between Japan and the EU, statistical reports of the European Commission and the Government of Japan as well as a number of earlier studies carried out by Russian, Japanese and Western scientists. The conclusion made by the authors of the article is that in spite of the trends towards strengthening of national egoism and protectionism, which have been on the rise since the 2009 global financial crisis, Japan and the European Union continue to build up their cooperation based on the principles of neoliberalism thereby proving the viability of this model of international relations.

Renato Risaliti (1935-2020) is one of the outstanding modern Italian researchers of Soviet and Russian history, literature, public and political life, and culture. His approach to the history of Russia is distinguished by the uniqueness of the concept, which was formed on the basis of a comparative analysis of Russian and Italian history, a thorough study of archival sources, and personal experience of staying in Russia. His research on Russian-Italian relations is particularly valuable. For example, it is reflected in the monograph «Russians in Florence and Tuscany», translated into Russian. In his younger years, Risaliti was an active functionary of the Italian Communist Party, headed the chapter of the society Italy-USSR, was elected mayor of the city of Agliana (Tuscany). In the interview offered to the reader, Risaliti shares his personal experience of becoming interested in the study of Russian history and very warmly and thoroughly describes his communication with Russian scientists, primarily with those who professionally studied Russian-Italian relations and the history of Italy. He sets out the basics of his unique concept of the history of Russia and the USSR, the reasons for the collapse of the USSR. The interview illustrates the political process within Italy, which led to the departure of 40-year-old communist activists, to whom he himself belonged, to marginal positions. The recruitment of young people to leadership positions by E. Berlinguer, the head of the PCI, led to the renewal of the party's political course (the concept of Eurocommunism). Perhaps the break in tradition was one of the reasons for the democratic transformation of the PCI and the subsequent dissolution. The title of the article «In search of a country of happiness» is the title of his book about the USSR. What he was not disappointed in was his sincere sympathy and respect for the Russian people and his colleagues in the professional community.

The article analyzes the fairy tales of the Mordovians as a source of preserving the historical memory of the ethnos. The aim of the research was to reveal the unique information preserved in this form of oral-poetic creativity of the Mordovian people on pre-Christian deities, names, customs and traditions, family routines, social and domestic life and much more, which is its richest heritage. The research was based on such methods as comparative-historical, historical-genetic, problem-chronological, structural-systemic, included observation, logical, descriptive-narrative, generalization, classification and systematization. The authors use specific examples to show how rich and diverse the fairy tale folklore of the Mordovians. Its peculiarity is poetry, wit, soulfulness and wisdom. When analyzing the historiography of the topic under consideration, it is noted that a significant contribution to the collection and study of Mordva folklore was made by pre-revolutionary ethnographers M. E. Evseviev, V. N. Mainov, P. I. Melnikov-Pechersky, A. P. Smirnov, A. A. Shakhmatov, and of modern researchers we can highlight the works of N. F. Mokshin, G. A. Kornishina, A. S. Luzgin, E. N. Mokshina, Y. N. Sushkova. Conclusions: A fairy tale is an important element of the culture of the Mordovian people, it reflects their historical memory, worldview and life philosophy. Transmitted from generation to generation, fairy tales have conveyed to us a lot of important information, which was difficult to record in other ways and it could simply disappear.

The article analyzes the peculiarities of obtaining historical education in the USSR in the era of the beginning of the transition to «restalinization» at the turn of 1960-1970 on the basis of the use of sources of personal origin. The Ural State University named after A.M. Gorky (USU), the history department of which the author of this article graduated in 1972, was an average regional university of the country. However, in the field of historical education, there were processes in this educational institution that often went beyond the typical peripheral university. The article considers the peculiarities of the organization of the educational process at the faculty of history, describes some teachers, their approach to teaching the subjects being read, the situation that has developed at the faculty. Naturally, the observations of the author of the article are subjective. However, the author allows them to be expressed, given that by now a significant and unique array of sources of personal origin has accumulated, allowing for the reconstruction of the processes that took place at the historical faculty of USU. The essence of these processes, in our opinion, was that the change in the policy of the ruling party at the turn of 1960-1970 was directly embodied in the teaching of social and historical disciplines at the «ideological» faculty. Students who received a historical education at USU during these years saw with their own eyes the struggle between the old and the new in teaching.

The article deals with the issues of periodization of paper banknotes as an instrument of the financial policy of the state. The purpose of the work is to identify the stages of development and improve the system of paper money circulation from the point of view of institutional theory and chronological approach. For the first time, periodization covers the entire period of the existence of paper money from their appearance under Catherine II to the present day. A feature of this work is that it lists all the issues of paper money carried out on the territory of our state. The features of paper money circulation at each stage of its existence (imperial, transitional, emergency money circulation, Soviet monetary system, modern) are given. The article provides a brief analysis of historiography, indicating a number of works devoted to the problem of research. The connection between the form of existence of paper money and the tasks facing monetary circulation from the point of view of state interests is shown. Some of the author's statements are controversial.

In his review, Professor A.V. Trofimov gives a detailed picture of a new study by the young historian D. Shunyakov, dedicated to the award system of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. The difference between this monograph and many of the works written earlier is emphasized. Firstly, this is the first comprehensive study, where award production is considered, as a system aimed at initiating the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, as well as civilians, to achieve a speedy victory over the enemy. Secondly. The work provides a complete picture of all types of awards from government awards, banners, signs, etc. to monetary and material incentives for those who have distinguished themselves. And, thirdly, a description of the stages of development and improvement of this system for the entire period of the war is given.