Vol 4, No 2 (2022)

The article is devoted to the study of leisure practices and entertainment culture of the urban population of the Russian province in the late 18^th – the first quarter of the 19^th centuries on the materials of the Middle Volga region. The author argues that the choice of forms of leisure was determined by the affiliation of the city dweller to a certain social, gender and age group, as well as the sociocultural community with which he identified himself. Attention is paid to both modernized and traditional forms of leisure and entertainment.

The military-historical phenomenon of political work in the Red Army was formed, strengthened and established itself during the period of the fratricidal Civil War in Russia, namely at its front-line stage (1918-1920). Organizational party work was one of its main directions. It included issues of internal party life, the organizational structure of the political bodies of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) [RKP(b)] in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), forms and methods of party work in military units, its management and tasks of increasing its effectiveness, as well as issues of the recruitment of the political officer cadres of the Red Army. The author presents to the scientific community a short review of the history of organizational and party work in the troops of the Soviet Eastern Front in 1918-1919. The aim of the article is to reveal the essence and content of organizational party work in the troops of the Soviet Eastern Front, as well as the forms and methods of its implementation. The article represents a fragment of a future monograph, on which the author is completing work.

The article is devoted to the actions of the Soviets of People's Deputies of Kuibyshev in 1977-1985 on issues related to solving the most important social problems of housing, health care and the construction of social and cultural facilities. The author focuses on formation of the city budget, the financing of housing construction in the face of an increasing need for housing due to population growth and the destruction of pre-revolutionary residential buildings. The positions on these issues of the heads of the city administration, A. Rosovsky and G. Gusarova, are revealed.

The author concludes that the authority of local Soviets of People's Deputies in the social and economic development was enormous. Despite the fact that some activities of the Soviets did not involve large material costs, the most important of them, such as the construction of housing for the population, the provision of housing and communal services, health care, education, and social security of the population, required huge resources. The expansion of social spending is noticeable against the backdrop of a clear decline in production volumes and economic growth rates. In general, the practice of solving urban planning problems in this period was implemented quite successfully, which confirms the conclusion that during this period the work of the Soviet of People's Deputies was carried out effectively and met the needs of society.

Keywords: USSR, Soviets of People’s Deputies, Kuibyshev, housing and communal services, health sphere, social and cultural issues, budget.

The article considers the struggle of the two strongest powers for a leadership position in outer space, its use for the purpose of military confrontation with each other. The authors draw attention to the estimates of the “space race” in the US periodical press, and also examine the activities of the governments of the two states. The results of the study show that the “space Pearl Harbor” includes the development of weapons to destroy the space assets of the other side.

The paper is devoted to the activities of Russian offi cers and envoys of the St. Petersburg government during the reign of Bishop Petar II Petrović Njegoš in Montenegro. Their arrival in Cetinje at that time was of great importance not only for strengthening Montenegrin-Russian relations, but also for settling the internal and external situation in Montenegro. The appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Jakov Nikolajevich Ozereckovski took place immediately after Njegoš’s second visit to the Russian capital. Ozereckovski’s tasks were to study the social and economic situation in Montenegro as comprehensively as possible, as well as to contribute to the state reforms of Petar II Njegoš. Based on his reports, the Russian government decided to send a new envoy to Montenegro, a young captain and mining engineer Yegor Petrovich Kovaljevski. Although he failed to fi nd the alleged traces of gold in the river Zlatica, Kovaljevski nevertheless unexpectedly found himself in the role of a talented negotiator during the Montenegrin-Austrian border dispute, and his actions contributed to the successful resolution of the confl ict.

The article is based on archival materials and is devoted to the contribution of scientists and specialists of the Scientific Research Physics and Chemical Institute named after L.Ya. Karpov, first of all, of scientific schools headed by Academicians S.S. Medvedev and V.A. Kargin, in the development of polymer science. The author draws attention to the role of international relations of scientists in the development of physical and chemical science in general, the chemistry of high molecular compounds in particular. Special attention is paid to the work of the laboratory under the leadership of Academician V.A. Kargin, his international activities. The author also focuses on the activities of the State Committee of the Council of Ministers of the USSR for Chemistry on the implementation of international contacts between scientists of the USSR and researchers of the member countries of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance, Western countries, the USA, etc.

The Koksharovsky peat bog is well-known in the archaeology of Urals and Russia primarily for its cult sites (Koksharovsky hill, Koksharovo I) and peat sites (Koksharovsko-Yurjinskaya I and II). The first excavations at the peat bog were carried out as early as 1837. Out of more than 60 archeological sites represented by materials from excavations and collections, only complexes of five sites have been published. The article introduces the previously unknown complexes of the Koksharovskoe Pole site, where materials from all archaeological eras from Mesolithic to the Middle Ages are presented. The most of the finds date back to the Neolithic (66 %) and Chalcolithic (18 %) periods. The other eras are represented by the minor additives. The collection was examined using statistical and typological, trasological, and mineralogical methods. Two clay sculptures (an anthropomorphic figure and a bird) and a bronze jewelry are of great interest. The list of mineral raw materials includes 20 items. The materials presented in the article characterize the degree of colonization of the shores of the Koksharovsky pit bog over several millennia.