Abstract: This work is devoted to the crisis quadrennial of 1996-1999 in the history of Russia and the relationship with the changes that have occurred in the Russian banking system. The author identifies two stages in the development of domestic banking: its formation in 1991-1995, which ended with the exit from the August crisis of 1995, which showed that the banking system has not yet adapted to the requirements of market reality. The second stage was the crisis four–year period of 1996-1999, the peak of which was the default and devaluation of the ruble, as a result of which the main activity of banks turned from participating in a speculative game to working with the real sector of the economy and the population. As part of the study of the second period, the author, among other things, considers the issue of anti-crisis measures taken by the Government of the Russian Federation. The author analyzes a large layer of sources and bibliographies, actually building a chronology of the development of the banking sector in Russia in 1996-1999. The novelty of this work consists in the fact that until now there are practically no generalizing historical works about the history of the banking system of Russia in the Russian historiography. The author comes to the following key conclusions: as a result of the 1998 crisis, in which there was a collapse of government securities, which are the basis of both speculative activities of credit institutions and collateral for their resource base, the banking community began to focus mainly on working with the real sector of the economy and the needs of the population. During the period under review, a reform of the banking system was carried out, including the establishment of a set of strict banking standards and reporting that serve to increase the reliability of credit institutions and the possibilities of effective regulation of their activities, and the elimination of the technical backlog of the Central Bank in the automation of control and payment spheres was carried out.

Keywords: Russian economic history, Yeltsin's economic policy, default in russia, russian ecenomic reform, GKO-OFZ, the budget crisis Russia, ruble devaluation, Russian economy crises, development of the banking system, Banking in Russia

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the labor contingent in the South Kuzbass Corrective Labor Camp of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs in the period from 1947 to 1953. The purpose of the publication is to identify the composition and number of workers involved in the production sector of labor camps and their employment. The chronological framework of the study covers the period from the formation of the camp until the beginning of a radical restructuring of the Soviet Gulag system. When studying this issue, the author used general scientific and special historical methods (methods of quantitative analysis and statistical processing of materials). The novelty of the work lies in the use of unpublished archival documents and addressing local history issues that have not received widespread scientific coverage. Based on archival materials from the current archive of the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Kemerovo Region, the dynamics of changes in the number of both forced labor camp prisoners and civilian workers, as well as the degree of their employment, are examined. A comparative analysis of the quantitative composition of the working fund of the South Kuzbass Corrective Labor Camp of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs predecessor, the Yuzhkuzbassles trust, showed that the transition to the use of forced labor in the logging industry in the south of the Kemerovo region made it possible to solve the problem of labor shortage. Particular attention is paid to the issues of employing the camp contingent in the production sector of the Corrective Labor Camp. The reasons why labor functions were not always performed by the prison population were identified, and statistics for each of them were also provided. Particular attention is paid to the processes of transformation of the labor fund in 1953.

Keywords: logging, prisoners, Gulag, camp economy, Southern Kuzbass Corrective Labor Camp of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, forced labor camp, forced labor, Gornaya Shoria district, Kemerovo Oblast, USSR

Abstract: The object of the study is the perception of the "inner" traveler of the nomadic people of the Russian Empire on the example of the Kalmyks. The research material is the "Description of the Kalmyk people" by the poet, translator and publisher A. F. Voeikov (1779-1839), which was based on the diaries of a trip to the south of Russia in 1813. In his travel notes, the writer pays special attention to understanding the customs and traditions of the Kalmyks. The study of Voeykov's biography and work revealed the context of the appeal to the history of the Kalmyks. In the context of the rise of national consciousness and the ethnographic boom after the Patriotic War of 1812, literary travel pursues both educational (knowledge of another culture) and ideological goals ("increment" of the province to the empire). Usually harsh and sometimes unscrupulous, Voeykov tries to avoid looking "from above" in the description of Kalmyks. Noting the archaic social structure, ignorance and superstitions of the people under the rule of their secular and spiritual rulers, he draws the Government's attention to the need for further integration of the Kalmyks. The narrative of the "Description" combines the tasks of the traveler and the author-narrator. On the one hand, Voeykov draws on early works on the Kalmyks and actively introduces quotations from ethnographers, scientists and administrators into the text, on the other hand, he tries to make a personal analysis of another culture. To create an image of the "Other", the text uses a number of lexical means, which include the use of evaluative words and expressions ("superstitious Kalmyks"), comparisons ("the Kalmyk way of life resembles primitive human societies", intelligent gernguters /ignorant Kalmyks), metaphors ("peaceful shepherds").

Keywords: Nikolai Strakhov, Benjamin Bergman, image of Kalmyks, Kalmyk laws, Lamaist clergy, everyday life, nomads, Kalmyk economy, Kalmyks, Alexander Voeykov

Abstract: Despite the increased scientific interest in the problem of famine and food security in the Russian Empire in recent years, the topic remains poorly studied on the materials of the Penza province. The subject of the study is the main activities of the authorities and the public in the fight against famine and its consequences in the Penza province in the 1860s and 1890s. The purpose of the work is to identify the effectiveness of a system of local measures aimed at overcoming the consequences of crop failures and helping the hungry. The principles of historicism and objectivity, methods of grouping and generalizing statistical information, system, functional and comparative analysis were used as a methodological basis. According to the provisions of the socio-natural theory of E. S. Kulpin-Gubaidullin, the genesis of the crises of society is considered in the relationship and interdependence with the crises of nature. The author's special contribution to the research of the topic is that new information about the causes of crop failures and famine, as well as specific measures taken by the authorities and society to provide assistance to the affected population, has been introduced and analyzed. Based on the analysis of archival and literary sources, the state and public forms of assistance to victims of famine are systematized, the joint contribution of government agencies and zemstvo self-government bodies to overcoming the consequences of crop failures is determined. The main conclusion of the study is that the local security system had limited damage compensation capabilities and needed extraordinary government support. It can be argued that the implementation of local measures together with general imperial ones turned out to be generally effective: mass starvation deaths in the Penza province were not recorded in any of the lean years.

Keywords: Penza province, public canteens, community service, grain spare stores, supply fund, zemstvo institutions, state food policy, famine in Russia, crop failure, post-reform period

Abstract: The subject of the article is the political behavior of one of Stalin's greatest opponents, Grigory Yevseevich Zinoviev, in the period between his first expulsion from the party at the end of 1927 and his arrest on charges of Kirov's murder in December 1934. Zinoviev's letters, speeches and statements to the party leadership are analyzed, through which he tried to achieve the main goal of returning to the party and to political activity. It is established that Zinoviev has an internal struggle between public speaking and maintaining his own political attitudes. These "torments" and "tosses" caused distrust of Zinoviev from the party leaders and led the hero first to a psychological breakdown, and then to political death. The materialistic concept (in particular, historical determinism) is used as a tool. The method of psychohistory is also used to analyze the inner world of a politician and the motivation of his actions. An analysis of Zinoviev's activities as a vivid example of the political behavior of a communist oppositionist allows us to draw the following conclusions: 1) Zinoviev's behavior during the period under review was determined by his return to the party, preferably to a leadership job. The basis for achieving the goal was the recognition of the impossibility of further opposition struggle, which could lead to a split of the CPSU(b), as well as general agreement with the policy of collectivization and industrialization that had begun; 2) The content of Zinoviev's appeals to various governing bodies, including I. V. Stalin, changed according to the situation inside the party leadership. 3) The calculation was not just to return to the party and to the leadership, but to take part on Stalin's side in the fight against Bukharin. The party leadership saw this and used it for psychological breakdown. 4) It is incorrect to consider Zinoviev's political behavior as a classic "double-dealing". He did not conduct anti-party work and did not reject the foundations of the party line. But his behavior led at the end of 1932 to a psychological breakdown and a rejection of his own political self. Finally, Zinoviev's "torments" and "throwing" stopped at the end of 1934. He died as a politician. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the very formulation of the question, the introduction of unpublished Zinoviev documents into scientific circulation, consideration through one of the leaders of the party and the oppositionist of the mechanism of strengthening Stalin's personality.

Keywords: All-Union Communist Party, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, double dealing, internal party struggle, The left opposition, The oppositionist, The Zinovievites, Grigory Yevseyevich Zinoviev, totalitarianism, the cult of personality

Abstract: The subject of this article is a set of ethnographic sources related to agricultural activities. This complex includes items from the expositions of ethnographic museums, photographs from the collections of local historians and the Internet, as well as the autobiography of the peasant I.S. Karpov. The use of ethnographic sources for the study of agricultural activities in the Middle Ages is extremely important due to the fact that archaeological material does not always reach our days in complete preservation. For example, such complex devices as ploughing implements in archaeological collections only have iron tips of their working parts, therefore, it is necessary to refer to ethnographic materials to restore their appearance. The same can be said about the technology of cultivating the land. To select the necessary material for this study, the works of Russian ethnographers and archaeologists devoted to the history of agriculture and folklore were studied. A selection of photographic materials from the collections of local historians and publicly available photographs from the Internet was also carried out. The article presents an overview of various types of ethnographic materials and the experience of their application for the reconstruction of agricultural activities of the inhabitants of medieval Novgorod according to archaeological data. The main contribution of the author to the research of the topic is the expansion of the range of ethnographic sources, which are most often involved in this kind of research. In this work, the experience of using not only physical material and photographs from the collections of ethnographic museums, but also folklore, was demonstrated for the reconstruction of agricultural processes that cannot be interpreted according to archaeological data. Traditional economic activities such as farming, hunting or various crafts are rooted in the deep past and retain their characteristics for a long time. This feature allows researchers to fully reconstruct certain processes about which only archaeological evidence has been preserved, which do not always reach our days in full.

Keywords: the peasantry, material culture, archaeological sources, plowing, photos, folklore, agricultural implements, ethnographic sources, Veliky Novgorod, agricultural industry

Abstract: The object of the study is the speeches of the President of the USSR M.S.Gorbachev and the President of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin to the supreme military leadership of the USSR after the signing of the Belovezhskaya Agreements on December 8, 1991 on the dissolution of the USSR and the creation of the CIS. The author analyzes articles of the periodical press of December 1991, memoirs of military and political figures of the RSFSR and the USSR, as well as documents of the office of the President of the RSFSR on the preparation of Boris Yeltsin's speech to the leadership of the Armed Forces of the USSR. The author pays special attention to the methods of the two Presidents in dealing with the highest military leadership, identifies the reasons for the defeat of Mikhail Gorbachev in this struggle for the support of the military and the victory of Boris Yeltsin in it.  The author uses a comparative method when comparing the speeches of M.S. Gorbachev and B.N. Yeltsin, as well as the principles of historicism and objectivity. The author concludes that the President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, had a much better chance of success in attracting the sympathy of the military as the constitutional head of state and Supreme Commander-in-Chief, however, due to ignoring the interests of the army and navy, poor preparation of the speech and an erroneous strategy of requests for rescue, he was perceived negatively by them. The President of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin and his staff conducted a deep and thorough preparation of the speech, answers to topical issues of the Armed Forces were prepared, in addition, B.N. Yeltsin found time to listen to the military and give concrete answers and promises, which allowed him to enlist the support of the leadership of the Armed Forces of the USSR in an unfavorable starting situation, which helped him upon ratification of the Belovezhskaya Agreements in the Supreme Council of the RSFSR on December 12, 1991. The novelty of the research lies in referring to such a little-studied event in the history of perestroika as the meetings of the Presidents of the USSR and the RSFSR with the military leadership of the USSR after the signing of the Belovezhsky Agreement in December 1991, as well as in the author's use of unpublished archival materials of the office of the President of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin.

Keywords: Perestroika, The Belovezhskaya Agreements, Ministry of Defense of the USSR, Army, The Armed Forces of the USSR, President of the RSFSR, Boris Yeltsin, President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, The collapse of the USSR

Abstract: The object of the study is the policy of the Russian authorities aimed at leveling protest activity in the Armed Forces in the context of the protracted crisis of the 1990s. After the fall of the one-party dictatorship that subordinated the security forces, Russian legislation provided for a rigid model of de-partization and depoliticization of the Armed Forces. However, in the post-Soviet years, this strategy lost its relevance both due to the weakness of the parties themselves and the apolitical nature of the officer corps, tired of years of pressure from political organizations (CPSU). The problem was something else: the huge "Soviet-Russian" army, being a vestige of the previous system, did not fit into the paradigm of the new statehood, and therefore was subject to radical and painful reform, which threatened to put the Armed Forces on the brink of disaster. For thousands of military personnel and their family members, the most acute problem has become the elementary problem of survival. Historical, sociological, formal legal, institutional and systemic approaches are used as the main research methods. In the second half of the 1990s, against the background of chronic underfunding in the army, cases of spontaneous protest became more frequent. These actions were nonviolent, spontaneous and scattered in nature, and therefore did not pose a serious threat to the authorities. Among the main factors that restrained open rebellion, one can name the lack of an all-Army protest coordination center, the lack of independent political thinking among senior officers, and the lack of a constructive program. This also includes army discipline, as well as the availability of sufficient means for the regime to pre-empt and suppress individual pockets of protest. At the same time, the authorities, realizing that by condemning their military to a miserable existence, they themselves act outside the legal framework, tried to resolve the conflicts that arose cautiously, trying not to resort to harsh measures. The question of how long this delicate balance could have been maintained remains open. At the end of the 1990s, there were faint signs of a revival of the army. The military was one of the first to catch these trends: exhausted by the "five-year plans" of liberal reforms, after all the temptations offered to them by opposition parties, they regained faith in the state. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the application of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of a complex problem related to the restructuring of the Russian army during the years of unstable internal political instability.

Keywords: Rokhlin, Grachev, Yeltsin, officers' meeting, military, law, political parties, depoliticization, armed forces, Putin

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to analyze the “short 20th century” concept as an interpretative model of modern historical science that claims to be universal. The author analyzes the concept of the “short 20th century” proposed by Eric Hobsbawm. The subject of the article is the concept of the “short 20th century”, the object is the possibility of its application and transplantation into Indonesian historical research. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of the concept of the “short 20th century” as an interpretative model that allows us to analyze the features of the historical, social and cultural development of Indonesia in the context of those transformation processes that were launched by the development of nationalism, modernization and secularization. It is assumed that the interpretive models proposed by Western historians have a claim to universality, although the effect of its transplantation into non-Western historical contexts may be limited. The article analyzes 1) the features of the social and economic components in the transformation of Indonesia during the “short 20th century”, 2) the role of the factors of nationalism and Islam in political changes within the framework of political competition and the confrontational model of relations between the Ummah and the ruling elites, 3) the consequences of “short 20th century” for the subsequent history of the region. The article shows the potential of the concept of the “short 20th century” for analyzing the history of social and political transformations in Indonesia. The results of the study suggest that the effect of using the concept of the “short 20th century” is limited. The author believes that this interpretative model can be effective relatively and useful for analyzing social and political dynamics through the prism of confrontation between secular and religious institutions as sources and drivers of change.

Keywords: natioanlism, Islam, modernization, social transformation, socio-economic history, history, Indonesia, short 20th century, Ummah, historiography

Abstract: The author of the article studies the process of forming the image of "Rasputin the traitor" during the First World War. The negative image of Grigory Efimovich began to form long before 1914. He was multifaceted: at first, Rasputin's detractors considered him a religious conman who posed as a "man of God", then he was accused of interfering in the management of the Church, as well as influencing the personnel policy of the supreme power. From the moment of the first failures at the front, an image of a traitor who acts in the interests of Germany began to form in relation to Rasputin. The mechanism for popularizing this image was rumors, newspaper publications and public speeches by deputies of the State Duma. The culprit behind the formation of the image of a traitor in relation to Rasputin was largely himself. On the eve of the Great War, the "Elder" Grigory spoke out several times in communication with the press against Russia's participation in the Balkan wars and the conduct of hostilities as such.  This research is based on the principle of historicism, the study of written historical sources: office records, press materials, sources of personal origin. In the spring of 1915, the "Sacred unity" proclaimed by the Duma opposition at the very beginning of the war was replaced by "patriotic anxiety", the public began to look for internal enemies, and espionage began. At the same time, Rasputin attracted attention by staging a drunken brawl in a Moscow restaurant. This was the reason for attacks on Grigory Efimovich and accusing him of pandering to the Germans. It is important to note that Rasputin's accusations of betrayal were unfounded, no evidence was presented. The image of "Rasputin the traitor" began to be used by the Duma opposition, which fought for the Ministry of Public Trust. Everyone knew that Rasputin was a friend of the royal family, so the tsar and the tsarina indirectly became the object of criticism. The purpose of using the image of "Rasputin the traitor" was an attempt to influence the adoption of state decisions by the emperor and the government.

Keywords: rumours, press, dark forces, traitor, espionage, State Duma, World War I, image, Grigory Rasputin, foreign policy

Abstract: This article is devoted to the study of the functioning of the Rhodesian Security Forces (the common name of the Rhodesian Police and Army forces) during the years of its de facto independence from 1965 to 1979. The object of the study is the Rhodesian Security Forces. The subject of the study in this (second) part of the work is the activities of the armed forces of Rhodesia after its declaration of independence. The authors studied the history of the development of the armed forces of Rhodesia from the moment of its participation in World War II to the end of the war with the rebels in 1979-1980. Also, the authors present data on the number, racial composition, technical equipment, main units and their structure, and other information about the armed forces of Rhodesia. The strategy of countering the rebels and its transformation during the conflict is presented separately. The research methodology is based on general scientific research methods (abstract-logical method, classification method), as well as on special historical research methods (historical-genetic and narrative research methods). The scientific novelty of the work consists in a detailed description of the process of functioning and development of the armed forces of independent Rhodesia during the armed confrontation with the rebels (1965-1979). After the declaration of independence, the armed forces of Rhodesia, like the police, faced significant difficulties in ensuring combat capability, however, even in such conditions they managed to maintain phenomenally high combat capability and continue to improve. Based on this article, it is possible to draw conclusions about the decisive role played by the armed forces of Rhodesia in the existence of a country engulfed in counter-terrorism throughout its existence. Separately, it should be noted that the Rhodesian army was not racist, since a significant number of black soldiers served in its ranks, especially during the years of armed conflict with the rebels (1965-1979).

Keywords: ZAPU, terrorism, Rhodesian war, Rhodesian army, Rhodesian police, Rhodesian security forces, Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, Africa, ZANU

Abstract: The article is devoted to the historical influence of European libraries on the spiritual life of society, in particular, by the example of the phenomenon of witch hunting. In accordance with the basic principles of historical science, based on the analysis of a number of historical sources and modern research, the question of the influence of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts in Europe is being clarified. Research methods include both general scientific and specific historical methods. A comparative historical and descriptive approach is applied to the cited historical sources. The influence of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe is shown based on a review of historical sources about libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe. Based on a review of historical sources about libraries dedicated to the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe, the first attempt has been made to study the direct impact of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunting in Europe. In this study, comparative historical and descriptive approaches of the above historical sources were used. Using these methods of processing archival documents, information on the influence of European libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts is revealed on the basis of available sources. A review of some historical sources is proposed in order to clarify the influence of European libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts in the context of certain chronological frameworks and socio-political conditions. The object of the study is the literature and libraries of Europe in transition. A problem-chronological method was used to study the influence of libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts. The basis of the research consists of the main principles of historical science. Historicism and scientific research make it possible to assume the main influence of European libraries on the phenomenon of witch hunts according to the chronology of events against the background of the specified historical period of time. At the same time, the array of historical materials found and currently published is strictly taken into account. General scientific and special historical methods constitute the methodology of the presented research.

Keywords: the Inquisition, The Age of Enlightenment, Baroque, Renaissance, New time, Middle Ages, Europe, witch hunt, spiritual life, library

Abstract: The transformation of the practices of state-confessional interaction during the Great Patriotic War is considered on an analysis of the office documentation of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR. The research methodology is based on the concept of social constructionism or the theory of constructing social reality, as well as new local history, which allows to study the factors and mechanisms of adaptation of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) to the new geopolitical situation and the tasks of socio-political integration on the scale of a specific region – the Penza region. The content and regional specifics of the activities of the Commissioner for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church are revealed. The key areas of activity are: consideration of petitions of believers to open churches and participation of the priesthood in mobilization activities of the authorities. Despite many years of atheistic policies, persecution and repression of the clergy, the population of the Penza region demonstrated the strength of the religious foundation of regional identity. This was more significant compared with ideological constructs imposed from the outside. During the Great Patriotic War, relations between believers and authorities were built in the direction from the suppression of religious life to the very effective inclusion of parish communities in solving national problems. Appeals from believers to open churches became increasingly widespread and persistent. Under the influence of growing religiosity and divinely sanctioned changes in the legal status of the Russian Orthodox Church, local authorities adopted new rules of the game. Governance practices are also gradually changing, and a constructive dialogue is being built in the triad: the commissioner as a representative of the state – the diocesan administration – the parish communities.

Keywords: mobilization activities, church-patriotic activities, opening of churches, regional identity, religious revival, clergy, believers, Russian Orthodox Church, Penza region, Great Patriotic War

Abstract: Continuing to explore Soviet collaboration, the author draws attention to the evolution of scientific thought about this phenomenon, analyzing in detail the work of domestic and foreign scientists. Decade after decade, the trends formed and put forward by historians as the main directions for analyzing, describing and evaluating the phenomenon of voluntary cooperation of Soviet citizens with the German occupiers are being analyzed. Of particular importance is the accumulation of scientific research on the topic, which allows us to see the key ideas, as well as their successive changes: declaring at the beginning the parallelism of views of domestic and foreign historians in the post-war period, the author identifies the first points of contact, finds coincidences and divergences of views, follows the development of the discussion about the prerequisites, motives, forms and fate of Soviet collaborationism. When writing this article, in order to organize voluminous disparate scientific information, the author used comparative and aggregate research methods, as well as the method of historical analysis. Noting the similarities and differences in the vectors of development of scientific interests of researchers on the topic of Soviet collaboration during the Great Patriotic War, the article shows how scientifically based disputes enrich each other in Russia and abroad. A special contribution of the author was the introduction of foreign literature that had not previously been published in Russian, as well as an appeal to the works of modern researchers of related history sciences (political science, international relations), which had not previously come to the attention of Russian historians. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of scientific concepts competing with each other, the author identifies areas on the topic of Soviet collaboration that need additional attention and development for both domestic and foreign specialists.

Keywords: The USSR in the war, Soviet collaboration, World War II, Collaboration with the Nazis, complicity, German occupation, collaboration, the Great Patriotic War, Betrayal, Military history