Abstract: the article presents a research on historical sociology of the Soviet award rights: author analyses the content and value of the concept of the “state award of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War”, provides a content analysis of the statutes and regulations of the award medals established during this period, in order to identify their social and ethical meaning. The author links the quality of the orders needed in the statutes and regulations about the medals of the USSR on “social and ethical virtues” with the temporary change of Soviet power toward the resurrection of historical traditions of military glory of Russia, which was reflected on the medals, awards and national patriotic symbols, established in 1941–1945.

Keywords: history, the state awards of the USSR, the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, orders, medals, honorary titles, content analysis, the symbol, social and ethical meaning, social significance.

Abstract: the late 1980᾽s – the 1st half of 1990᾽s was the period of development in the cities of Western Siberia territorial bodes of local initiative. Firstly they were deprived of the legal and ideological foundation, decentralized and differ in structure. As a form of self-organization of politically active urban population of Western Siberia, the bodies of public initiative could not avoid crisis influence, but proved the necessity of their existence as an element of an emerging system of territorial self-government.

Keywords: history, self-government, the cities of West Siberia, the urban population, self-organization, territorial public selfgovernment, community organizations, territorial bodies of public initiative, local councils, local authorities.

Abstract: the article disuses creation of the Russian system of food supply in crop failure established in the end of XVIII century and its’ reformation during the XIX century as well as its peculiarities of the different levels (village grain reserves and capital, types of food capitals — empire-wide, province, etc.) in the post-reform era. The author analyses reasons of the reform of the food industry in 1900 and its results, highlights the main problem of the level of bread consumption by Russian people in the end of the XIX – beginning of the XX century.

Keywords: history, famine, food, level of consumption, crop failure, reform, charity, country council, the Red Cross, statistics.

Abstract: the article is devoted to the history of Russian-Greek relations during the period of Crimean (Eastern) War of 1853–1856. On the example of the little-know episode (visit of the Greek delegation headed by the Hrisovery A. in St. Petersburg in winter of 1854) the author shows the official position of Russia in the question of the Christian people and national liberation movement in the Balkans. The article provides previously unknown documents about the preparation of the Greek revolt in Epirus, Thessaly and Macedonia (1854).

Keywords: history, Crimean (Eastern) War, the Greco-Russian “Thraco-Bulgarian-Serbian Union”, “The Fellowship of the Annunciation”.

Abstract: the article shows influence of the revolution of 1917 in Russia on the foreign troops located in Macedonia. Author analyses events that led to the dissolution of the special brigades and the role of the British and French allies, who used Russian troops to achieve their own goals.

Keywords: history, World War I, Saloniki front, Macedonia, Russian troops, special brigades, revolution of 1917, provisional government, the Allies, labor.

Abstract: the article reviews the spoken testament (“ryad”) of Yaroslav the Wise, found in the text of the chronicle of the 6562 (1054) in “The Tale of Bygone Years”. Based on the content analysis given, the author makes conclusions about geopolitical meaning of the urban centers separation (Kiev, Chernigov, Pereyaslavl, Smolensk, Vladimir-Volynskiy), ordered by Yaroslav the Wise; about the place of reign of Izyaslav Yaroslavovich until 1054 and territorial base of power of the Knyazh of Kiev compared with the division of 970, made by the Yaroslavs’ grandfather Svyatoslav. Based on the comparative analysis of this text with the similar textual chronicle texts of 1073, 1078, 1093 и 1097 the author finds elements that could influence it’s formation, which also allows to reconsider the Shakhmatov A.A. hypothesis in favor of the alternative hypotheses of Solovyev S.M. and Aleshkovskiy M.Kh and also reconstruct the original content of the text of 1054 by excluding later added elements. The article substantiates the point that the announcing of the priority of the elderly, that is attributed to Yaroslav the Wise since XIX century allows to discover political meaning of the division of 1054 under the concept of the brotherly co-ownership in the family of Rurik.

Keywords: history, chronicle, elders, Yaroslav the Wise, family of Yaroslav, Russia, Yaroslav’s testament, division, Shakhmatov A.A., Soloviev S.M.

Abstract: the article describes connections of Russia and Byzantine mostly in IX–XII centuries, show main characteristics of the historiographical studies of this issue, specifies the extent and nature of the Byzantine influence on the various areas of the ancient Russian society: religion, culture, political views, legal system, economy, etc. The author analyses the following problem of discussion: what was the level and nature of the dependence of Russia from Byzantine and expresses his own opinion. Due to this the main attention is paid to the analysis of the system of titles of the Russian rulers, its characteristics in comparison with the other Slavic and Orthodox countries. As a result the author gives a definition of the nature and specifics of the ancient Russian reception to the Byzantine civilization, identifies factors determining this specificity.

Keywords: history, Russia, Byzantium, influence, reception, Orthodoxy, titles, culture, civilization, economy.

Abstract: the article is devoted to the Simba revolt (lions) — one of the most dramatic episodes of the Congo crisis in 1960–1965. It happened as a result of the confrontation of the leftist nationalists and the Westerners. By the beginning of 1964 the West seemed to completely won on the Congolese front of the “Cold War”: with the support of the USSR prime-minister P. Lumumba was killed in 1961, his successor A. Gizenga in custody, soviet embassy was expelled from the country, the government was controlled by Binzen group linked with the CIA. Lumumba’s supporters organized a mass aimed rebellion, brining the government to the verge of collapse. Heavily armed governmental troops were unable to withstand the rebels. The West intervened, sending mercenaries who provided the turning point of the war. Simba responded by with capturing hundreds of hostages in Stanleyville; to release them the operation “Red Dragon” (Belgian troops landing from the U.S. Air Force aircraft) was conducted. By the spring of 1965 the revolt was suppressed. The author used previously unknown documents from the Russian Foreign Ministry on the causes and the nature of the contradictions within the Congolese elite.

Keywords: history, the Belgian Congo, the Cold War, P. Lumumba, fables, Simba, Macas, M. Tshombe, the “Red Dragon” operation, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Abstract: the article deals with the reforms of the governance carried our by Peter I and his supporters aimed at finding the effective management for collecting taxes. The author disclose motives and history of creation of the financial bodies, gives brief analysis of their activities in the field of taxation and in solving fiscal challenges. The article reveals main reasons of failure in the creation of both central and local tax-paying controlling bodies.

Keywords: history, governance, reform, taxation, Peter I, fiscal, tax-paying controlling bodies, fees, taxes, college.

Abstract: the article is devoted to the history of passenger and cargo shipping on Oka river in the XIX – beginning of the XX centuries. Author gives information about main Oka ship owners, shipping associations and companies, working on the Oka, Moscowriver, Klyazma, briefly describes shipbuilding organizations, merchants owning ships, who played significant role in the development of Oka shipping.

Keywords: history, river navigation, Oka, Moscow-river, Klyazma, ships, ship owners, merchants, business, shipbuilding.