Slezin A.A. Sister Regions: Remembering a Historical Phenomenon

Abstract: The article reviews the collection of documents "Tambov — Tolna: sister regions. 1971-1989", edited for publication by the Soviet-Hungarian team consisting of Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor of the Tambov State G.R. Derzhavin University A.G. Ayrapetov, Candidate of philosophical sciences, associate professor of the Tambov state technical university G. M. Drobzheva, and the initiator of the project, the head of Archival Institute of Hungary in Moscow, doctor Attila Sheresh. From the point of view of the reviewer, the collection helps to objectively estimate the exchange of know-hows of the staff of enterprises, educational institutions, parties, trade unions, sport and cultural organisations, as well as to characterise the activity of the regional organisation of all-Union Society of the Soviet-Hungarian friendship. With the help of the materials of the collection, the author of the article is trying to remind of the positive features of the sociocultural phenomenon of sister regions in the former socialist countries. The author reveals the gnostic value of information contained in the documents of party bodies, reports of the delegations of labor collectives, and public organisations of two regions published in the collection. The article especially highlights the significance of the documents demonstrating the attempts to increase the efficiency of sister connections in the second half of the 1980s, unravelling the history of the youth movement.

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