Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026)

The article focuses on the 70th anniversary of the presentation of First Secretary of the Central Committee N. S. Khrushchev's report “On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences” at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Using the example of the transformations of the party education system ‒ the Academy of Social Sciences (AOS) under the CPSU Central Committee and the Higher Party School (VPSh) under the CPSU Central Committee ‒ the author demonstrates the fundamental changes in the lives of individuals, small but significant groups, and, finally, the USSR as a whole that followed the condemnation of the Stalinist repressions and the personality cult of Stalin himself. These changes also affected the educational process, which was now aimed not at training personally devoted communists ready to carry out any order from above, but at graduating specialists capable of pursuing a balanced domestic and foreign policy. Another visible change was the inclusion of the Academy of Social Sciences and the Higher Party School in international contacts, primarily with related organizations in socialist countries. Year after year, this cooperation expanded, even extending to capitalist countries: faculty and graduate students from the party education system began to travel for internships and research trips, which undoubtedly began to change their worldview. However, overall, the country was unable to achieve a break from Stalin's rules of life and his methods of policymaking for a long time. Only with the collapse of the regime itself could the process initiated by N.S. Khrushchev's report to the Twentieth Congress of the CPSU be completed

The process of rehabilitation of repressed Soviet citizens was inseparable from the socio-political changes that took place in Soviet society. In the article, based on an analysis of Soviet and Russian regulations, the author highlights the stages of the rehabilitation process, during which important government decisions were made in relation to citizens who suffered from political repression. The review of cases, which began actively in the mid-1950s, especially after the decisions of the 20th Congress of the CPSU (1956), was essentially curtailed in the 1960s. Most historians and jurists agree that the main stage of rehabilitation occurs in the late 1980s – early 2000. New laws on rehabilitation were adopted; commissions were created to restore the rights of rehabilitated Soviet citizens. In the article, the author focuses on those government measures that were aimed at improving the social situation of rehabilitated persons. A description was provided of the documentary database available to the modern Rehabilitation and Information Departments of the Information Centers under the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia in the Russian regions, which handle rehabilitation issues in contemporary society. The author described the procedure and conditions for rehabilitation and showed the problems that employees of information centers face when making a decision on rehabilitation. The active process of rehabilitation of Soviet citizens that began in the mid-1950s has important historical significance not only in the official recognition of the illegality of the persecution of Soviet citizens, but also in the restoration of social justice, their civil rights, and good name. The article was written on the basis of an analysis of Soviet regulation documents from the Archive of the Information Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Kemerovo Region (Department of Archival Information and Rehabilitation)

The article examines the multifaceted monetary and financial policies of the BRICS countries, including such monetary and financial initiatives as intergovernmental settlements in national currencies, the introduction of a single BRICS currency, and the digitalization of the single BRICS currency. One of the most controversial and debated projects is the idea of creating a single currency for external settlements between BRICS member countries. The article analyzes the arguments of supporters and opponents of this monetary and financial initiative. Thus, proponents of this project argue that, with its implementation, BRICS countries will be able to ensure less dependence on external financial institutions and on US economic and financial policies. However, opponents of this initiative also present a range of arguments. Some are skeptical of its prospects, pointing to the utopian nature of the very idea of financial integration between countries with vastly different levels of economic development and structural characteristics. Another compelling argument is that the creation of a single currency for external settlements within BRICS will inevitably lead to the emergence of one or more hegemons, which could easily create a situation of extreme financial and economic dependence for the remaining countries involved in the initiative on the economies of these hegemons. The conclusions are drawn regarding the relevance of BRICS monetary and financial initiatives in the context of building a new global monetary and financial architecture. In particular, it is noted that despite the complexities, obstacles, and objectively controversial nature of many initiatives, the creation of such projects facilitates the gradual development of a unified economic and monetary policy for BRICS, at least at the conceptual level, while specific initiatives and projects can gradually evolve and adapt to existing realities

Irish republican nationalism represents a continuous tradition of armed resistance to British colonial domination, with roots dating back to the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) of the second half of the nineteenth century and continuing through to the “Provisional” IRA of the late twentieth century. This article analyzes the continuity of the republican movement by focusing on two critical periods: the activities of the Fenians (1858–1867) and the Ulster crisis (1968–1972), demonstrating how systematic violence by the British Crown generated radical forms of responsive resistance. The IRB can be characterized as a classic example of a nineteenth-century national liberation movement ideologically grounded in Franco-American concepts of republicanism. The rejection of parliamentary methods in favour of armed struggle and an anti-constitutional stance determined the strategy of Fenian revolutionaries. Despite its limited period of activity (1858–1867), the IRB’s work acted as a catalyst for legislative reforms in the metropolis and shaped the ideological foundation for subsequent generations of republicans. The struggle of Irish republicans in the early twentieth century did not result in full independence, leaving the status of the six counties unresolved in the north of the island that became part of the United Kingdom. Turning to the second half of the twentieth century, the author analyses the system of institutionalized restrictions imposed by the unionist government in the labor, electoral and social spheres that affected the Catholic population of Ulster. The intensification of repressive policies by the Northern Irish government contributed to the emergence of a protest movement of Irish Catholics for civil rights, supported by the armed wing of the IRA. The regime’s punitive measures ‒ extrajudicial internment and the violent suppression of demonstrations resulting in civilian casualties ‒ led to the radicalization of the armed resistance of the “Provisional” IRA over the subsequent 25 years, marking the beginning of the period known as the Troubles

This article continues a series of publications on the contemporary historiography of the history of civil service. The chronological scope of the work is 2006–2010. It reviews the articles and conference proceedings in Russian, accessible through the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI). The relevance of the study is explained by the general state of humanities scholarship, the growing number of publications, and the difficulty of mastering accumulated scientific experience. In addition to the general dialectical-materialist method, specialized research methods were used, including keyword searches, classification methods, comparative and contrastive methods, and chronological methods. Preference was given to formal methods, which allow for verification and comparison of results. The search terms “history of civil service” and “civil service history” were used. Student works and publications related to military and related specialized types of service, including “other types of civil service,” were not considered. The conclusions reached are specific and characterize the works included in the sample. The analysis of publications shows that issues in the history of civil service during the period under review are of less interest to researchers than in the subsequent five-year period. The authors address new (at the time of publication) aspects of the topic that are relevant to contemporary civil service reform. At the same time, the quality of the works is affected by a weak methodological framework, political conjuncture, and a disruption in the continuity of scientific development. A rejection of established and tested terminology and general historical research principles, in particular the periodization of Russian history, is observed. Domestic works (possibly due to their predominance in the sample) more often than articles by foreign authors violate the requirements for scientific publications

The article analyzes the information potential of personal sources (memories, memoirs) as a tool for reconstructing the history of Soviet Germans during the period of deportation and special settlement (1941–1956). The relevance of this study stems from the need to introduce new historical sources into scholarly circulation to supplement the official picture of the past with a “human dimension” ‒ the emotional experiences, everyday practices, and survival strategies of the deported people. Based on unpublished materials from the family archives of Russian Germans who found themselves in Siberia, the authors identifies three chronological stages recorded in the memoirs: deportation and the journey to Siberia (1941‒1942), mobilization into the labor army (1942‒1948), and life in a special settlement (until 1956). Particular attention is paid to the problem of the subjectivity of memories, conditioned by traumatic experience, temporal distance, and age characteristics of the authors. The article shows that, despite factual inaccuracies that require clarification through critical comparison with archival documents, the memoirs contain unique information about working and living conditions, interethnic relations, the psychological state of the special settlers, and their struggle to preserve their identity. A conclusion is drawn about the high value of personal sources for studying the socio-economic and culturalpsychological aspects of the history of Russian Germans. The author states that, despite their subjectivity, this type of source is important for understanding the history of not only Russian Germans but also the entire Soviet period of the country's history, as these sources contain unique information about the lives of these individuals. The article is based on previously unpublished memoirs of Russian (Soviet) Germans, collected by the Kemerovo Regional Association of Public Organizations “Coordinating Council of Germans”, and the author. In addition, it includes materials from Russian scholars who have studied memoirs as a historical source

The article examines the global popularity of Chinese romantic dramas, which are viewed as a tool of China's targeted stratagem cultural policy. The authors demonstrate that the Chinese film industry not only borrows Western formats but strategically appropriates and recodes them, creating a hybrid product that subtly promotes national identity and state-sanctioned values. The theoretical framework for this study is the concept of stratagem thinking, which derives from Sun Tzu's treatise and the works of François Julien. Unlike Western linear strategy, stratagem implies achieving a goal through indirect action and mimicry, enabling to view dramas as complex constructs where external appeal serves as a shell for the viewer's value programming. Using five key plot tropes of romantic dramas (unequal marriage, sham marriage, error and responsibility, correction through love, family intervention), the authors demonstrate how global narrative patterns are systematically recoded into conduits of the Chinese value matrix - the primacy of family, collective harmony, and duty to elders. Particular attention is paid to the visual and behavioral aesthetics of dramas (chastity, restraint, the cult of beauty) as a second, non-verbal level of stratagem influence, as well as the regulatory role of the NRTA as a censor, also operating within the framework of the stratagem approach. The conclusion is that by adapting and reimagining global media formats, the Chinese cultural industry is building an effective model for promoting traditional values in a modern package

This article analyzes the development of the open-air museum network in the Republic of Khakassia as a unique regional phenomenon. It examines the historical prerequisites and factors behind the development of this model, based primarily on the museification of archaeological sites in their natural landscapes. Key institutions within the network (Kazanovka, Khurtuyakh Tas, Sunduki, Salbykskaya Steppe, etc.) are described in detail, along with their specific characteristics and evolution from conservation to comprehensive heritage interpretation. Particular attention is paid to the current state of museum exhibits, the challenges of their preservation, and current museum development projects. It is concluded that the Khakassian model successfully integrates unique heritage into the region's sociocultural and economic context, and its further development is linked to a balance between preserving authenticity and increasing accessibility for educational and tourist purposes

The article examines the system of international legal mechanisms for protecting cultural heritage in the context of contemporary terrorist threats and armed conflicts. The author analyzes the dual nature of terrorist attacks on cultural sites: on the one hand, as a tool of psychological pressure and the destruction of symbols of identity, and on the other, as a source of funding for extremist activities through the illicit trafficking of artifacts. The paper presents a systematic analysis of international conventions that form a multi-layered system for protecting cultural heritage: the 1954 Hague Convention (Protection in Armed Conflicts), the 1970 UNESCO Convention (Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property), the 1972 World Heritage Convention, the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Heritage, and the 2003 Convention on the Intangible Heritage. Particular attention is paid to the interaction of these tools for protecting cultural heritage in the face of terrorist threats. Based on an analysis of UN Security Council resolutions 2199 (2015) and 2347 (2017), as well as the national legislation of Iran, Iraq, and Syria, gaps in the existing protection system are identified and ways to improve international cooperation in combating the looting and destruction of cultural objects are proposed. The precedentsetting significance of the 2016 International Criminal Court ruling recognizing the destruction of cultural objects as a war crime is considered. It is concluded that the destruction of cultural heritage must be recognized as a crime against humanity and that coordination must be strengthened between states, international organizations (UNESCO, INTERPOL, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime), and the private sector (museums, auction houses) in combating the illicit trade in cultural property

The article examines the sociocultural adaptation of international students taking preparatory courses at Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) and Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management (NSUEM). A modern higher education institution should facilitate the teaching of Russian and core subjects at the preparatory courses, as well as the effective sociocultural adaptation of international students to ensure comfortable study and life in Russia. The article analyzes various aspects of sociocultural adaptation: linguistic, cultural, psychological, social, academic, and intercultural. The article proposes pathways for adaptation during university studies. The study of collocations and the linguistic portrait of words facilitates the linguistic adaptation of international students. Cultural adaptation occurs through academic and extracurricular activities. Students' comfortable emotional state and the development of positive emotions contribute to psychological sociocultural adaptation. The social aspect relates to the readiness of international students to adapt to social life in a new country. The academic aspect involves comfortable learning and interaction within the university's educational environment. Intercultural sociocultural adaptation is characterized by students' willingness to communicate in multicultural groups. This article presents comments from international students studying at the preparatory courses of NSUEM and NSTU on aspects of sociocultural adaptation