Journal’s content № 4 2026

Actual theme: Historical Memory of World War II and the Great Patriotic War

M.V. Novikova. Formation of historical memory of World War II in the GDR.
The article attempts to reconstruct how the historical memory of the World War II was constructed in East Germany. The following sources were used: official documents, statements and speeches by statesmen, diaries, memoirs and interviews of witnesses to the events (diplomats, writers, etc.), fiction.
Keywords: GDR, World War II, Liberation Day, May 8, historical memory.

Sh. Zhgela. World War II in the Croatia secondary school history textbook.
This article analyzes a secondary school history textbook from the Republic of Croatia to identify its narratives concerning World War II. A content analysis of the textbook was conducted. The study finds that the textbook presents the war’s key events concisely. The authors focus primarily on the military developments within the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). The textbook emphasizes the contribution of all Yugoslav peoples to the struggle against the fascist occupiers.
Keywords: history textbook, school education, historical source, World War II, the Republic of Croatia, historical memory, Yugoslavia.

A.E. Larionov. Studying the front-life daily life of the Red Army in 1941-1945 in history lessons.
This article examines the problem of improving the quality of studying the history of the Great Patriotic War and the students’ interest in this topic in the school history course. The frontline everyday life of the Red Army is chosen as an important motivating tool for deepening knowledge about the heroic past and forming a patriotic worldview among the younger generation. The topic is explored in the context of the state policy of patriotic education and the protection of national historical memory from attempts at destructive influence and falsification.
Keywords: Great Patriotic War, frontline everyday life, patriotic education, student motivation, and interactive teaching methods.

T.V. Evdokimova. Review of the book: I.A. Altman and B.L. Khavkin «The Holocaust in the USSR and Europe during World War II (1939-1945).
The peer-reviewed textbook, dedicated to the study of the history of the Holocaust during the Second World War, is analyzed in close connection with the previously published of the textbook on the same issues, but in a different chronological framework (1933-1939). The article shows the common and specific features between the two publications, which together represent a clearly structured, logical and comprehensive publication, equipped with the necessary methodological tools. The educational, developmental, and pedagogical potential of this textbook has been identified, and it will be of interest to teachers, students, pupils, and all concerned readers.
Keywords: National Socialism, Holocaust, World War II, Resistance movement, textbook.

History and Society

Methodic

A.A. Larochkin. The methodological potential of soviet vinyl records and compact cassettes in the historical and cognitive activity of high school students.
The article proposes a scientific and methodological justification for using soviet audiotapes and vinyl records as a means of teaching history to high school students as part of their historical and cognitive activity. Based on the model of cognitive activity with material sources, the article presents a series of tasks aimed at a comprehensive analysis of records and cassettes using a specially developed algorithm of «touching» — «examining» — «reading».
Keywords: methodology of teaching history, history and cognitive activity, cognitive task, material source, vinyl records, compact cassettes.

I.V. Kucheruk. Features of the development of artistic and imaginative thinking of students in the process of studying the history of art at school and university.
In the content of this article, the author, starting from the understanding that artistic and imaginative thinking operates with a multi-layered and complexly organized system of images, focuses on a verified system of tasks aimed at their formation. The assignment system proposed by the author is based on a wide range of poetic sources and is focused on creating images of works of art and images of their creators. The assignments are intended for students and students studying cultural issues in a school history course or specialized disciplines on art history at a university.
Keywords: historical and cultural standard, cultural space, artistic thinking, ecphrasis, tasks, art.

M.A. Artamonov. Forming awareness of knowledge through working with concepts in history lessons.
The article proposes a technique for working in history lessons on the formation of awareness through drawing up a table that reveals the meaning of concepts. Particular attention is paid to the teacher’s role in demonstrating models of thought processes and helping students achieve a deep understanding of the subject.
Keywords: awareness, concepts, teaching method, history lesson, table.

Young scientists’ works

Y.V. Emel’yanova. Features of the formation of the sociocultural and political identity of the Russian professors in the second half of the 19th century.
In this article, the professoriate is compared to the intelligentsia, which is a carrier of democratic ideas. In the second half of the 19th century, the Russian professoriate had both common features shared by the entire intelligentsia and specific features. Like most members of the intelligentsia, the professoriate was a corporation of intellectual labor, and their activities were aimed at serving social progress. The distinctive features of the professorial corporation were determined by its close connection with the university as a social institution.
Keywords: History of Russia, history of social movements, history of higher education, universities in Russia, domestic professors, and the intelligentsia.

Yan Zun. Sino-Soviet Confrontation over the People’s Republic of Kampuchea and Democratic Kampuchea (1979-1984).
The establishment of the Vietnamese-backed, Soviet-aligned People’s Republic of Kampuchea served as a catalyst for Sino-Soviet confrontation in Indochina. Beijing, perceiving the expansion of Soviet influence on its borders as a direct strategic threat, adopted a policy aimed at the international isolation and eventual undermining of the Phnom Penh regime. Consequently, the People’s Republic of Kampuchea existence was defined by its status as a dependent entity, whose viability was contingent upon the strategic calculations and agreements of its patron powers.
From a historical perspective, using the example of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea and Democratic Kampuchea, it deepens the understanding of the mechanism of the transition from confrontation to detente in Soviet-Chinese relations in the first half of the 1980s. In the modern context, the patterns of geopolitical confrontation identified in the work provide a profound historical basis for analyzing the current strategy of China and Russia in Southeast Asia. The purpose of this study is to analyze the evolution of Sino-Soviet relations through the prism of the geopolitical confrontation in the Cambodian conflict of the early 1980s. To achieve this goal, the following objectives are set in the work: 1. To analyze the geostrategic approaches of the USSR and China in Indochina. 2. To study the impact of changes in the regional situation on the strategies of the two countries. 3. To analyze the strategic interaction of the USSR and China on the Kampuchea issue.
This study focuses on Sino-Soviet relations in the early 1980s. It examines the influence of factors related to the Cambodian civil war on the evolution of these relations. The methodological framework for this study is a binary analytical model, in which China is considered one side and the Soviet-Vietnamese alliance is the other. Through a systemic analysis of their foreign policy interactions on the Cambodian issue, the study reveals the dynamic interplay between regional conflict and great power strategic rivalry.
Keywords: Sino-Soviet relations, People’s Republic of Kampuchea, Sino-Soviet normalization, Chinese foreign policy, Third Indochina War.

Lazutin A.A. Housing Construction Cooperatives in the Late Soviet Union (the 1980s) in Russian Scholarly Literature.
The effective functioning of the housing sector is an important prerequisite for socio-economic development. In the USSR, housing construction cooperatives served as a mechanism complementing the state housing stock. This article provides a dynamic analysis of the historiographical dimension of the development of housing construction cooperatives. It examines the main stages of economic and ideological debates, the content of which was shaped by changes in the political agenda. This makes it possible to trace the evolution of perceptions of housing cooperatives.
Keywords: USSR, economics, housing construction cooperatives; perestroika; housing construction.