The humanities and social science

Almost all recent historical and literary studies agree that the Livonian Chronicle conveys an impression of a poetical work containing archaic elements. The affinity between the Chronicle and German heroic epic poetry is often stressed. The established perspective, which distorts the image of the Chronicle, requires adjustment. This literary study into the Chronicle’s text complements research on the development of corporate identity in the Teutonic Order.

The article considers the evolution of the structure and form of Eastern Slavic iconostasis as a reflection of the major social and political ideas of their creators in terms of cultural and confessional affinity. The author emphasizes the role of mutual influences during periods of ideological crises. The role of Western Russian innovations in the development of the appearance of Moscow iconostases of the late 17th century is demonstrated.

This paper analyses the historiosophical views of François Guizot (1787—1874) based on his works from the period of the First Empire (1804— 1814). The established chronological framework makes it possible to identify the foundations of the great thinker’s historical theory — foundations cleansed of the political influence of the Bourbon Restoration (1814—1830) and the July Monarchy (1830-1848), where Guizot was an activist of the liberal opposition and later became one of the leaders of the French political elite.

The article investigates Edward Stanley’s attempt to establish a centre party in 1834—1835. Based in unpublished sources and recent historical studies, the author identifies the causes of the failure of this project. These causes were both subjective – for instance, the King’s influence and Stanley’s personality – and objective, i.e the well-timed consolidation of the Whigs and the Tories.

This article examines large and small peasant families in the Novgorod province and considers their common and distinctive features. The effect of economic and mental factors on family life is analysed. It is concluded that transformations in family life facilitated an increase in self-awareness and individualism in the peasant family.

The paper analyses the role of the civilian population during the siege of Fortress Königsberg between late January and April 1945. It will discuss the scope of coercion and the living condition in the city, as well as the reasons why civilians decided to stay in Königsberg. Their large presence makes them impossible to overlook if one is to construct a view of the siege of Königsberg.

The paper analyzes the role of the CPSU’s Kaliningrad Regional Committee in agricultural management in the Kaliningrad region in 1946—1965. The author estimates the performance of the Regional Committee in distributing powers between regional administrative structures, coordinating actions with Union authorities, and exercising control over agricultural productionand working conditions of Kolkhoz members.

The paper analyzes the development of historical memory in the early Kaliningrad region and the activities of regional administration aimed at identifying and registering monuments of history and culture. The author stresses the contradictions in cultural heritage policies pursued by the authorities.

This article examines organizational and material resources behind the emergence of tour activities as a field of tourism in the Kaliningrad region. Based on the archive materials of the Regional Trade Unions Council and the Regional Tourism Board and existing tours, the author studies decision on the establishment and functioning of tour agencies and analyses the methods and key areas of their operation in the second half of the 1960s.

This article addresses advanced training of teachers in the period between the reforms of 1960—1970 and 1984. Special attention is paid to the prereform optimization of teachers’ theoretical background and practical skills. The achievements and problems of the system of teachers’ advanced training in the Kaliningrad region are demonstrated in the case of the Guryevsk district.

The article considers the history of George Boole’s main philosophical conception consisting in using his logical-algebraic and theoretical-probabilistic methods in modelling thought processes. Despite the project’s failure, current developments in computer science and programming have surprisingly confirmed Boole’s ideas on the applicability of rigorous methods of logical calculus in the explication of thought processes.

The article deals with the problem of identity construction and the issues of interpreting the nature of identity. Through examining judgements of identification, the authors study the discursive nature of identity. The possibilities and limits of identity construction are analysed in the case of national identity.

This article considers and offers an overview of Semyon Frank’s sociophilosophical and historiosophical ideas. Special attention is paid to the philosopher’s perception of contemporary history as being fraught with catastrophes and tragedies. It is demonstrated why Frank claimed that the true history of philosophy was that interpreting the concrete expression of supra-temporal unity of human spiritual life as the only meaning of history. The author describes the methodological consequences of this assumption.

The article considers N. O. Lossky’s methodology for interpreting the Russian national character. It is noted that N. O. Lossky identified and analyzed stable sociocultural images and their variants. Fiction, philosophical essays, and epistolary heritage are used as sources for the study.

This article demonstrates how G.D Gurvich combines the ideas of axiology of Neo-Kantianism and phenomenology. The author considers the features of a religious act in G. D. Gurvich’s philosophy and analyses the characteristics of religious experience in the doctrine of auto-theurgy. G. D. Gurvich’s position on the social role of religion in religious philosophy is identified.