2018 Issue №3

In this article, I analyse the improvement of the system for financial support for military personnel during the Great Patriotic War. Financial support included a monetary allowance, material bonuses for involvement in combat, and welfare benefits for families and veterans. The financial support system was vertically integrated from the centre (the Financial Directorate of the Red Army) to an individual soldier through the financial bodies of military units. The financial situation in the country was stabilized through non-cash transactions using deposit books. The transactions were carried out in not only roubles but also foreign currency. The allowance system was improved through the introduction of rewards. The initiative accounted for most of public spending, which increased 5.4-fold during the war years. I stress that financial incentives for involvement in combat contributed to greater professionalism and personal commitment of the personnel, which were major factors in the victory.

In this article, I address the functions and the framework for the operations of the Kokand branch of the Volga-Kama Commercial Bank. Soviet historiography considered banks as a tool of ‘colonialism’ – both Western and Russian. Using archival data, I prove that the financial institutions of the Russian Empire took into account local circumstances and encouraged exportoriented production. I examine interbank correspondence, annual reports by the director of the branch, and branch audit reports. This work is the first attempt in historiography to examine the bank’s credit and debit operations, to analyse its profits and spending, and to study its staff. The Volga-Kama Bank had a strong branch network in Central Asia. The bank strived to take control over cotton and fruit exports. However, it failed and did not become a monopolist on the Turkestani market. For banks, the ‘modernization’ of the Central Asian economy meant financing the production of export crops and acting as an intermediary between the metropolis and the periphery. At first glance, the ‘colonial’ periphery seemed an attractive destination for investment and a source of superprofits. However, the speculative Turkestani economy did not leave room for bank development.

In this article, we consider the historical aspects of the 1807—1813 situation in East Prussia and describe current Russian and international historiography of the 1813—1814 Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army and of the Russian-Prussian alliance against Napoleonic France. We conclude that East Prussia played a central role in the political, military, and diplomatic struggle between France andкяч Russia.