2025 Issue №2

The article analyzes the phenomenon of football in the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945. Auschwitz was by no means the only concentration camp where football matches and even entire tournaments were held—other camps such as Buchenwald, Theresienstadt, and Gross-Rosen had their own championships. The duality of the concept of "sport" as interpreted by the camp administration is examined: for the Nazis, sport included not only competitions but also physical abuse of prisoners, which some researchers refer to as "quasi-sport." The testimonies of surviving prisoners about football matches organized by the SS in Auschwitz are cited, including a detailed analysis of the most well-known game played in 1944 between the Nazis and members of the Sonderkommando. This article attempts to explore various aspects of football in Auschwitz based on sources of personal origin, aiming to uncover as much evidence as possible about football matches held in the concentration camp, as well as to reconstruct the names of their participants. The study of such a topic as football in Auschwitz confirms that even under the most extreme conditions— when life stood on the brink of annihilation—there existed a drive for self-expression and the preservation of human nature. For the prisoners, football held symbolic meaning—it was not only an attempt to escape from the brutal reality but also a kind of refuge, a space where they could, even if only briefly, feel free.

An attempt is made to examine the course of military operations in East Prussia from autumn 1944 to spring 1945 through the prism of publications by war correspondents in the central Soviet newspapers: Pravda, Izvestia, Krasnaya Zvezda, and Stalinsky Sokol. Frontline correspondents, being embedded within the active army, were chroniclers of the war, eyewitnesses to the events unfolding on the territory of the German province. These “soldiers of the word” contributed to maintaining the morale of Soviet troops, popularizing the combat experience of Red Army units, and showcasing examples of heroism among soldiers and officers. While fulfilling the ideological tasks assigned by the Soviet authorities and constrained by strict censorship, the war correspondents simultaneously infused their essays and reports with their personal war experiences, leaving for posterity an invaluable historical source. An analysis of the war journalists’ correspondence enables the identification of how perceptions were formed regarding the objectives set for the Soviet troops during the Gumbinnen and East Prussian offensive operations of the Red Army, the periodization of military actions, the role of specific branches of the armed forces, as well as the relationships between the advancing units and the local population. At the same time, this is also the history of the frontline correspondents themselves, who accompanied the active army throughout East Prussia.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the 1980 U. S. presidential election campaign. Special attention is given to the historical conditions that influenced the election outcome, against which the partisan political struggle unfolded. Each U. S. presidential campaign is characterized by its unique features and unpredictability. The final result is not always possible to determine, as numerous factors influence both the voters and the decision of the Electoral College. However, based on a comprehensive analysis of the domestic and foreign policy priorities of various electoral groups, an overall assessment of historical conditions, and a comparison of the candidates’ views and platforms, grounds emerge to identify the likely winner. The intense partisan political struggle during the 1980 presidential campaign reflected a deep division within the country and was largely connected to shifts in American voter sentiment. There is a need for a deeper and more objective analysis of that period to understand the processes occurring within American society that led to the defeat of Democrat Jimmy Carter, secured the victory of the far-right Republican Ronald Reagan, and strengthened the ideology of neoconservatism in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Considering advancements in historical and political sciences and employing historical-comparative and historical-genetic methods, this analysis is undertaken in the present study.

Based on the analysis of the data from a mass survey of the population of the Kaliningrad region conducted in 2023, a preliminary hypothesis is proposed regarding the specifics of the regional variant of the “pantheon of heroes” — an important structural element of the cultural memory of Kaliningrad residents. Peter the Great (across all age groups), Joseph Stalin, and Catherine II possess the greatest potential as “symbols of Russia,” whose activities respondents generally evaluate positively. At the same time, regarding Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin as historical figures, a conflict potential is revealed in the historical memory of Russian society concerning their activities and era. Immanuel Kant is most frequently associated with the regional past, while figures from national history whose names are reflected in local toponymy or connected to the formation of the region are much less so. A distinctive feature of the regional variant of cultural memory is the lower popularity of outstanding representatives of Russian culture compared to the “statesmen.”