Russian medieval studies in the 1920–1930-s

Abstract

Background. The topic of the article is relevant due to insufficient research on the development of Soviet medieval studies in the 1920s–1930s in Russian historiography. Published work of a general nature by O.L. Weinstein in 1968 on Soviet medieval studies (1917–1966) is largely ideologized and does not give a fully objective assessment of Soviet medieval studies of the period 1920–1930s. The modern works of Russian authors reflect various scientific aspects of the formation of Soviet medieval studies in the pre-war period. A special study of the general direction of development of Soviet medieval studies in this period in the context of the formation of historical education in the country will make it possible to better understand and evaluate the results and level of development of Soviet medieval studies in the pre-war era. Materials and methods. To accomplish this task with the help of a dialectical approach and the application of the method of analysis and synthesis, a study was carried out of the most important published works of domestic medievalists, the specified period and the organizational measures of the Bolshevik Party and the government of the USSR for the reorganization of historical science and historical education in the country. This technique made it possible to find out both the structural and substantive restructuring in the field of history education, and to trace the themes and the results of studies of domestic medievalists of the period indicated above. Results. It was possible to determine the general direction and result of structural changes in the field of historical science and, in particular, in medieval studies, as well as the main directions of research by domestic authors, the preparation of new university textbooks and textbooks on the history of the Western European Middle Ages. Conclusions. Structural restructuring in Soviet historical science and the introduction of Marxist-Leninist methodology with its formational approach to world history gave a significant impetus to the development of problems of socio-economic history, the identification of the concepts of “Middle Ages” and “feudalism”, which began to be considered a universal stage in the history of mankind. A significant place in the research of Soviet authors was occupied by questions of the class struggle in the Middle Ages. The foundations of the school of Soviet urbanists, agrarian history, Byzantine studies, and others were laid. In many respects, these and some other successes of Russian medieval studies in the 1920–1930s were achieved due to the scientific activity of the former medieval historians of tsarist Russia.

Keywords

• medieval studies
• marxist methodology
• scientific works
• study guides and textbooks
• western europe
• urban studies
• byzantine studies