Skip to main content
EnglishEN
European Commission logo print header
Content archived on 2022-12-23

Critical Edition of sources for the history of the Soviet State and Society

Objective

1.The acquisition and publication of new, fundamental knowledge of a crucial segment of European history is the project's primary goal. However, we also aim at retraining, through research, some of the most promising Russian historians. The future dissemination of the results of our research -via conferences, articles, monographs, textbooks- and the resulting transformation of public awareness of the Soviet past represent the possible application of the project.
The project's main task will be carried out by exploiting the opportunity offered by the opening of the former Soviet archives to further our understanding of the Soviet experience. Publishing eight volumes of documents shall do this. Their temporary titles are the following: 1. The USSR and the Problem of Nationalities, 1917-1945;
2. The Soviet Timber Economy: Moscow and Karelia, 1920-41;
3. Letters to Soviet Leaders, 1928-1941;
4. Life in the Collective Farms: The Urals Experience, 1935-1955;
5. The War and Soviet Society, 1939-45;
6. Soviet Society in the Post-War Years, 1945-53;
7. How Stalin Ruled After 1945: The Politburo and the Council of Ministers, 1945-53;
8. The Politburo, Secretariat and Orgburo of the Party Central Committee: The Center and the Periphery, 1945-53.

All the proposed topics are highly innovative: little is known for instance of peasant life after collectivisation and famine, yet in 1939 peasants still comprised approximately 70% of the Soviet population. Apparently minor topics such as Soviet timber will allow us to throw new light on Soviet foreign trade as well as on forced labour. The relevance of expanding our knowledge of the war and of the last years of Stalin's despotism is obvious.
Work on the volumes will profit from the substantial experience already accumulated in this field by the Project Coordinator as well as by the NIS Team leaders. The latter include some of the most talented Russian historians.
Tasks will be defined by the nature of the volumes. Generally speaking it can be said that:
Volumes, many of which are complementary, will be the result of joint efforts.
One INTAS and one NIS participant will bear fixed responsibility for each volume.
There will be periodic, specific coordinating meetings for each volume. Once a year general project meetings will be held in Moscow. There will be panels for each volume, as well as common, general discussion.
Work will begin in March 2000:
By the fall of 2001, assembling of documents for at least 4 volumes should be completed.
By the spring of 2002, assembling of documents should be completed.
By the fall of 2002, the selection of documents and the creation of a critical apparatus for at least 4 volumes should be completed.
By early 2003, work should be completed on at least 6 of the 8 volumes under consideration.
By the spring of 2003, all volumes ready for the publisher (Rosspen).

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

Data not available

Coordinator

Fondazione Feltrinelli
EU contribution
No data
Address
Via Romagnosi 3
20121 Milano
Italy

See on map
Total cost
No data

Participants (7)

Share this page

Download

Last update: 30 October 2002

My Booklet

Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/INTAS-1999-00113

European Union, 2024