Petersburg Historical Journal № 1 (49) 2026

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PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — N. A. Khrebtov. “THE ERADICATION OF ENEMIES AND CRIMINALS”: THE PERFORMANCE OF POLICE AND FISCAL TASKS BY MILITARY PERSONNEL OF THE GARRISONS OF THE NORTH OF RUSSIA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY

Garrison troops, as an integral part of the Russian army, were created under Peter the Great. During the 18th century, they were reformed and underwent structural changes. In addition, the functionality of this type of troops has also changed. Extensive modern historiography devoted to service in the garrisons in the 18th century examines the problems of military service and tasks but does not provide a comprehensive assessment. The funds of the State Archive of the Arkhangelsk Region and the National Archive of the Republic of Karelia store a significant number of reports, lists, orders and other materials covering this topic in detail. Based on the analysis of the Russian North garrisons’ office records and legislative acts, it was possible to conclude that police and fiscal tasks occupied an important place in the official duties of the garrison officer.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — V. V. Kalendarova, A. A. Meschenina. THE ANGLO-RUSSIAN WAR OF 1807–1812 AND THE RUSSIAN OFFICIAL PRESS (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM THE SEVERNAYA POCHTA OR NOVAYA SANKT-PETERBURGSKAYA GAZETA, 1809–1810)

Russia’s official foreign policy toward England in late 1809–1810 can be partially traced through publications in the Ministry of Internal Affairs newspaper, “Northern Mail, or New St. Petersburg Newspaper” (Severnaya Pochta, or Novaya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gazeta). At this time, the few military clashes of the formally ongoing Anglo-Russian War of 1807–1812 were already over, but Russia remained a participant in the Continental Blockade imposed by Napoleon I Bonaparte to isolate Great Britain, undermine its economy, and force its capitulation. An analysis of Severnaya Pochta publications from November 1809 (when the newspaper was first published) to the end of 1810 allows us to conclude that the “hot” phase of the Anglo-Russian conflict at this time gave way to an obvious informational confrontation. The rivalry between the two empires was reflected in accusations that the British were bribing European journalists to foment war on the continent, condemnatory and derisive publications regarding British diplomacy, and descriptions of British military failures.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — A. A. Efimov. THE INITIAL STAGE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT IN PALACE CITIES: STAGECOACHES AND OMNIBUSES IN THE 1830S — EARLY 1850S

The article addresses one of the important issues of the existence of palace towns in the 19th century, highlighting the initial stage of public transport development in these settlements. In relation to the period under consideration, the author recognizes stagecoaches and omnibuses owned by companies or private entrepreneurs as such. The article notes that until the 1830s, multi-seat carriages operated only for trips between the capital, St. Petersburg and the nearest residences, Tsarskoye Selo and Peterhof. The main player in this field was the Society of the Initial Establishment of Stagecoaches, founded in 1820, which worked in both directions. At the same time, it also had local competitors. The opening of the Tsarskoye Selo Railway in the autumn of 1837 created serious competition for the Company, but entrepreneurs responded promptly, opening in 1838 a service between Gatchina and Tsarskoye Selo to replace the route from the capital, which had become unprofitable. In the following decade and a half, several new entrepreneurs appeared in the sphere of stagecoach service, organizing trips along the already mentioned routes St. Petersburg — Tsarskoye Selo, St. Petersburg — Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo — Gatchina, and opening a service between Tsarskoye Selo and Pavlovsk, as well as intracity transportation, in Tsarskoye Selo to the railway station, and in Peterhof — to the steamship pier. The progressive development of railway service by the 1850s increasingly complicated the existence of stagecoach service. At the same time, officials, on the one hand, tightened the conditions for entrepreneurs, ordering the Gatchina — Tsarskoye Selo line to synchronize the frequency of arrival and departure of crews with the train schedule, and on the other hand, they tried to prevent the complete ruin of already operating entrepreneurs, limiting competition in the conditions of unstable passenger flow, which did not guarantee significant income even for the only transporter.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — G. V. Krivchenkov. FORMS OF CHARITY DURING THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR OF 1877–1878 (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM THE SMOLENSK PROVINCE)

The article deals with the organization and holding of charitable events during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 in the Smolensk province. The main attention is paid to the joint work of the provincial administration of the Red Cross, city government bodies and the landed gentry in opening hospitals in the province. Ladies of the noble class participated in the organization of charity circles at the provincial administration of the Red Cross. Ladies’ circles provided daily care for the sick sent by the Kyiv evacuation commission to the province for treatment. Material support for ladies’ circles was provided by the landed gentry. The activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in collecting donations for the army and navy, the role of the peasant community in providing material assistance to soldiers and their families are examined. In order to collect funds, the clergy established a collection of donations from parishioners during the liturgy, and the parish clergy accepted humanitarian aid for the army from local residents. Due to poverty, Smolensk peasants often participated in charitable events by collecting food and things that they themselves used in everyday life. Peasants donated warm clothes for the transportation of wounded soldiers from railway stations to medical institutions in the winter. The peasant community made decisions on collecting donations at village meetings. According to reports from Red Cross commissioners and officers, the humanitarian aid from Smolensk was of
good quality. The author concludes that the mass participation of the population in charitable activities during the war years is associated with the idea of its fair nature.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — E. N. MALM. IN THE MILLSTONES OF TIME. NEW DOCUMENTS

The article is dedicated to the fate of E. N. Malm. With his inseparable friend M. A. Bogdanov after the split of the Socialist Revolutionary Party they became members of her left wing and employees of the Cheka in 1918 year, sent to Petrograd to infiltrate the German consulate. After the events of July 6–7, 1918 they become resolute opponents of the Bolsheviks. They conducted underground work in the Smolensk, Vitebsk, and Kazan provinces. When they were arrested in Kazan in October 1919 they shot the former Left Socialist Revolutionary, the Cheka agent Zhuravlev (Petrov), and fled. They were detained on April 19, 1920, after a shootout. On September 29, 1920, the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal issued a decision on their release. But then they were again arrested by the Chekists. In August 1921, made the armed escape from Tagansky prison, passed to illegal status, tried to recreate in 1922 the illegal organization of the left Social Revolutionaries internationalists in Petrograd. Being once again arrested, they were in exile in Siberia. After the death of M. A. Bogdanov in 1924 E. N. Malm continued for some time political activity. At the end of the term of exile in 1926, having moved to the Crimea, he became a specialist in Black Sea dolphins and algae. He was subjected to new arrests, and in 1938 he was invited as a senior researcher to the Neurochirurgical Institute in Leningrad. He was once again arrested in September 1941 and tragically died in October 1941 during a stage in Lake Ladoga.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — A. M. Skvortsov. POSTGRADUATE HISTORICAL STUDIES IN 1941–1945: PROBLEMS OF ADAPTING THE SYSTEM OF ACADEMIC TRAINING TO WARTIME CONDITIONS

This article examines the specific features of postgraduate education in history during the Great Patriotic War. Drawing on statistical data, legal regulations, administrative records, and personal documents, the author analyzes how wartime mobilization and the general context of war influenced the training of highly qualified academic personnel. The article highlights challenges related to student recruitment, the quality of academic preparation, and the shifting focus of postgraduate activity toward propaganda work and the production of popular literature — trends that had a tangible impact on dissertation research. Concrete examples reveal a tendency to narrow the scope of dissertation topics to individual sources or specific historians which led to an increase in historiographical and source-critical studies during the war years. Starting in 1943, the All-Union Committee for Higher Education sought to tighten its oversight of postgraduate training. This was to be achieved through formal bureaucratic procedures — including the introduction of individual work plans, reporting activities, and scheduled evaluations — and by strengthening the responsibility of the academic advisor. In both administrative practice and normative documents, particular attention was given to the advisor’s role, with an emphasis on intensifying their engagement with the candidate.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — A. I. Rupasov. THE ELECTION OF PEOPLE’S JUDGES IN LENINGRAD IN 1950 AND 1953

The article analyzes the reasons for the procedural violations in the election of people’s judges in Leningrad in 1950 and 1953. In both cases, the election campaigns were repeatedly postponed, a practice that was no longer permitted from the mid‑1950s onward. As a result, the significant shortage of qualified legal personnel became even more severe. The postwar restoration and development of Leningrad led to an increase in citizens’ lawsuits filed with the courts (especially in civil cases). The improper conduct of judicial election campaigns, which consequently prevented the timely establishment of new judicial districts, had detrimental effects, including not only delays in court proceedings but also a considerable number of judicial errors. The procedural violations in the election of people’s judges were driven by political reasons: in 1950, due to the campaign to purge the party-administrative apparatus related to the so-called “Leningrad Affair”, and in 1953, the death of I. V. Stalin created a situation of uncertainty for the city leadership. In both instances, the city authorities had reason to exercise additional caution in selecting candidates for the position of people’s judge.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — B. N. Kovalev. SERGEY KAFTANOV: SUPERVISING FOR CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE DURING THE “THAW”

Sergey Kaftanov was one of the Soviet cultural leaders for almost 10 years — from 1953 to 1962.
While working in the sphere of culture, he introduced positive changes. The works of Sergey Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich were popularized. Collected works of European and American writers, “Adventure Library”, were published. The magazine “Foreign Literature” was issued since 1955. In May 1957, the Ministry of Culture separated out the Department of radio and television broadcasting. Thus, the State Committee for Radio and Television Broadcasting was formed. At this time, the role of these media increased significantly. The TV set changed from being a technical miracle and a luxury item to an attribute of everyday life in Soviet families. In May 1959, Kaftanov was appointed Chairman of the State Committee for Radio and Television under the Council of Ministers of the USSR — the main broadcasting organization of the country. In this
position, he did a lot for the technical support of these media. New television and radio programs were produced, which became a symbol of the era. Such TV programs as “Film Travel Club” (since 1960), “Health” (since 1960), “Good morning!” (since 1960), “Club of the cheerful and sharp-witted” (since 1961) were broadcasted.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — I. N. Strekalov. THE EPIC FILM “LIBERATION”: A CONTINUATION OF THE EPIC POST-WAR TRADITIONSOR A NEW STAGE IN THE SOVIET WAR CINEMA?

The article deals with the significance and role of the epic film “Liberation” (directed by Yuri Ozerov, 1970–1971) in the development of the Soviet film epic genre. Learning the archival documents of the Committee for Cinematography under the USSR Council of Ministers, the USSR Union of Cinematography Workers, and the Mosfilm Studios, the researcher concludes that the Soviet filmmakers came to the conclusion it was impossible to return to the traditions of the late Stalinist epics (“The Third Strike”, “The Battle of Stalingrad”, and “The Fall of Berlin”) when creating a new epic film about the Great Patriotic War, and they found possible to retain the epic form created in these films only. The film “Liberation” became an independent stage in the development of the Soviet military-patriotic cinema.