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PHJ № 3 (51) – E. Yu. Basargina. A BOOK DONATED BY THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON TO THE USSR ACADEMY OF SCIENCES IN MEMORY OF ISAAC NEWTON’ TERCENTENARY

Based on archival documents, the article reconstructs the events of I. Newton’s 300th anniversary, which occurred on the Second World War. In the USSR, the anniversary of the English genius became a significant event in both scientific and political life. The Soviet government used the scientific celebration for propaganda purposes, as a political message to the Allies to urge them to rid humanity of German fascism as soon as possible through the victory of the arms of the allied and united countries. In gratitude for the widespread commemoration of the great English scientist in the USSR, the Royal Society of London presented the USSR Academy of Sciences with a copy of the first edition of I. Newton’s book “Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica” (1687), which is currently kept in the St. Petersburg branch of the RAS Archives. The book has a donation inscription and signatures of members of the Council of the Royal Society of London, which the author identified. The imprint on the title page of the book indicates that it is a rarity even among first edition copies. The rarity of the copy, its design, and the autographs of 21 fellows of the Royal Society as well make this copy a unique monument to the history of science. It is emphasized that the gift was not just a gesture of politeness, but the result of complex political and cultural interaction between the two allied countries.

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.