RUSSIA’S FAMINE AND EPIDEMICS HISTORY IN RUSSIA: HISTORIOGRAPHICAL SITUATION

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of Russian and foreign historiography of the problem of famine and epidemics in Russia’s history. It notes the undoubted success of Russian and foreign scholars in the study of famine in Russia, especially in the Soviet period. Turning to the theme of the 1932–1933 famine in the USSR, the authors conclude that the assessments of its causes, scales and consequences in the works of Russian and the most authoritative foreign researchers coincide. The article points to the achievements of Russian and foreign historians in the study of the famine of 1891–1892, as well as the period of the Great Patriotic War. In the latter case, studying the history of the Leningrad blockade and the Nazi policy of organizing famine in the occupied territories of the USSR is meant. The article also analyzes the results of the study of epidemics in the history of Russia. Knowledge has been accumulated about the largest epidemics, the government’s measures to combat and prevent them. At the same time, epidemics and their threats in the second half of the 20th century have been poorly studied. The problem is not being actively investigated within the framework of an interdisciplinary approach and social history. The authors of the article point to the need to create a generalizing work on Russia’s famine and epidemics history using an interdisciplinary approach and with an emphasis on the regional aspect of the problem.