Secondary history education is only one of the many ways for a state apparatus to influence and be involved in constructing historical narratives and public memory. Yet, the state-sponsored history...Show moreSecondary history education is only one of the many ways for a state apparatus to influence and be involved in constructing historical narratives and public memory. Yet, the state-sponsored history aspect of compulsory secondary education plays a highly important role considering its target audience - a country's youth - and because of the clear articulation, widespread distribution and compelling moral framework of state-sponsored textbooks. In this thesis, the recent standardisation and nationalisation policy in Russia serves as a clear example of the increase of state control on history education. Adding to the existing state-sponsored history research on Russian secondary textbooks, this thesis approaches state-sponsored history from a historical perspective by examining the historical background of Russian state-sponsored history, while diving into an in-depth case study of one historical event: the revolutionary period of Russia in 1905, also referred to as the Russian Revolution of 1905. The re-evaluation of this short period of time could be summarised by three successive dominant perspectives in Russian state-sponsored history: two ideological perspectives (traditional socialism and Russian patriotism served by Great Russian nationalism) and one perspective characterised by pluralist revisionism that represents the re-evaluation of Russian history education during the 1990s. In regard to the standardisation period since the early 2000s, the state document called Kontseptsiya appeared to function as the cornerstone of the current educational policy, which is focused on instilling patriotism and re-affirming the status of Great Russia, while legitimising authoritarian values is promoted by certain historical interpretations of particularly tsar Nicholas II and Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin. As a final point, the Kontseptsiya included the political motivation to apply a new approach to the history of Russian culture as a continuous process of acquiring a national identity that is formed by its political and socio-economic development, which affirmed the role of state-sponsored history in the Russian state policy of social engineering or cultural reproduction to find a post-communist national identity that could measure up to the great power status of the former Russian Empire and Soviet Union. The conclusion of this historical case study of Russia in the theoretical framework of state-sponsored history leads to the awareness of state control on compulsory history education and raises the question of the desirability of international agreement on a universal basic understanding of history in secondary education.Show less
This research examines the life and thoughts of Ivan Ilin during his life in Berlin between 1922 and 1938. The goal was to re-connect Ivan Ilin with his historical context. This was performed by...Show moreThis research examines the life and thoughts of Ivan Ilin during his life in Berlin between 1922 and 1938. The goal was to re-connect Ivan Ilin with his historical context. This was performed by comparing Ilin to his environment by analysing his reaction to the trends and ideas which developed in the Russian emigrant community in Berlin. By doing this, this thesis challenges the currently established vision on political ideas and legacy of Ivan Ilin.Show less
The thesis encompasses the role of the KGB during the Prague Spring (1968). The development of the KGB is briefly explained in combination with the development of Czechoslovakia since 1945. This...Show moreThe thesis encompasses the role of the KGB during the Prague Spring (1968). The development of the KGB is briefly explained in combination with the development of Czechoslovakia since 1945. This thesis adds a new view to the debate about the Brezhnev-era and the role of the KGB in that era.Show less
This thesis investigates the relationship between the Russian tsarist state and the four most important Russian Christian sects, the Khlysty, Skoptsy, Dukhobors, and Molokans, in the period 1801...Show moreThis thesis investigates the relationship between the Russian tsarist state and the four most important Russian Christian sects, the Khlysty, Skoptsy, Dukhobors, and Molokans, in the period 1801-1881. First the developments of the Russian Orthodox Church and the tsarist state following the Russian Orthodox Church schism (raskol), which gave rise to Russian religious dissent, are discussed, before moving on to an in-depth assessment of the history and beliefs of the four sects mentioned above. In the second part of the thesis the attitudes of the three tsars that ruled Russia between 1801 and 1881, Alexander I, Nicholas I, and Alexander II, are clarified, before the views of the sectarians on the policies of the three rulers are considered. It is then argued that these rulers, and Nicholas I specifically, vilified the sectarians as class of (imaginary) enemies as part of their state formation policies. In practice this meant the (forced) expulsion of many of the sectarians to the fringes of the Russian empire. The sectarians themselves, in turn, developed tools to cope with these conditions, and in some cases in their new role as frontier colonists became the epitome of Russianness in the multi-ethnic regions of the empire. This thesis therefore not only pays attention to the changing political situation of tsarist Russia in the nineteenth century and the state views on sectarianism, but also to the ways in which marginalized groups outside the Russian Orthodox Church reconciled their religious and ethnic identities with the demands of the state.Show less
