Російська історіографія історії комуністичних органів державної безпеки: детермінуючий вплив архівної революції та деякі проблемні питання (1997–2011)
Russian historiography of the history of communist state security agencies: the decisive influence of the archival revolution and some problematic issues (1997-2011)

Summary/Abstract: Objective. To identify and describe the main scientific, documentary and reference publications published in Russia in 1997–2011 that most clearly reflected the so-called archival revolution and significantly influenced the development of Russian historiography of the history of the Bolshevik (Communist) state security agencies of the USSR. To identify the main types of published archival documents, their origin, chronological and thematic features, and current scientific value. Methodology and methods. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity, and comprehensiveness. To achieve the goal, problem-chronological, descriptive-analytical, and historical-comparative methods were used. Conclusions. In the 1990s and late 2000s, former secret Communist Party, state and departmental archives were partially opened in Russia, including the former archives of the KGB of the USSR and the so-called Kremlin archive of documents and materials of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b)–VKP(b)–CPSU. The partial opening of archives and granting researchers access to archival documents was called the ‘archival revolution’ in Russian historiography. A characteristic feature of this phenomenon was the widespread publication of new archival documents on the history of the Bolshevik (Communist) state security bodies. Of greatest scientific value were scientific, documentary and reference publications, in which hundreds of thematically interrelated archival documents, sometimes of different origins, were published in their entirety (as in the sub-series ‘Lubyanka’ of the series ‘Russia. 20th Century. Documents’). Thanks to this, significant results were achieved in ‘Chekist biographies’ (in particular, the creation of scientific biographies of state security officials), in highlighting the legal status, dynamics of the organisational structure, staffing, content and results of agent-operational and investigative activities, mainly of a repressive and punitive nature, throughout almost the entire Soviet period, with a particular focus on 1917–1953. At the same time, the authors and compilers did not conduct sufficient archival and scientific analysis of new archival documents, especially those published at the initial stage of the ‘archival revolution.’ Such publications still require careful source analysis, additional archival research, and comparison of retrospective documentary information from various sources.

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