The article studies morphofunctional and psychophysiological features in children with mental disabilities. The research features 7–9-year-old children, both male and female, with different central nervous system diseases (various degrees of mental retardation, Down's syndrome, autism, epilepsy). All the children were characterized by various degrees of mental retardation. The degree of mental retardation and the type of central nervous system affect, in various ways, the severity of abnormalities in physical development, impaired posture, manual dexterity development, especially the formation of functional brain asymmetry and spatial perception. In the group of children with mild mental retardation there were fewer examples of low manual dexterity development, uncertain signs of functional asymmetry of the brain and low levels of spatial perception compared to the group of children with severe mental retardation, Down syndrome and autism.

The impression about a person is formed as a result of interaction of several signals. According to holistic (configurational) way of impression formation, facial signal significance depends on the context (and can be changed if there are other signals). In accordance with the elementwise way, social judgments depend on the contribution of each facial factor that possesses an invariant meaning. The current paper features impression formation based on two facial characteristics – physical attractiveness and abnormality (represented by orbital hypertelorism). Perception was accompanied by social judgments about personality traits, interpersonal attractiveness and reliability. It was expected that the impression of the individuals depending on physical attractiveness and anomaly would be formed in both holistic and element-wise ways. In the experiment, 4 groups of subjects (144 people) evaluated physically attractive and unattractive individuals with an increased and normal interocular distance. The interaction (holistic way) of physical attractiveness and abnormalities determined the reliability evaluation, expressed through attributed traits (danger) and criminal potentialities (the probability of committing different crimes). The independent influence of physical attractiveness and facial features of orbital hypertelorism influenced the evaluation of the potential interpersonal proximity degree. Formation of the impression in the presence of two facial signals was carried out in accordance with the holistic and element-wise ways. The actualization of the impression forming ways depends on the relevance of the facial factor and social judgments.

The current paper features an empirical analysis of the interconnection between early maladaptive schemes and various forms of suicide behavior as well as an analysis of psycho-traumatic childhood events that form the basis for early maladaptive schemes. The article describes theoretical views on suicidal behavior formation from the point of view of early maladaptive schemes. The description includes the scheme of suicidal behavior formation by D. Lester and J. R. Rogers. It was established that the issue of the interrelation between the early maladaptive schemes and suicidal behavior makes up a perspective approach in comprehending the genesis of suicidal behavior through a further research of maladaptive schemes in people with suicidal behaviour. The analysis of the considered researches allowed the authors to make evidence-based assumptions about the role of early maladaptive schemes in the development of suicidal behavior, and will provide further diagnostic material for effective implementation of correctional strategies in scheme therapy.

The current research revealed that students with physical conditions (health limitations) in general seldom take responsibility for the events happening to them, and rarely analyze the situation and their possibilities and more often try to distance from the problem. According to the data obtained, the handicapped students demonstrate problems with coping strategies in the cognitive sphere. The article also gives an analysis of the gender peculiarities of coping behavior among students with physical conditions. It has been revealed that female students with health limitations are more often ready to have a conflict or to try to cope with the problem by subjectively diminishing its importance and degree of their emotional involving into it, as compared to their so-called conditionally healthy peers. However, male students with health limitations are less ready for confrontation, rarely accept responsibility for the problem and its solution; they also have less tendency for direct analysis of the situation and possible variants of behavior, as well as working out the strategy for the problem solving and planning their actions considering objective conditions, previous experience and resources. Also, the article analyzes the character of relations between different coping strategies of the students with physical conditions those conditionally healthy. It has been revealed that the main relations between different copings of conditionally healthy students are represented by the scales «Problem-solving Planning» and «Positive reestimation». It is possible to suggest that for these (healthy) students these coping strategies compose the core of the mechanisms of coping behavior. On the contrary, the students with health limitations do not demonstrate any definite correlation connections. Thus, it is impossible to speak about a definite core in the system of coping behavior in students with physical conditions.

The authors of the article analyze the results of empirical research aimed at defining the specificity of future construction in senior pupils with different levels of uncertainty tolerance. The paper features the following hypothesis: future construction in the youth age in schoolchildren, both tolerant and intolerant to uncertainty, is characterized by differences in the degree of explicitation and detailed elaboration of the future, in the awareness and acceptance of personal responsibility for one's own future, in the distinct manifestation of different modality attitudes concerning one's future. The investigation was carried out with the help of a complex of methods corresponding to the stated goal which included, alongside with quantitative methods, such qualitative methods as drawing metaphor methodology «Life's journey», elements of causometric analysis, graphic method of Cottle's circles. The results of the research may be used in the organization of psychological work with pupils to form an attitude of positive acceptance of one's future, overcoming the fear connected with the future, as well as the development of reflection skills and awareness of individual responsibility for one's own future.

The article presents an empirical research analysis of interrelation of the personality reflexivity in the period of late adolescence and its orientation on self-development, which allows one to draw a conclusion about the place of reflexivity in the structure of psychological readiness for self-development at this age. Reflexivity is analyzed in interrelation with subject activity, existential responsibility of the developing personality. The conclusion is that in the period of late adolescence the reflexive resource of the personality is at a stage of formation and restructuring. The paper defines a connection between the type of reflexive activity and psychological readiness for self-development in the period of late adolescence. The research reveals that the tendency to concentration on one’s inner world can interfere with productive involvement of resources of internality, a sense of purpose in planning and implementation of self-development. The article describes the results of an empirical research and the specifics of psychological readiness for selfdevelopment in teen-agers with different levels of expressiveness of individual reflexivity.

The article features the problem of Internet use motivation among students. This phenomenon is discussed in conjunction with such criteria of personal development as time perspective of the individual and socio-psychological adaptation. The paper describes some results of a study that identifies the relationship of the parameters of individual temporal perspective, motivation for Internet use and potential socio-psychological adaptation in university students, where the main temporary modus is individual psychological present during the period of study in a higher education institution. It reveals a correlative significance of indicators between selected options, and compares the selected time of the mode with the driving motivation for Internet usage and indicators of Internet addiction. It is revealed that for students the leading motives of Internet usage are business, self-realization, self-assertion and communication. It is shown that the Internet is of highest significance for students with strong hedonistic present, negative past and fatalistic present. This group of students demonstrates reduced indicators of sociopsychological adaptation, which makes it possible to point out the compensatory nature of Internet use among the respondents with negative attitude to the semantic loci of individual temporal perspective. The results of the study define the trends of crisis situations occurrence in students and can be used by psychological services of higher education institutions to develop socio-psychological adaptation of students, as well as to prevent Internet addiction.

This article features the issue of correlation of concept and anticoncept as scientific formats of knowledge, which is topical for terminological research. Recent studies in the domain of anticoncept have shown that this format of knowledge is different from that of concept by its more complex organization, exteriorization and a more detailed verbalization in terminology. As exemplified by homeopathic terms and conceptual and component analyses, the anticoncept and the concept differ at the level of different categories. The investigation of the key homeopathic notions of «constitution» and «miasm» demonstrate their belonging to different categories: the constitution of a patient is conceptualized as a property whereas the miasm (pathological constitution) is conceptualized as a process or as a state. Further terminological researches in the domain of concepts and anticoncepts as members of different categories might provide a more detailed interpretation, reveal new conceptual signs and, consequently, enlarge the scope of scientific knowledge.

The content of the article up consists in methodological reflections about general principles of experimenting in linguistics on the whole and in Russian linguistics in particular. In this regard the article deals with the studies which are within the tradition starting in the works of I. A. Baudeuine de Courtenay, L. V. Sherba and other linguists who thought the address to the language consciousness (language feeling) to give the relevant information about the language itself. The other line is the reflection over axiomatization and absolutization of this principle in modern anthropocentric linguistics. Though these two lines present different subjects coming from different sources and different research presumptions, they are put in close connection and interrelation. In conclusion, the author states that a full and deep view of language cannot be created without studies based on the other contrary presumption.

The object of the investigation is modern political discourse. The research is focused on the sociological, cultural, epistemological and linguistic bases of formation of political correctness in the modern political discourse. It is proved that the sociological base of the formation of political correctness in the political discourse is determined by the process of social development. The basis of political correctness formation is represented by the opposition "us / them" in political discourse. The most important role in the political discourse is played by an epistemological, cognitive opposition "true / false", where the truth is an adequate reflection of the objective reality of the knower, and the lie is a deliberate substitution of the truth by a misconception. The linguistic bases of formation of political correctness are based on the interpretation of the bilateral nature of the linguistic sign that performs a crucial function of designation. The asymmetric duality of the linguistic sign, as well as the arbitrary nature of the relationship of the signified and the signifier allows the ideologists of political correctness to create different names for one and the same extra-linguistic content, or denotation, that is socially unacceptable, for some reason.

The article analyzes the basic semantic properties of factor intentional verbs meaning realization of a volitional action. The author singles out a number of such semantic components on the levels of hypersemes (general properties within a semantic group) and hyposemes (specific properties of certain verbs). Thus, among the former there are such properties as “intentionality” and “factor” that unite all lexical units meaning intention. The hyperseme “result”, in its turn, unites all units meaning realization. On the level of the hyposeme “result type”, the article describes three sub-groups of the semantic group “realization”: success, failure, avoidance / abstention. The hyposemes “mentality”, “method”, “reason”, “will” differentiate all the verbs within the semantic group in question, forming their semantic individuality. The author makes use of the methods of definition and text analysis. The resultant data prove that the verbs in question are semantically unique and can be viewed as an independent vocabulary sector.

The paper deals with the issue of bridging the gap between the language as a tool of professional communication and the language learnt as an academic subject focused on general vocabulary and structures, which hinders effective professional communication of a non-linguist graduate. This problem is aggravated by the lack of language teacher training in content subjects: mastering peculiarities of a specific professional language as a variety of numerous social dialects requires substantial experience in this particular field. Therefore, teaching a foreign language in a non-language higher educational institution calls for wider implementation of CLIL approach (integration of content and language training) to dealing with language material in developing communicative competence. The paper points out competence focused nature of CLIL and its motivational potential. The authors discuss some specific features of teacher’s preparing for classes in this context and suggest several teaching techniques aimed at expanding involvement of professional variety of language in the process of training future experts for increasing their professional communication skills, including case studies, effective use of audiovisual teaching aids and multimedia presentations in a special field. The article stresses the need for further integration of a second language and content training in the professional field, which requires a systematic approach and collaboration of all participants in higher educational process.

The article is devoted to the study of the axiological component of the English-language media discourse, which has not received due consideration in current linguistic theories. With the purpose of revealing the communicative message of the content of modern media, the paper features an attempt to analyse a variety of the collective British values and culturological characteristics, translated into the mass consciousness of the reader, as exemplified in the English-language Internet periodicals («The Guardian», «The Independent», «The Telegraph»). The codes transmitted by the English-language media discourse influence the world outlook of the recipient, as well as contribute to the assimilation of social and behavioural norms and principles. Since the axiological component can acquire a special role in organizing the meaning of the text, it is necessary to take into account the possible variants of coding of the latter for full-fledged perception of the text. From the standpoint of cognitive linguistics, the research reveals the fact that the texts of online media are characterized by a predominant appeal to such mental concepts as privacy, individuality, stability, tolerance, traditionalism, past. It represents, in general terms, the system of language devices and means used for communicative field formation of media discourse; the conclusion about its socio-cultural nature is drawn.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the causes and ways of overcoming the identity crisis among the enslaved African Americans based on A. Randall’s novel «The wind done gone». The definitions of the terms «identity», «stigma», and «identity crisis» are given, basic types of stigma are described. The article proves that Africans brought to America were stigmatized, which subsequently led to the emergence of an identity crisis. The analysis reveals factors influencing the formation of identity among the black population and the ways of identity deprivation used by slaveholders, such as withholding information about the date and the place of birth, deprivation of name, separation from the family, sexual slavery. As a result, the author describes the resources used by ex-slaves after the abolition of slavery to overcome the identity crisis and to form their own identity as free people. Love of family members, positive interpersonal relations with the representatives of the community, recognition of oneself as part of the collective spirit play a very important part among them.

Conceptual studies are an intensively developing area of research nowadays. They are aimed at considering such fundamental problems as structures of representation of knowledge about the world and ways of the conceptual organization of knowledge in the language. The central term in research of a linguistic world-image is the concept, which draws attention of research workers in various areas of science. The current paper features the PERSONALITY (PERSÖNLICHKEIT) concept, which is significant for both Russian and German cultures, and some of its characteristics. The author describes the features of the word's inner form and conceptual features of these concepts. The main group among the image features is represented by anthropomorphic characteristics, where character, social and valuable features are significant for the research. The paper includes a number of synonyms of words representing the concepts under discussion, which provides an aggregate structure of these concepts.

The article considers the genre fixation of various units of address. It focuses on the forms of address and their vocative functions in the genres of literature. According to the application of the methods of structural and component analysis, two main functions of the variants of salutation in literature are revealed: calling and phatic functions. The phatic function in terms of emotional-expressive and axiological components presents another level of complexity. As a result of the analysis, it turned out that the realization of the vocative potential of common nouns depends on their semantic parameters, to a certain extent. In the considered literature works a greater vocative potential belongs to the nominal names with the "status" roles of their referent that manifest themselves in the social or related hierarchy, according to which they are opposed to those nouns, which are semantically adjacent to them. At the same time, words with positive evaluation are likely to act as salutations supporting an act of communication that has already started; as for relational words, they represent important vocative means, due to their strong identifying function as well as their ability to maintain communication. The article features social and communicative relationships in situations, where it is necessary to observe the “social distance” and adhere to the “principle of courtesy” and the “principle of cooperation”.

From scientific literature it is known that the phenomenon of indirect nomination belongs to the periphery of the lexical-semantic system of the language and is still poorly studied (as, for example, V. N. Telia’s works indicate). Our factual material shows that I. Selvinsky uses indirect nomination as a technique of metaphorical transfer, to create vivid artistic images and associations. In general, I. Selvinsky’s secondary nomination reflects individually meaningful figurative linguistic worldview due to its semantic duality, based on similar characteristics of two or more denotations that are implemented in the context of the work. Judging by the features of the "behavior" of the metaphors in the syntax against the background of related phenomena, one can conclude that the units in question do not coincide with from the literary norm of that time and present, as based on the results of this mini-study, where we analysed and described the relationship of the secondary nomination as a linguistic phenomenon with the stylistics of artistic speech, which is determined – in this case – by specifics of the essay genre.

The article examines the influence of ideological resolutions of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of the Bolsheviks ("On the repertoire of drama theatres and measures for its improvement", "About the Opera "Great Friendship" by V. Muradeli"), as well as the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On the reduction of public subsidies to theaters and measures for improving their financial activities" on the theatres of the South Urals (Chelyabinsk, Kurgan and Chkalov areas) in the postwar years. Methods of comparative and statistical analysis used in the study showed that these documents played an important role in changing the repertoire policy, and led to the reduction in the number of theatres in the South Ural region. As a result, theatrical productions in the area in question became focused on patriotic education, the importance of development of Communist society and the formation of a special attitude towards the head of state. This ideological policy led to an increase in the repertoire of the number of works of modern Soviet drama, and a significant reduction in the number of productions based on classic Russian and foreign drama. The result was a loss of interest in theatrical productions and a decrease in the number of audience of drama and musical comedy theatres in the region. The death of Stalin followed by the party and state reorganization brought about positive changes in the functioning of the regional theatres. For example, the Chkalov drama theater demonstrated its new repertoire in the region as well as in the capital during tours.

This article analyzes the development of the external state debt of the Russian Empire during the reign of Paul I. That period was marked by dynamic processes in Russia's foreign policy in general and in the development of its foreign debt in particular. For instance, they solved the problem of taking on by the empire of the foreign debt of Poland and of those Polish magnates who had put their estates in pledge in foreign banks. Also, the due date of Russia’s own foreign debt was prolonged. As for the debt obligations between Russia and Italy, the problem was that the latter was occupied by French troops who constantly attempted to confiscate bonds from their owners. At the very end of the XVIII century, Russia began to receive subsidies from England to finance its military expenses for the Napoleonic wars. Different interpretations of the terms by the Russian and the British sides led to a de facto suspension of the Russian foreign debt service.

The article discusses works of California School scientists in order to analyze their views on the "rise" of Europe in Modern era, called in 1990s "The Great Divergence". The researchers argue that such advanced countries of the preXIXth century East as India and China did not fall behind, and in some cases even surpassed, most developed regions of Western Europe in the level of their economic development, trade and use of technology. The scholars of California School believe that before 1800 the most developed regions of Eurasia had a number of similarities. They point out that the "Great Divergence" between East and West began only during the industrial revolution, and that this is a temporary phenomenon. The article presents the criticism of California School and draws conclusions about the role and influence of the school on the development of issues related to the search for the causes of the formation of modern industrial civilization.

It has long been known that social alcoholism is an indicator of public moral and wellbeing of the state. Alcoholism is no longer the problem of one particular family but a global issue. How can it be otherwise if a drunkard lying on the ground in broad daylight has become a familiar sight, as well as a violent drinker? Not a single day passes without a number of alcohol related crimes. There is no consensus on when and where alcohol first appeared, but alcoholic drinks are known to have already been quite common during pagan festive and funeral feasts or public merrymakings. As a rule, the main raw material for alcoholic beverages (brags, mead, or beer) in those days was honey, so their influence was more invigorating than intoxicating. 

In ancient times, this phenomenon was, similarly, a source of much trouble, resulting in Pythagoras (about 540–500 BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC) being the first methodologists of sober upbringing, and both were described by their contemporaries as displaying teetotalling views, which they passed on to their disciples and followers. Taking into consideration all mentioned above, the history of making and drinking alcohol goes back to ancient times. Living conditions has always had an impact on these processes. The article does not aim at a deep and thorough description of the phenomenon of drinking, production and consumption of liquor; it covers some aspects that remain matters of concern even in such a seemingly prosperous country as modern-day Switzerland. Considering various living conditions of those ancient days, modern historians do not see alcoholics of the past as depraved, weak-willed individuals any more. They believe that it is life conditions (no means of subsistence, poverty, ailing economy, crisis in the country) leading people into hopeless predicament that make people want to look for a way to forget about their troubles for a while. In such a situation one needs support in defining the causes that lead some social strata to unfavorable and malignant conditions. Some social groups are more likely to become vulnerable and even tend to turn anti-social if deprived of support. The long history of fight against alcoholism has often proved that alcoholism cannot be destroyed by frontal, permanent and absolute bans of alcoholic beverages. Therefore, it requires an unconditional fulfillment of alcohol products, existing norms and rules, including those that are prohibitive, by all entities of legal relations in the sphere of production and turnover, as well as a change in the structure of alcohol consumption and the cultivation of a drinking culture and other urgent measures in this. Modern society is getting more and more focused on the four principles that make up the basis of alcohol policy in Switzerland: prevention, treatment, harm reduction and repression. The fact that prevention and repression take the first and the last place correspondingly conforms to the alcohol policy in Switzerland: first they try to avoid the problem, then they treat those for whom preventive measures did not work, then they minimize the harm that habitual drinkers can cause, and repressive measures are considered the last resort, prevention being the main principle. Also, one of the ways of preventive struggle against alcoholism, along with public awareness activities and providing decent living conditions, is to raise alcohol taxes. History shows that liberal policy is based on self-responsibility of people and can be effective only where there is a perspective of a decent life, which presupposes a more or less stable economic situation that allows one to believe in social security.

The paper presents the problem of the Siberian Cossacks crisis in the period of socio-political upheavals of the revolution and Civil War in 1917–1920. The aim of the paper is to examine the reasons and the essence of the regional Cossack community crisis in the course of the 1917 revolution and the Civil war as well as to identify the options and results of its resolution. The problem is investigated on the basis of the dialectical-materialistic method of cognition: each position is examined through the light of historicism, in connection with other historical events of the era and with specific historical experience. The "Cossack issue" took shape in the early XXth century amid the civil transformation of the Russian society. In Siberia the issue received internal and external content. The internal content of the issue is made up of the contradictions between the rank-and-file Cossacks and the officers due to the inequality of landholdings, as well as between the Cossack mainstream, on the one hand, and the Cossack troops’ 

lieutenant colonels, on the other, because of the problem of the land reserve exploitation and compliance with the rights and obligations equivalence in the Cossack community. The external constituent is made up of the contradictions between the privileged Cossack community in Siberia and the peasantry and minority peoples of the region concerning the land issue. Moreover, the "Cossack issue" included also a general historical tendency – the search for optimal ways to abolish the Cossack class privileges and to equalize them in rights and responsibilities with the rest of the population of Russia. Since in this period there was no class-caste unity of the Cossacks de facto, this fact was to be established de jure. And it was the 1917 revolution that was responsible for it. The "Cossack issue" resolution resulted in the acute social-political opposition both within the regional Cossack community and in the civil war of the Siberian Cossacks with the bulk of the Siberian population. The results of the study can be used when writing generalized works on the history of Siberia, lecturing on Russian history of this period, teaching courses on the history of the 1917 revolution and the Civil war.

The article features the Activities of the Biysk City Duma during the Civil War. The paper is based on archival materials and published documents of the period in question. It describes the actions taken by the City Council in different spheres of life: politics, security, education, medicine. The Council members initiated vigilante groups to patrol urban areas; they reorganized educational institutions and took measures to improve the epidemiologic situation. The actions taken by the City Duma characterize the proactive stance of its members in relation to the state of affairs in the region. In resource-poor conditions of the civil war those people tried to establish a peaceful life in the city, from security measures to improving the quality of pharmaceuticals. The council members were dominant figures, who knew their job. Their experience during the economic crisis is enormous and, in our opinion, extremely valuable in today's Russian reality.

The current paper features the mechanism of establishment of guardianship among the peasants of the Tomsk province. The main stages of establishment of guardianship are analyzed on the basis of custody cases: appointment of the guardian, compilation of the belongings list and the report on property management, carrying out the biddings. The study reveals violations and conflict situations in every aspect involved. The author comes to a conclusion that guardianship in this region was reduced to a mere fight for material resources. The trustee could dispose of property of the orphans, e.g. to plough their land or to give it for rent together with domestic constructions and cattle. The trustee could put the profit on the account in a savings bank until the orphan came of age, or use these funds for the orphan’s own needs with the permission of the village assembly. The matters of custody and Christian upbringing did not find reflection in the considered documents. Nevertheless, the community carried out the main social function in appointing the guardian, despite the absence of proper legislation. Guardians were appointed annually, according to local customs.

The article is devoted to the foundation and development of agricultural education and agrarian knowledge among peasants who lived in the Baikal region at the beginning of the XX century. The Baikal region included the territories of Irkutsk province and Transbaikalian region. In the late XIX – early XX century some professional educational institutions as well as agricultural ones opened in Russian periphery. The archives play an important role in researching such an issue as an agricultural education in Baikal region. Archive documents including documents of management and record keeping, circular letters, requests, resolutions of central and local government allow one to form the historiography data base for this problem. Valuable sources of information include, among others, the agronomy organization report of Irkutsk province, volumes of Transbaikalian district agronomy councils, such periodicals as the Zabaikal’sky khozyain magazine and the Zabaikal’sky rabochy and the Irkutskie gubernskye vedomosty newspapers. Based on this historiography data, the article shows the district councils’ activity concerning the organization of the first basic agricultural schools in the Baikal region. The article features some difficulties the local government faced while organizing those establishments. The article also provides information about the wide spread propaganda of agrarian knowledge through the courses and lectures. First agricultural schools that were opened in the late XIX century and on the verge of the revolution of 1917 faced such problems as skilled labor shortage, lack of finance and pecuniary burdens. It was necessary to reorganize them into vocational educational schools. The article features a brief historiography review on the history of agricultural education in the late XIX – early XX centuries in Russia and in Baikal region specifically.

On the basis of pre-revolutionary legislation, the article comprehensively considers features of general-governor’s power. The article also analyzes the system of Siberian administration in the first half of XIX century. The growing interest the local government demonstrates in the history of local government is connected not only with the aspiration of historians to look more deeply into the past but also with practical needs. While researching the forgotten traditions of public administration, one should take a greater account of historical experience that has been accumulated over the centuries. It is also necessary to take a look at familiar facts and events in the light of today's realities. This approach may overcome the old myths and misconceptions as well as prevent new ones. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research are such principles of historical knowledge as objectivity, historicism, determinism, alternativeness and social approach, which imply an unbiased approach to the analysis of the issues under analysis, as well as a critical attitude to historical sources. The author comes to the following conclusions. The characteristic differences between governance in Central Russia and in Siberia were independence of government machinery and huge significance of the personal factor in the past. The reorganization of the system of territorial and administrative management of the region, aimed, on the one hand, at strengthening the independence of local authorities in decision-making, and on the other, at strengthening governance and increasing control from the center, met certain difficulties. Often it turned out that all measures aimed at decentralization of the Siberian administration led to an increase in police arbitrariness and a decrease in the level of controllability of the region. Strengthening of the general-governor’s power went on increasing in the XIX century, during which the general-governors opposed themselves to the ministries in St. Petersburg and the activities of collegial bodies.

The article features activities of the English merchants and sales agents on the Volga and Caspian trade route to east countries in the 1660–1680. The paper focuses on the positive influence of the British on the development of the Caspian shipbuilding and trade navigation as well as on the increase in the volume of international trade in the basin of the Caspian Sea. As a result of the activity of the English Moscow company, the trade turnovers of West-Caspian shopping centers increased as they got involved in the international commodity turnover. The benefits of the Caspian trade route to Persia were obvious, which explains the persistence of the English Moscow company in their attempts to acquire the right of duty-free trade with the East through Astrakhan and the Caspian Sea, as well as trade privileges from the Moscow tsar and the Persian shah. The main export article that went to England from Caspian areas was raw silk, which brought the British huge profit. As the British continued to develop the West Caspian Sea trade route, other foreigners started to show a greater interest in the region.

The article is devoted to the activities of the county administrative committees for the distribution of metayage among the local population. By using earlytwentieth-century archival materials concerning the Tomsk province, the author was able to draw the conclusion that institutions under consideration applied a considerable effort to collect the information they needed. As tools to provide relative parity in the distribution of duties, they used: district regionalization, local circumstances consideration and extension of those under natural duties. In line with the reform in the sphere, the Committee sought to abolish the procedure for allocation of duties, based on the registered number of able-bodied peasants. It was suggested to introduce a system based on taking into account the quantity and the quality of land. In abandoning the metayage way and moving on to paying peasants monetary equivalent, they saw a way of achieving a greater equalization. Regular meetings of municipal officials provided a significant assistance to administrative committees. Opinions that were formed during such meetings contributed to a better understanding of existing problems in the sphere. Delays in the adoption of the updated threeyear implementation schedules by local administrative committees had a negative effect on the distribution of parity obligations.

The aim of the article is to analyze the 1970 constitutional changes influence on the Buryat ASSR authorities functioning with the use of systematic and comparative approaches, and institutional method of research, and also unpublished archival materials. The text of the Fundamental Law of the autonomous republic was promulgated in mass media with a total amount of more than 170 thousand copies. Broad and purposeful explanatory work was carried out by members of the Constitutional commission of the republic, the ideological core group and editorial offices of newspapers, radio and television. The new Buryat ASSR Constitution was officially adopted on May 30, 1978 at the session of the supreme body of the government. Its text included new sections and chapters, and a number of articles were changed and added. The Buryat ASSR was proclaimed a socialist public state. The legal status was determined in detail, as well as the order and forms of activities of the Supreme Council, its Presidium and Council of ministers of the ASSR were regulated. People's Deputies of all levels constituted a single system of the government. The national statehood of Buryatia was limited. The declared and expanded political and social rights of citizens remained declarative in many respects. The unique political party won the constitutional status of leading and directing force of society denying all principles of separation of the authorities and turned into the main element of government institution. At the same time, the system of the state was not ideal. There followed a painful process of familiarizing working people with implementation of government and management. The local councils (sovjets) were supposed to represent workers’ power but remained considerably the power over working masses. Bureaucratization of the councils’ activities grew stronger, the councils were substituted by party committees, stability of personnel turned into their irremovability, stagnation and gerontocracy, Councils’ control over the work of executive bodies required cardinal strengthening. A serious adjustment of the electoral system and democratization of political life of the society was needed. The considered materials can be used for a comparative analysis of activity of public organs of different levels.

The article features crime in the White Omsk under the Provisional AllRussian government and the government of the admiral A. V. Kolchak (1918– 1919). The rise in crime in the years of Civil War was caused by the complicated social and economic situation, destruction of habitual social institutes, growing social marginalization and a huge flow of refugees. On the basis of Omsk newspaper publications, main types of crime are allocated. Thefts and profiteering were the most widespread types of offences in the city during this period. Also, the fact that civil population owned a large number of weapons boosted armed robberies. Fraud, counterfeiting and opium dens took place as well. The characteristic feature of crime of that time was large frauds and abuse of authority (the so-called "panamas": "tea panama", "carriage panama"). In spite of the fact that the Omsk militia actively fought crime, they couldn't stop its growth as the continuing civil war strengthened negative social and economic tendencies in social development.

The subject of the study is the definition of the sources of the articles of the Siberian chronicle code (beginning with its early edition – the Kniga Zapisnaya, or the Registry Book) dedicated to the emergence of the Kuznetsk and Yenisei stockade settlements. The purpose of the paper is to compare chronicle news in the context of the narrative of anonymous scribes about the resumption of the Russian urban planning in Siberia beginning with the enthronement of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. The main method of analysis is the comparison of the reports with each other as well as with documentary evidence. As a result, it appears that the creators of the code, in particular, the protograph of its early editions, turned to the replies of the Tobolsk, theh Kuznetsk, and the Yenissei administrators on the construction of new Russian stockades on the banks of the Tom and the Yenissei rivers in 1618– 1619. The field of application of observations concerning the origin of the articles of interest is the history of Siberian chronicle writing and the Russian colonization of Siberia in the first quarter of the 17th century. The conclusions are substantiated by the articles of the initial editions of the Siberian chronicle that are based on documentary sources. The testimony of the first Yenissei voivode Ya. I. Khripunov, the creator of the Kniga Zapisnaya, was omitted in later versions but apparently conveys memories that date back to the mid-17th century. During the editing and copying of the code, a number of inaccuracies occurred, but most of the information given in the annals can be considered rather reliable. The further history of the articles under consideration in many respects reflects the evolution of the Siberian literary tradition in the 17th century.

The article is devoted to the study of demographic processes on a narrow territorial subarea (left bank Prichulyme within the modern Kemerovo region). A methodical solution is to define comparable boundaries of administrativeterritorial division (on the county and the township levels, taking into account the composition of the settlements). The article identifies the factors that contributed to the agricultural colonization in the area (the passage of the Moscow-Siberian highway, openness of territory for new settlers, government events, the opening of gold mines, exile). One of the features of the process of population reproduction (state peasants) in comparison with ascribed volosts of the Middle Pritom’e was the dominance of mechanical growth over natural growth. The result was a much larger average annual growth rate of the state peasants (4.2 % and 0.96 % respectively), when the average number of state peasants per village was 3.7 times higher (295 and 78.7 of male population). In absolute terms, the number of state peasants as a result of the census register-X (1858) exceeded the bonded peasants (28011 and 25829 of men population respectively).

The article is devoted to analysis of the experience of methodological synthesis, carried out during the reconstruction of the historical evolution of science and higher historical education in Siberia. In relation to the object of study three approaches were used: modernization theory, the theory of internal colonization and the concept of centre-periphery relations. The critical analysis of various research strategies allowed us to reveal and formulate their cumulative heuristic potential which can be staticized and applied at the present stage of historical researches at the level of any Russian macro-region. Shortcomings and expenses of their research application are compensated on condition of their complex use and mutual addition. The results received by means of their synthesis make it possible to consider the Siberian macroregional system of historical science and education which developed in the 20th century as a complex multiple-factor socio-political phenomenon performing, first of all, integrative function in the space of social consciousness. The Soviet practices of the organization and carrying out historical researches within system of the higher school on the territory of the Siberian region correspond to trajectories and logic of development the center – the peripheral relations. Formation of the Soviet scientific and historical worldview took place in the context of socio-political and socio-cultural evolution of the Soviet state and, in general, fit within the frame of the modernization processes initiated as early as in the second half of the 19th century.

The article investigates the design and the mission of the companion of the Bent Pyramid of Snefru in Dashur. Scientists have confirmed that the companion Pyramid is not the tomb of Queen Hetepheres and not a place of other ritual uses. Today, there is no convincing explanation of its purpose. Based on the results of recent studies of ISIDA (The Research Community on the Study of Ancient Artifacts) 2012–2013, the author puts forward a version that the companion of the Pyramid of Snefru served as a test platform for cable endurance. The structural elements of the pyramid – the blocks with the signs of the damage from mechanical impact of snapped cables, the vertical shaft with signs of test results on the walls, as well as the cable tier at the pyramid entrance to keep the tested cables – confirm this version. The presence of the circular paired holes for logs cut out in the walls of the corridor (for mounting a bollard) in front of the block at the camera side is consistent with the purpose of this structure.