During the preparation and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin, the scientific periodical press played a major role not only in highlighting the world-historical significance of V. I. Lenin's theoretical and practical activities and promoting Lenin's historical concept, but also in organizing the work of historians to honor the anniversary, which became an important stage in the development of Soviet science. From this point of view, of great interest is the experience of the journal "History of the USSR", whose task was to reveal the role of V. I. Lenin as the leader of the Communist Party and the Soviet State, and his contribution to the development of specific problems of the history of the USSR, to focus public attention on Lenin's methodology for studying the most relevant contemporary problems of Russian historiography.

In 1969-1970 Lenin's themes formed the basis of the content of all sections of the journal "History of the USSR"without exception. Its many-sided expression was promoted by successfully found organizational forms. Under the general motto "To the centenary of the birth of V. I. Lenin", articles and messages devoted to various issues were published. These are primarily articles describing Lenin's contribution to the development of specific problems of Russian history, as well as the further development of Lenin's ideas and scientific traditions in the works of Soviet researchers. Thus, A. F. Smirnov's article " On the question of the Leninist concept of the liberation movement in Russia "(1970, No. 2) contained very interesting generalizations about the main directions and results of the study of the history of the Russian liberation movement in the light of Lenin's definition of its stages. A. M. Anfimov's article "Lenin and the Problems of Agrarian Capitalism" (1969, No. 4) was devoted to the analysis of Lenin's concept of Russian agrarian capitalism. The author shows that Lenin's concept is a classic example of the creative application of the Marxist theory of agrarian capitalism to a country where the conditions for its development were particularly difficult.

V. Ya. Laverychev's article "Some features of the development of monopolies in Russia (1900-1914)" (1969, No. 3) is certainly among the anniversary publications, since the consideration of specific historical material and the conclusions drawn in it on the basis of this analysis indicate that the author successfully applied the Leninist methodology to the study of general problems. patterns of development of capitalism and their specific manifestations in the Russian economy. By systematizing data on the development of monopolistic associations, the author proved that without taking into account the simplest cartel agreements, it is impossible to get a sufficiently complete picture of the process of monopolization of the Russian economy at the beginning of the XX century. The result of the study was also a confirmation of Lenin's conclusion that by the end of the First World War, the degree of monopolization of Russian industry did not lag behind the advanced capitalist countries. Following Lenin's instructions on the importance of studying the process of development of capitalism in the former national suburbs of tsarist Russia, S. A. Sundetov in his report "On the Genesis of capitalism in agriculture in Kazakhstan" (1969, No. 2) noted a number of issues:

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There are some significant points that characterize the features of the socio - economic development of the Kazakh village at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries.

V. I. Lenin's role in the development of the problems of the post-October period in the history of our Motherland was highlighted in her article "V. I. Lenin's development of the class structure of Soviet Society in transition" by V. M. Selunskaya (1970, No. 2). It showed that V. I. Lenin was at the origin of studying one of the most complex issues in the history of Soviet society - the process of class evolution in the course of their interaction during the transition period from capitalism to socialism. The article reflects the new contribution of V. I. Lenin to the Marxist doctrine of classes in the era of building socialism. The conclusions drawn as a result of an in-depth study of Lenin's works formed the basis for the author's proposed new periodization of the process of forming a socially unified society in the USSR.

The merit of the journal is also raising the question of the significance of V. I. Lenin's works for further improvement of methods of historical cognition. To this end, the magazine published a number of articles on its pages, the authors of which turned to the creative laboratory of V. I. Lenin. Among them should be noted the article by P. G. Ryndzunsky "Comparative-historical methods of V. I. Lenin in studying the development of capitalism in Russia" (1969, N 3), which proves that the comparative approach to the study of the Russian historical process in the works of V. I. Lenin is organically characteristic of Marxist science, that it follows from the historical-materialist theory of the development of capitalism in its foundations and from the recognition of the leading importance of economic processes. The question of a comparative historical approach to the analysis and evaluation of historical facts and events in the works of V. I. Lenin is also raised in B. G. Mogilnitsky's article " V. I. Lenin on the Experience of History "(1970, No. 2). The author considers the question of the significance of the experience of history in the practical activity of V. I. Lenin as a theorist and leader of the revolutionary struggle of the proletariat and the construction of the world's first state of workers and peasants.

From the point of view of developing the theoretical foundations of modern concrete source studies, B. G. Litvak approached the analysis of Lenin's methods of processing sources in the article "Lenin's methods of source analysis and methods for studying mass documentation" (1970, N 2).

Articles about Lenin's practical activities in the post-October period occupied a large place in the journal. Basically, they reflect the activities of V. I. Lenin in the field of economic construction. R. M. Savitskaya's article "V. I. Lenin and the Nationalization of Industry in the spring and summer of 1918" (1969, No. 3) is devoted to the experience of nationalization of industry in the USSR during the formation of the proletarian dictatorship. Based on extensive material, the author shows V. I. Lenin's daily control over the course of nationalization and its results. R. M. Savitskaya raised the problem of economic competition between socialist and capitalist elements as a form of class struggle in relation to the initial period of economic construction in Soviet Russia. This problem is considered more broadly by E. B. Genkina in her articles on V. I. Lenin's activities in the field of economic leadership with the transition to peaceful socialist construction ("V. I. Lenin and some questions of economic leadership during the transition to the NEP", 1968, No. 2; "V. I. Lenin and Some Questions of agricultural leadership after the transition to the NEP"). to the NEP" (1969, No. 3). The author makes a number of significant clarifications in the interpretation of the history of the development of Lenin's new economic policy, considering the "Order of the Council of People's Commissars" of August 9, 1921, as a document that for the first time laid out the foundations for implementing NEP directly in the socialist sector of the economy and thus opened the way for the search for new forms of strengthening capitalist. The author also sheds additional light on the activities of V. I. Lenin in carrying out the course worked out at the X Party Congress in the trade union movement. Recently, a number of points of view have been expressed in the scientific literature on the content of the assessments of cooperation put forward by V. I. Lenin at various stages of socialist construction. In this connection, E. B. Genkina writes: "In Lenin's assessment of cooperation in 1918, 1921, and 1923, there was also a direct continuity. But this did not mean a simple repetition,

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either to expand, or only to concretize, once and for all the party's established views on cooperation under the dictatorship of the proletariat. In fact, these views were constantly developed, enriched by new experience, taking into account new circumstances, which led to the formulation of fundamentally new tasks and a new assessment of the role of cooperation in new historical conditions" (1969, No. 3, p.27).

The problems of the formation of the Soviet planning system are considered by 3. K. Zvezdin in the article "Lenin's principles of planning in the activities of the State Planning Committee (1921-1925) "(1969, N 5). V. I. Lenin, the author writes, is credited not only with the theoretical justification of state planning as one of the most important features and characteristics of the socialist mode of production but also in the practical management of the creation of Soviet planning bodies, the definition of the methodology and methodology of national economic planning, the introduction of planning in all spheres of the state apparatus. As the Fifth International Congress of Economic History held in Leningrad in August 1970 showed, planned work in the USSR during the period of restoration and socialist reconstruction of the national economy is attracting increasing attention of researchers both in our country and abroad, being the object of a sharp ideological struggle. Therefore, the attempt of Z. K. Zvezdin to consider the problems raised by him on concrete historical material seems very relevant. The formation of the Soviet apparatus for managing the national economy under the leadership of V. I. Lenin is described in the report of M. N. Lenin. Chernomorskiy "V. I. Lenin and the organization of current industrial statistics in the first years of NEP "(1970, N 2).

The most important theoretical conclusions drawn in recent years by the Communist Party about the role of collective farms and state farms in socialist and communist construction, the restructuring of their activities in the context of the application of a new system of planning and economic incentives have determined a great interest in the history, in particular, of state farm construction, to its early stages, when in the the nature of socio-economic relations both within the state farm itself and outside it - between the state farm and other state and public organizations. I. E. Zelenin's article "V. I. Lenin and the first experience of state farm construction in the USSR (1917-1924)" (1969, No. 6) examines the history of the creation of the first state farms based on the socialization of large landowners ' farms, the development of effective forms of state farm management, the formation of their personnel, the transition of state farms to self-financing with the introduction of NEP, the ideological the struggle against the left Social Revolutionaries and bourgeois economists. As the author emphasizes, V. I. Lenin closely followed the progress of state farm construction in the USSR, directing the policy of the party and Soviet organs. He has done a great deal of credit for justifying the essence of state farms as one of the forms of socialist transformation of agriculture, and for their leading role in introducing the most progressive forms of labor.

One of the most important areas of V. I. Lenin's state activity was the management of state security agencies. A. S. Velidov's article "On Guard of the Gains of the Revolution" (1970, No. 1) notes V. I. Lenin's decisive contribution to defining the functions of the Cheka as an organ for combating counterrevolution not only during the civil war, but also during the period of peaceful socialist construction, and to improving the methods of its activities in accordance with the changing conditions of the class struggle. The author writes: "While exercising general leadership of the All-Russian Emergency Commission through the Central Committee of the RCP (b), the Council of People's Commissars and the Defense Council, V. I. Lenin ensured that all its actions were carried out on the basis of directives of the Communist Party and under its control. He repeatedly pointed out that in the Soviet state the activities of all departments should be conducted on the exact basis of directives issued by the party in the person of its Central Committee and under its direct leadership" (p. 18). V. I. Lenin saw the guarantee of successful activity of the Cheka in relying on the broad masses of working people, in improving relations with the central and local Soviet bodies. Revolutionary vigilance, resolute suppression of counter-revolution, and at the same time strict observance of Soviet legality - these are the Leninist principles underlying the activities of the Cheka.

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Among the reasons for the need for further in-depth development of the history of Soviet foreign policy in the first years of peaceful socialist construction, A. O. Chubaryan, in his article "V. I. Lenin and Genoa" (1970, No. 2), highlights the relevance of the problems solved by Soviet diplomacy at that time, the need to understand a number of Lenin's documents published in recent years, and It also exposes the attempts of bourgeois falsifiers to distort the aims and character of the foreign policy actions of the Soviet Government. The author concludes that B. I. Lenin's creative approach to the tasks of Soviet diplomacy, based on a scientific analysis of the changes that occurred during the First World War and the civil War in the USSR and around the world, allowed the world's first state of workers and peasants to break through the front of foreign policy isolation, strengthen economic ties with capitalist countries, states in solving fundamental international problems.

Thus, the published articles and reports indicate the desire of the journal "History of the USSR" to widely reflect the achievements of specialists in the history of the USSR in the study of the topic "Lenin and History".

We should, however, wish the journal to devote more space to some important scientific problems that have not yet received the necessary coverage. Only one article by S. V. Tyutyukin, " Lenin and the Entry of Bolshevism into the International Arena "(1969, No. 2), during the period under review presented such a problem as V. I. Lenin's development of a strategy and tactics for leading the Russian and international communist movement and the revolutionary struggle of the working class. The journal pays insufficient attention to the problems of political struggle in the period between the first Russian bourgeois - democratic and Great October Socialist Revolutions, and to the role of V. I. Lenin in the scientific analysis of the program and tactics of non-proletarian parties at various stages of the revolution's development. Methodological problems of historical science in connection with Lenin's theory of historical knowledge need to be developed more vigorously. It would be important, in particular, to highlight the theoretical problems of modern source studies in connection with the process of improving auxiliary disciplines, and especially with the use of statistical and mathematical analysis methods. The journal's work in this direction would serve to further substantiate the definition of Leninism as a "methodology of revolutionary thinking and action" .1
Articles and reports on Leninist subjects in the journal are directly linked to the materials of the department "History of the USSR Abroad", which covered a very important issue - "V. I. Lenin and modern foreign historiography". The magazine attracted not only Soviet but also foreign authors for this purpose. Along with exposing the falsifying role of reactionary bourgeois historians, these speeches present the facts of the positive approach of progressive bourgeois scientists to Lenin's historical and theoretical heritage and the problem of the influence of his practical-revolutionary activities on the course of historical events. In this sense, the reviews of foreign literature written by S. R. Sukhorukov - "V. I. Lenin and Soviet-German relations of 1917 - 1922 in the light of modern West German bourgeois historiography", Yu. I. Igritsky and G. Z. Ioffe - "V. I. Lenin, 1917 and the latest bourgeois historiography", N. E. Bespalov-are interesting. "Lenin and the Formation of Bolshevism in the light of modern Anglo-American historiography", etc.

The journal paid special attention to the work of scientists from socialist countries in promoting Leninism. For this purpose, materials on the publication of V. I. Lenin's works in the German Democratic Republic and in Hungary (1970, No. 1) were published. It seems to us that in the future the journal should devote more space to showing the practical results of this work, and especially the search for ways to develop the modern theory of historical knowledge. This request also applies to the journal's coverage of problems of foreign historiography. It is important to step up criticism

1 "To the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin". Theses of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Moscow 1970, p. 5.

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the so-called new and up-to-date theories of bourgeois historical science directed against the Marxist-Leninist methodology of historical cognition.

The publication of documentary material under the general heading "Following in the Footsteps of Lenin's instructions" played an important role in the magazine's coverage of Lenin's activities as the head of the Soviet State. This form of presentation of previously unpublished material should be considered successful, which allowed us to clearly show not only the broad state and socio-political activities of the great leader of our party and state, but also the Leninist leadership style. About 50 new archival documents were published on the pages of the magazine on the most important problems that worried V. I. Lenin during the civil war and the country's transition to peaceful construction (procurement and distribution of products, nationalization of industry and the development of its individual branches, electrification of the national economy, the activities of the state apparatus, strengthening international relations of workers, etc. (1969, NN 2, 4; 1970, NN 1-2). Most of the documents contain new information on the practical activities of party, Soviet, and economic organizations, on the positions of a number of Soviet and party leaders on topical issues of economic policy, on the characteristics of certain figures, and so on. The researchers obtained valuable information about the scope and directions of V. I. Lenin's state activity.

In preparation for the Lenin jubilee, the journal significantly restructured the content of the "Criticism and Bibliography" section, focusing on works devoted to V. I. Lenin, Lenin's concept of history, and the historical significance of Leninism. Attaching great importance to work in the field of bibliography and peer review, the editorial board usually attracts leading scientists to it, which ensures a high level of publications, reasoned critical comments and suggestions.

The reader of the journal was able to get a fairly complete picture of the largest studies published in the capital and in the field, about the current problems solved by historical science, about the nature of the problems discussed. Out of the large number of papers published in recent years, the editorial board has chosen to review those that make a significant contribution to the development of science, and especially to the study of the multifaceted activities of V. I. Lenin. These are generalizing works on the history of the working class of the U.S.S.R., the implementation of Lenin's national policy in the U.S.S.R., international relations, the fate of petty-bourgeois parties in Russia, and others.

Three issues of the journal included the thematic bibliography " V. I. Lenin as a historian. Bibliography of Soviet Historical Literature", made in the sector of the History of Historical Science of the Institute of the History of the USSR of the USSR Academy of Sciences, edited by E. N. Gorodetsky. This publication is one of the undisputed successes of the magazine. The interest in this work on the part of specialists is huge. It is once again proved how important systematic work on the publication of scientific bibliographies on the most pressing issues is. Researchers, teachers of higher and secondary schools, propagandists are interested in the speedy publication and bibliography of historical literature published to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. I. Lenin. It seems that the magazine "History of the USSR" can not stay away from this case.

Familiarity with the contents of all sections of the journal for 1969-1970 shows that its work was an important contribution to the scientific propaganda of Lenin's historical and theoretical heritage. The journal outlined ways to fulfill the tasks that follow from the Central Committee of the CPSU Theses "On the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin", in highlighting the great historical role of V. I. Lenin as a theorist of the socialist revolution, as a leader of the Russian and international communist and labor movement, as an organizer and leader of the Soviet Socialist state, as a great scientist.

The journal successfully contributed to the work of Soviet historians in search of the right ways to creatively apply Lenin's methodology and methods of historical cognition to the solution of modern problems of historical science and, above all, national history.

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