The soviet repressive-totalitarian system according to the sourcesby the magazine «From the archives of the VUCHK-GPU-NKVD-KGB»

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to trace through the pages of the magazine «From the archives of the VUCHK-GPU-NKVD-KGB» for 1994-2022, what role it played in the formation of the domestic historiography of the Soviet repressive-terrorist system thanks to the opening of archival materials of the special services of the USSR, to trace the results of cooperation historians, archivists and public activists in the restoration of historical truth and justice. The research methodology is based on the historiographical and source-based analysis of documentary, informational and scientific-analytical materials of the magazine. Scientific novelty. 57 issues of the magazine «From the archives of the VUCHK-HPU-NKVD-KGB» were comprehensively processed. The focus of the review is publications about the Soviet repressive system, analyzed according to a) structuring of materials by headings, b) typology of publication of documents (integral complexes; thematic cases; separate documents); c) authored scientific and analytical articles based on archival sources. Conclusions. From the very beginning, the magazine acquired the status of an authoritative scientific and documentary publication, necessary for the study and understanding of the Soviet repressive system. The documentary base published on the pages of the magazine contributed to the deepening of knowledge about the Soviet regime. Thanks to new documents from special funds and archives of the Soviet special services, researchers debunk the myths of Soviet propaganda, destroy stereotypes about the social security of citizens of the USSR, about «social justice» and «socialist legality». The publication of documents and scientific-analytical articles contributed to the progress of domestic historiography of Stalinism and totalitarianism in the socio-cultural plane, thanks to the anthropocentric approach, historians expanded the study of repression not only through institutions and bodies, but through everyday life, attitudes and behavior of society.