Research and Teaching in Russian and Soviet History at Sofia University: Traditions and Continuity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60053/GSU.IF.1.80.149-167Keywords:
Sofia University , Faculty of History, Russia, USSR, History of Russia, Chavdar Naydenov, Iskra Ilieva, Rumyana Radenska, Kievan Rus', Russia and Poland, economic and social status, Russia's foreign and domestic policy, history of the department, problems of Russian history, relations between Bulgaria and RussiaAbstract
This study traces the emergence and institutional development of Russian and Soviet History as a field of teaching and research at Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” from the late nineteenth century to the 1980s. It reconstructs the academic tradition and scholarly continuity that shaped the discipline.
The authors analyse the early stages marked by lectures delivered by Pavel Milyukov and Dimitar Agura, followed by the contributions of Georgi Dermanchev, Mikhail Popruzhenko, Piotr Bitsilli, and Venedikt Myakotin — Russian émigré scholars who brought European academic standards into Bulgarian higher education.
The article also explores the post-World War II reorganisation of the curriculum and the establishment of the Department of History of the USSR (1950), where research and teaching became systematised and focused on the history of the Soviet state, socialism, and the workers’ movement. Special attention is given to Marin Mihov, Stoyan Kolev, and Emil Mihailov, who consolidated a strong university school with recognised scholarly achievements.
The study concludes that the teaching and research of Russian and Soviet history at Sofia University form an integral part of Bulgarian historiographical tradition, ensuring continuity, international collaboration, and academic excellence.
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Copyright (c) 1992 Чавдар Найденов, Искра Илиева, Румяна Раденска
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Annual of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" - Faculty of History (GSU-IF).
