DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF THE KHARKIV THEATER INSTITUTE IN THE FIRST POSTWAR DECADE (1945–1955)

Abstract

The purpose of the work. This scientific paper delves into the studies of the evolution of the Department for Social Sciences of the Kharkov Theater Institute during the first postwar decade of the apotheosis of the totalitarian regime and Stalin personality cult. Teaching, methodical and scientific activities of the academics working for the department and the main of their research papers were analyzed. Methods. When writing the article, the following special historical methods were used: historical-genetic, which made it possible to trace the development of the department in the postwar years, changes in the staff, in the course programs and their registers. We used a historical and biographical approach, which allowed us to analyze the staff of the department, its professional and educational level, etc. The method of structural analysis war also used, which made it possible to reconstruct the structure of the department in the years under study. Results. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first, on the basis of archival and other sources, the educational and methodological, scientific activities, the staff of the Department of Social Sciences in 1945–1955 were analyzed. Which made the development of social sciences at the time of beginning of the cold war that had an impact on the development of social sciences in the USSR and other countries has been investigated. This scientific paper is devoted to the role of Stalinism in organizing the attack the ideological dissension, and search for “internal enemies” to fight the cosmopolitism. Ideological campaigns in 40–50’s of the century had a negative influence on the development of sciences affecting thus the activities of Kharkov historians and scientists. Conclusions. In conditions of confrontation between the USSR and USA the departments of social sciences were assigned a special role in the disclosure of “bourgeois ideology”, fighting the “anti-patriotism” and “cosmopolitanism”. At the end of 40’s and the beginning of 50’s the country launched the campaign for the search of “internal enemies”. During the analyzed decade the social science was developed at the Institutions of Higher Education as a single stream of the entire soviet science. The decisions taken by the Party and the government on ideological issues had an essential influence on the development of social sciences and were aimed at the improvement of the teaching process in the spirit dictated and required by the government. The period in question is characterized by a gradual improvement of teaching-methodical and research activities. More rigid requirements were set to the quality of thesis, scientific topicality and research topics. The scope of studied topics was extended and it can be seen on the example of the activities carried out by the Department for Social Sciences at the Kharkov Institute of Theater.