Ancient History of the USSR in the Lectures of Yuri V. Gauthier of the 1930th

Abstract

The transcripts of Yuri V. Gauthier’s lectures from the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences can show how the process of including the “most ancient period” in the course of the history of the USSR took place. Gauthier was a historian from the “old professorship”, he tended to study of the history of the USSR as a modificated variant of the history of Russia. Turning to the material of “ancient history of the USSR” made it possible, firstly, to show the multinationality of the USSR, including often the history of the titular nations of some of its republics. Secondly, this topic indicates the presence on its territory the slave-owning formation, which helped to synchronize the historical process in the USSR and Western Europe. “Ancient history of the USSR” was complicated and poorly studied at those times, however its study made it possible both to meet the governmental requirements to historical science, and to maintain the usual structure of the lectures on the history of Russia.