Стратегии выживания историка в авторитарных режимах = The Survival Strategies of Historians in Authoritarian Regimes

Szvák, Gyula (2026) Стратегии выживания историка в авторитарных режимах = The Survival Strategies of Historians in Authoritarian Regimes. RUSSIANSTUDIES.HU, 8 (1). pp. 11-18. ISSN 2677-1640

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Abstract

This study examines the fundamental professional challenge facing historians in every era,namely their dependence on external mandates and expectations. In democratic contexts,historians ideally operate under a social mandate within democratic institutions, withmaterial support subject to public oversight. In contrast, in autocratic and authoritariansystems historical scholarship is shaped by the demands of political power.To assess historians working under the Stalinist dictatorship, historiography mustadopt a contextualized and differentiated approach, emphasizing structural constraintswhile also allowing for understanding, empathy, and retrospective scholarly solidarity.Extreme cases such as Anna M. Pankratova, often labeled the “fist of the party” withinthe profession, require nuanced evaluation. The career of Boris D. Grekov illustratesstrategies of heightened adaptability and overfulfillment of expectations, whereas StepanB. Veselovsky’s career demonstrates that uncompromising scholarly work, though rare,remained possible under Stalinism.Comparable types appear in Hungarian historiography as well (Péter Hanák, DomokosKosáry, Jenő Szűcs). A key difference is that the Hungarian Stalinist period was relativelyshort, allowing greater career cOntinuity and limiting irreversible intellectual and existentialdamage to the discipline.

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