DOI: 10.20535/2307-5244.50.2020.210155
Belarussian State University, Minsk city
Odesa National Polytechnic University
The article addresses the reflection of Holodomor of the 1930s on the territory of Belarus in contemporary historical studies and in modern opinion journalism. The general conclusions about the place of Holodomor in the historiography of Belarus are formulated. More importantly, the subject is analyzed with regard to the modernization processes that took place in Belarus. Such a perspective highlights the artificial and political nature of Holodomor, which enables tracing the differences of historiographic processes in Belarus and see this phenomenon in the actual dimension. On the basis of general scientific principles of objectivity and systemic approach, the methods of analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, systematization, classification, periodization, generalization and the methods peculiar to historical science (narrative, problem-chronological, synchronous, systemic, and comparative-historical namely) the authors conclude that, firstly, the subject of famines of the 1930s and 1946 exists only in contemporary literature and almost absent in the earlier historiography. Secondly, despite the immaturity of the topic in the historiography of Belarus, a certain topical revision of the known data, namely the tragedy of the extermination of the peasantry of Belarus, is at present clearly highlighted. Thirdly, the magnitude of famine in Belarus has not been determined yet, therefore, it remains the important task of future research. Furthermore, the problem of escapes from Ukraine to Belarus and the difference of historical contexts in Ukraine and Belarus needs further analysis and interpretation. In general, political journalism provides a wider representation of famine and emphasizes the axiological aspects of the 1930s in a more radical way in comparison to purely scientific works.
Keywords: modernization, historiography, Belarus, agrarian development, natural disasters, social cataclysms, Holodomor, politics.
