July 28-29 of this year in Puerto de la Cruz. Tenerife, Canary Islands) hosted the regular General Assembly of the International Committee of Historical Sciences (ICHS). It was attended by representatives of 25 national committees of historians: Bulgaria, Vatican, Great Britain. Hungary, Venezuela, Holland, Greece, Denmark, Iran, Spain, Italy, Canada, South Korea, Norway, Poland, Romania, USSR, USA, Turkey, Finland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Yugoslavia. The General Assembly was also attended by representatives of 12 international committees and commissions of the ICIN and its associated organizations: the International Committee on Onomastics, the International Commission on Latin American History (Pan American Institute), the International Association for Economic History, the International Association for the History of Law and Legal Institutions, the International Commission on Military History, and the International Commission on History universities, the International Commission on Social Movements and Social Structures, the International Commission on Maritime History, the International Committee on the History of World War II, the International Commission on Urban History, the Association of Southeast Asian Historians, and the Association of African Historians.

The National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union was represented at the General Assembly by the Deputy Chairmen of the National Committee, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences S. L. Tikhvinsky and A. O. Chubaryan.

In his opening remarks at the opening of the General Assembly, the President of the International Monetary Fund (IKIN) K. Erdmann (Germany), having focused on the history of previous international congresses of historical sciences, called for holding the next XV Congress (August 1980, Bucharest) at a high scientific level. In his opinion, the upcoming congress should fully contribute to the implementation of the main tasks of the ICHS  - the exchange of ideas in the field of historical science, testing the effectiveness of various schools and trends of historical thought, and increasing the specific weight and importance of history in the social and political spheres of life in the modern world. Noting the growing interest in history shown in various countries in recent years, K. Erdman focused on the duty of historians, regardless of their ideological views, to contribute to the strengthening of peace and mutual understanding between peoples through their works.

The report of the Secretary-General of ICHS  M. Francois (France) contained information on the decisions of the ICHS  Bureau meeting in 1976 in Ankara and, on the eve of the General Assembly, in Puerto de la Cruz. The report was criticized by the National Committee of Historians of the United States, which did not ensure timely distribution to the participants of the XIV International Congress of Historical Sciences (San Francisco, August 1975) lists of historians who arrived at the congress. M. Francois also informed about the decision of the IINC Bureau to accept a number of international organizations of historians as members of the ICHS  and about the content of the last, 10 (November 1, 1976), and the upcoming 11 (autumn 1979) issues of the IINC newsletter.

Speakers in the debate on the report of the IKIN Secretary-General: Representatives of Yugoslavia (r. Petrovic) and Finland (M. Kirkinen) criticized the procedure for electing members of the ICHS Bureau and put forward proposals for greater democratization of this international organization. The General Assembly listened with great attention to the representative's presentation. B. Barry Association of African Historians (Seine-

page 203

B. Barry spoke about the activities of the association, which unites historians of 22 African countries, and expressed the hope that African topics, along with the problem of decolonization, will be adequately reflected in the work of the XV International Congress of Historical Sciences. M. Berza (Romania), on behalf of the Organizing Committee of this congress, assured that all possible assistance will be provided to discuss various issues of the history of African peoples.

On the recommendation of the Bureau, the General Assembly unanimously accepted the Union of Arab Historians (as an associate organization) as a member of the ICHS , and the commissions on University History and urban history, which were previously affiliated with the ICIN, received the status of international commissions. Speaking on behalf of the Union of Arab Historians, M. Zunayber (Rabat University), who is the Union's Vice-president, said that the Union brings together historians from 20 countries, from Pakistan to Morocco, and that the Union's headquarters is located in Qatar. At the suggestion of N. Nielsen (University of Copenhagen), the General Assembly also approved the establishment of the Commission on Audiovisual Methods in the Study and teaching of history as an internal commission of the ICHS  and supported the proposal of M. Berz to establish an International Commission on the History of Historiography.

The General Assembly approved the amendments to the IINC Charter adopted by the Bureau at the Ankara session, which give representatives of various international IINC Committees equal voting rights with representatives of national Committees when deciding certain issues at the General Assembly.

The central place in the work of the General Assembly was occupied by the question of the order of work and topics of reports of the upcoming XV International Congress of Historical Sciences. It was decided that on the first day of its work, a plenary session dedicated to the opening ceremony will be held with the report of the National Committee of Historians of Romania. The second and third days of work will be devoted to discussing major topics and methodology topics. On the same days, various international committees, commissions and associations will meet in parallel. On the third day of the congress, a plenary session will be held with a report presented by the National Committee of Historians of Bulgaria. The fourth, fifth and sixth days of the Congress are reserved for sessions of sections on various chronological periods of history.

A decision was made on the next program of the congress and on the distribution of the topics of reports among the national committees of historians responsible for preparing reports and co-reports.

First section: "Main research topics".

1. " Eastern Europe-a zone of meeting of civilizations "(Report prepared by the National Committee of Historians of Romania, co-reports-historians of Bulgaria, Greece, Finland, Israel, Poland, USSR, USA, Turkey).

2. " Forms of problems of peace in history "(The report is prepared by the national committees of historians of Spain and Italy, co-reports - historians of the Vatican, the GDR, the USSR, the USA, France, Germany and Japan).

3. " Federal and pluralistic States "(Responsible for preparing the report of the National Committee of Historians of Poland. Co-reports are prepared by scientists from Austria, Venezuela, Canada, the USSR, the United States, the Union of Arab Historians, Germany, Switzerland and Yugoslavia).

4. " Women in Society "(The main report is prepared by the National Committee of Historians of France, co-reports are prepared by historians of Great Britain, Bulgaria, India, Mexico, the USSR, the USA, Turkey, Sweden and Switzerland).

Second section: "Problems of methodology".

1. "The language of the historian" (The main report is prepared by the National Committee of Historians of Germany. Historians from Great Britain, the GDR, Italy, Romania, Poland, and France will make co-reports.

2. " The place and role of history teaching, mainly in secondary schools, in the form of-

page 204

mirovaniya cheloveka XX veka " (The main report is prepared by the National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union. Co-rapporteurs are historians from Canada, Belgium, the Commission on the History of Latin America, the MNR, Romania, and Yugoslavia).

3. " Problems and methods of oral history "(The main report is assigned to the National Committee of Historians of the USA, co-reports - to historians of Hungary, Great Britain, Spain, Canada, Norway, the USSR and the Association of African Historians).

4. " Demography, epidemics, ecology "(The main report is prepared by the National Committee of Historians of Great Britain, co-reports - historians of Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Romania, Switzerland,. Czechoslovakia and France).

Third section: "History by chronological periods".

I. The Ancient World

A. East-West relations

1. "Relations of the Roman Empire with the barbarian peoples of North-Eastern Europe" (National Committee of Historians of Hungary).

2. "The formation of ancient states in East Asia and their mutual contacts" (National Committee of Historians of Japan).

3. "The Black Sea and the Caucasus between Rome and Parthia" (National Committee of Historians of Poland).

4. "Religious and political problems of South-Eastern Europe in the middle of the IV century" (National Committee of Vatican Historians).

5. "Interaction of cultures of the Black Sea region" (National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union).

B. Civilizations and societies

1. "Kings and Emperors in Late Antique and early Byzantine times" (National Committee of Historians of Germany).

2. "Controversial problems of Greek Cultural History" (National Committee of Historians of the GDR).

3. "The Athenian Family" (National Committee of Historians of Denmark).

4. "The Crisis of the third century A.D." (National Committee of Historians of Spain).

5. "Prosopography and social history in the period of the Roman Republic and Empire" (National Committee of Historians of France).

6. "The Dacians and their Civilization" (National Committee of Historians of Romania).

7. "Hittite Feudalism and its impact" (National Committee of Historians of Turkey).

P. The Middle Ages

A. Structure and changes in medieval society

1. "The structure of land ownership in the late Middle Ages as a problem of the development of Eastern Europe" (National Committee of Historians of Germany).

2. "Economic and social structures in the X and XI centuries" (National Committee of Historians of the GDR).

3. "The Korean Feudal State and dating of frescoed graves" (National Committee of Historians of the DPRK).

4. "The family and its structure in the Middle Ages" (National Committee of Historians of France).

5. "Colonization of Right Wallachia" (National Committee of Czechoslovakia).

6. "Currents of rationalistic thought in the Middle East in the 9th century" (National Committee of Historians of Turkey).

B. East-West relations

1. "Cyprus as a springboard between the West and the East in the Age of the Crusades" (National Committee of Historians of Cyprus).

2. "Continental Europe, the North Sea and the Baltic in the Early Middle Ages (900-1200)" (National Committee of Historians of Denmark).

3. "The interdependence of Jewish, Islamic and Christian cultures in the Medieval West" (National Committee of Historians of Spain).

4. "Trade between the countries of the Levant and Eastern Europe" (National Committee of Historians of Hungary).

5. " Medieval historiography and historical culture. Jan Dlugosz (1415-1480) and his place in the historiography of the 15th century" (National Committee of Historians of Poland).

6. " The influence of religious movements on

page 205

The development of languages in South-Eastern Europe during the Early Middle Ages " (Vatican National Committee of Historians).

III. New story

A. Relations between continents and peoples

1. "Cultural Contacts between France and American Indians" (National Committee of Historians of Canada).

2. "The place of Middle Eastern countries in the Ottoman and European Imperial systems" (National Committee of Historians of Cyprus).

3. "Settling the Crisis: The Berlin Congress (1878)" (National Committee of Historians of Yugoslavia).

4. " Mother Countries and Overseas Societies: export or adaptation?" (National Committee of Historians of France).

5. "Islam under the Qing Dynasty (18th-century China)" (National Committee of Historians of Japan).

6. "Dissemination of knowledge about Russia in Western culture of the XVI-XVII centuries" (National Committee of Vatican Historians).

7. "Typology of national revival in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe" (National Committee of Historians of Czechoslovakia).

B. Ideas and societies

1. "Problems of anti-government sects in the XVI century" (National Committee of Historians of Germany).

2. "European peasant movements of the XVI-XVIII centuries" (National Committee of Historians of the GDR).

3. "Intelligentsia and power" (Italian National Committee of Historians).

4. "Enlighteners in Central and South-Eastern Europe and the socio-political consequences of their activities" (National Committee of Historians of Romania).

5. "Waqfs as a public and humanitarian institute of the Ottoman Empire" (National Committee of Historians of Turkey).

6. "Progressive social thought of Russia in the second half of the XIX century and Western Europe: problems of mutual influence" (National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union).

7. "The Peasantry and the National State: the Problem of National Identity in France and Germany in the 19th century" (National Committee of Historians of the USA).

B. Economy

1. " Forms of Dependency in Pre-colonial Africa "(Association of African Historians).

2. "American Trade as the engine of European Christianity" (National Committee of Historians of Spain).

3. "Continental economy in North and South America in the XVIII-XIX centuries" (National Committee of Historians of Sweden).

4. "The emergence of capitalist Relations in Korea" (National Committee of Historians of the DPRK).

IV. Recent history

A. International relations

1. "International activities of the Autonomous Overseas Countries of the British Commonwealth after 1914" (National Committee of Historians of Canada).

2. "The phenomenon of neutrality during the World Wars" (National Committee of Historians of Spain).

3. "Attempts to achieve Arab unity in the twentieth century" (National Committee of Historians of Iraq).

4. "The Decline of Imperialist World Systems and Problems of Peace in Asia in the twentieth century" (National Committee of Historians of Japan).

5. "Diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Eastern Europe in the XX century" (National Committee of Vatican Historians).

6. "The role of small countries in international relations of the XX century" (National Committee of Historians of Switzerland).

B. Domestic politics and economics

1. "Large enterprises and the rise of managerial capitalism at the end of the XIX - * / beginning of the XX century (Comparison of Germany, the USA * and Great Britain)" (National Committee of Historians of Germany).

2. "The Labor Movement and the Colonial Question" (National Committee of Historians of the GDR).

3. " The relationship between the structure of enterprises and the Industrial revolution in the XX century."

page 206

(National Committee of Historians of France).

4. "The economic crisis in Eastern Europe in 1929-1933" (National Committee of Historians of Hungary).

5. "Rise and underdevelopment in the world in the XX century" (National Committee of Historians of Italy).

6. "Norwegian Economy after World War II" (National Committee of Historians of Norway).

7. "National Minorities in South-Eastern Europe" (National Committee of Historians of Yugoslavia).

B. Companies

1. "Typology of crime and its suppression" (National Committee of Historians of Finland).

2. "Sport as a social and cultural factor" (National Committee of Historians of Poland).

3. "Agrarian reforms in the period between the two World Wars" (National Committee of Historians of Romania).

4. "Scientific and technological progress and peaceful coexistence in the modern era" (National Committee of Historians of Czechoslovakia).

5. "On the correlation of social and national issues in the Xinhai Revolution in China (1911-1913)" (National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union).

6. "Social Mobility in the United States" (National Committee of Historians of the United States).

7. "The formation of autochthonous elites in recently decolonized countries" (National Committee of Historians of Zaire).

8. " Cooperation between labor and management in the management of industry in the XX century . Forms of cooperation, changes in the balance of power of organized groups in modern England " (National Committee of Historians of Great Britain).

Fourth section: "International Committees and Commissions"

1. International Commission of Slavic Studies: "Results of Slavic studies in the world after 1945".

2. International Committee on Onomastics: "Name research".

3. Pan American Institute: "The Universal History of America Project".

4. Numismatics Commission: "Numismatics as a source for the history of art and the history of ideas".

5. Association for Economic History: "East-West Economic Relations since the Middle Ages".

6. International Association for the History of Law: "Marriage, religion and law; marriage in Eastern and Western Europe in the Middle Ages; marriage in the Islamic world; the secular nature of marriage in Europe since the 16th century; marriage in Black Africa in the colonial era."

7. International Commission on Social Movements and Social Structures: "Problems of small enterprises (artisans, small traders, etc.) in the face of industrial development and the socio-economic consequences of this development from the end of the XVIII century to the present day."

8. International Commission on Maritime History: "The social environment of seafarers' lives on land and at sea".

9. International Committee on the History of World War II: "Propaganda during the Second World War, its means, methods, image of the enemy, its results".

10. International Commission on the History of State Representative Assemblies: "Landtags and Provincial Assemblies. Modern State and parliamentary institutions".

11. International Commission on Military History: "Relations between the army and society. Theory and reality of war".

12. Commission for Comparative Church History: "Comparison of Christian societies (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox) at the end of the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the modern era (spiritual life, institutions)". (The second topic will be determined in the fall of 1978 at the Uppsala colloquium.)

13. Commission on Demography: "Application of demography to historical sciences".

14. International Commission on the History of Cities: "Central Government and Cities in Europe from the 16th century to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution".

15. International Commission on the History of Universities: "Pre-university schools" (or "Textbooks used in universities", or "University archives").

16. International Commission on the History of the French Revolution: "Revolutsii-

page 207

traffic in South-Eastern Europe from 1770 to 1870"

17. Association of African Historians: "Economic, Political and social movements in Africa from 1914 to the present day".

18. Union of Arab Historians (the topic has not yet been determined).

Thus, by the decision of the General Assembly of the International Institute of Historical Sciences, the National Committee of Historians of the Soviet Union is entrusted with the task of preparing nine reports and co-reports for the upcoming XV International Congress of Historical Sciences.

The General Assembly decided that the names of the rapporteurs and Co-Rapporteurs should be communicated to the Secretary-General of the ICIN by 31 December 1977, with a view to sending this information to the National Committees and Commissions of the ICIN in advance. Speaking on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the XV International Congress of Historical Sciences, M. Berza informed that the National Committee of Historians of Romania requests the national committees responsible for preparing reports on large and methodological topics, as well as the leadership of international commissions, to send the texts of reports to Bucharest in advance, before October 1979 (no more than 60 pages). so that the organizing committee can publish them in print and send them to all other national committees before the end of May 1980, that is, 2 to 3 months before the congress begins. For reports that are divided into sections by chronological periods, the maximum text size is set at 15 pages. The congress organizers pledged to provide simultaneous interpretation at the plenary sessions devoted to large and methodological topics.

President of IKIN K. Erdman suggested that the texts of the main reports should also reflect the views of the co-rapporteurs and official experts (panelists appointed on the recommendation of the ICIN) who do not coincide with the main provisions of the report. To this end, it recommended that the national committees responsible for preparing a report should consider holding a preliminary meeting of the authors of the reports with the co-Rapporteurs and experts in the second half of 1978 to finalize the final texts of the reports. However, the proposal did not meet with unanimous support from the General Assembly, given the financial difficulties associated with its implementation for many national Committees.

The General Assembly was held in a businesslike and creative atmosphere. However, for a number of reasons, many national committees of historians were not represented at the assembly. So, historians of the GDR, MNR (delay in obtaining a Spanish visa), Czechoslovakia, Cuba, North Korea, Romania, Japan, India, Australia, Cyprus and a number of other countries could not arrive. A number of international committees and commissions belonging to the ICIN (the Commission of Slavic Studies, the International Commission on the History of the French Revolution, etc.) were not represented at the assembly either. Due to illness, the Soviet representative in the IKIN Bureau, Academician E. M. Zhukov, was unable to attend the meetings of the ICHS  Bureau and the General Assembly.

The participants of the ICHS  General Assembly were welcomed by the Dean of the Faculty of History of the University of Lacuna - the only higher education institution in the Canary Islands - B. Betancourt, as well as the Chairman of the National Committee of Historians of Spain B. Rouen.

Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences S. L. Tikhvinsky

page 208

Permanent link to this publication: