Introduction - Энциклопедия истории США

Энциклопедия истории США Согрин В.В. 2018 г. 450 Р

This is the first attempt to create in Russian an encyclopedia of American history. The author has selected the facts and events necessary, in his view, for knowledge of the content, evolution and trends of the American history [1]. In this work, the chronological approach is combined with the thematic approach. The hard chronological approach, which is characteristic of a number of encyclopedias, in the opinion of the author, has the consequence of the fragmentation of a major phenomenon into many facts and small events, shared and presented alternately with facts and events from other topics, which makes the reader’s perception difficult for integral logic and significance of a major event.

The author very shortly outlined at the beginning of each of first six chronological sections his own interpretations of periods, separating them from the events introduced in the sections. In the presentation of events he sought to avoid the assessment approach. Perhaps it was not always possible. The explanation is that the full narrative story is impossible without specifying courses and sometimes consequences of events which inevitably generates some evaluation. Historical encyclopedia which is limited to dry and impartial capture events in fact presents historical records making not available a sense of historical reality.

The encyclopedia includes eight sections. The first six sections present the events of internal and foreign policy of the United States from the appearance of the colonies to the present day. The seventh section is devoted to developments in culture, science and technology. It shows the achievements of Americans in natural and social sciences and humanities, literature, painting, music, visual arts. The eighth section presents historical statistics, including economy, social relations, and politics for 400 years.

Footnotes

1. In the United States there are much more extensive encyclopedias on history of the United States. See for instance: Encyclopedia of American History / Ed. by R.B. Morris. N.Y., 1976; Encyclopedia of American Economic History. Studies of Principal Movements and Ideas / Ed. by G. Porter. Vols. 1–3. N.Y., 1980; Encyclopedia of American Political History. Studies of the Principal Movements and Ideas / Ed. By J.P. Greene. Vols. 1–3. N.Y., 1984; Encyclopedia of American Social History / Ed. by K. Ceyton, E.J. Gorn, P.W. Williams. Vols. 1–3. N.Y., 1993.