On November 19, Vladislav Kretov, a 2025 graduate of the Department of History, defended his PhD dissertation.
The dissertation topic is "The Peasant Question in the Policy of the Russian Authorities in the Kingdom of Poland (1863-1872)."
The study examines how Russian officials, in response to the challenge of the Polish Uprising of 1863-1864, attempted to foster political loyalty to the empire among Polish peasants, cultivate gratitude towards the Tsar for the peasant reforms carried out on favorable terms for them, and transform the national and cultural identities of the peasants in the Kingdom of Poland.
The defense took place at the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow). The official opponents were Ekaterina Boltunova (HSE University) and Gennady Matveev (Moscow State University).
We congratulate Vladislav, his academic supervisor Professor Alexey Miller, and the entire Department of History!