The article describes the components of Russian statehood at the turn of 20th - 21st centuries, the main issues of their development and directions of their modernization. Special attention is paid to the state apparatus and state service.

This article analyzes place and role of the general-governorship institution after the Crimean War in the Russian Empire as a whole and in Novorossia in particular. It considers the activities of last governor-generals of this region: A.G. Stroganov and P.Ye. Kotsebu. The author also characterizes reasons and circumstances why the Novorossia and Bessarabia general-governorship was abolished in 1874.

The article considers an issue of distinction the imperial legislation from domestic one in Russian Empire in 1908-1910. It deals in details with a discussion between political and public figures in Grand Duchy of Finland and Russian Empire on the internal legislation of Finland of that period. It is noted that the parties could not reach an agreement,because they were not ready for a constructive dialogue. They only sought to expand their sphere of influence.

The article analyzes the state of transport by the end of the Civil War, transport management reform during transition to the New Economic Policy, the state of transport infrastructure in the recovery period and first years of the country modernization. The article also presents features of the transport system development on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR.

The article represents the period of establishment of nature reserves in the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) and the role of government agencies in its formation. Particular attention is paid to the formation of the Department of Nature Protection of the RSFSR People’s Commissariat of Education and its advisory bodies.The article also discusses a conflict between the People’s Commissariat of Education and the People’s Commissariat of Agriculture for supremacy over the reserves, that ended up in victory for the People’s Commissariat of Education.

The article analyzes the specificities in activities of the ruling grouping among members in Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) for the first half of the 1920s, and the growth of its role in the system of state management. The article also analyzes the creation of tools that seemed for the party leadership to be effective in achieving the social sphere objectives. Finally, the article assesses an impact of change of the party leader on these processes.

The article discusses changes in the personnel and competence of the Security Council of the Russian Federation in the period of June - October 1996. The article also presents changes in competences of a secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation after A.I. Lebed’s coming to this post, as well as reasons for his resignation.

By reference to documents of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation the article analyzes the process of reforming the management of a natural monopoly - railway transport of the Russian Federation. The main attention is paid to the phased analysis of effected transformations and the role of the Ministry of Railways in their implementation. The author concludes that in the current economic environment in which the reform took place the chosen evolutionary path of reforming has fully justified itself.Nevertheless, the question of demonopolization of railway transport is still an open one.

The article considers the stages of T.P. Korzhikhina’s (рrofessor of the Russian State University for the Humanities) professional biography and analyzes her major scientific works concerning the history of Russian statehood and public organizations in the 20th century. It also assesses Korzhikhina’s contribution to the study of Russian political history of the 20th century.

The article examines the current historiography of Joseph Stalin’s activities during the Civil war. In the post-Soviet time two trends in an assessment of a role of the future host of the Bolshevik party-state mechanism were revealed. The first one, critical, is associated with a comprehensive reassessment of domestic historiographical dogmas.The second one is the traditional continuing Soviet historical canons.Removing a “taboo” from a study of the contribution by Leon Trotsky in the Soviet military build-up caused a surge of interest in the relationship of these two leaders of the Bolshevik party.

The article discusses the scientific and journalistic reviews, which contain critical analysis of publications on the history of the White movement in Russia in 1918-1920 and biographies of the White movement leaders. These reviews were written by contemporary Russian historians and writers, and were published in newspapers and magazines. The article focuses on the characteristics of the White movement leaders, contained in these reviews.