Sukhumi. Alashara. 1981. 115 p.

The work of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor A. E. Kuprava (Abkhazian Institute of YALI of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR) summarizes the cultural development of Abkhazia over 60 years of socialist construction. For the author, the reference to this topic was conditioned by his long-term work on historical and cultural problems1 .

The research is based on previously published documentary materials introduced into scientific circulation by the author and other researchers of the history of Abkhazia. The essay nature of the publication allowed us to limit ourselves to data that reflected not so much internal changes in the cultural process as its dynamics, the results by the end of each of the stages of cultural construction in the republic.

The problem-chronological principle underlying the work allowed the author to consider the main directions of cultural construction in Abkhazia: the development of public education, the elimination of illiteracy, the activities of cultural and scientific institutions, and art culture.

The structure of the work reflects the generally accepted periodization of cultural construction, taking into account the peculiarities of the development of the Abkhazian ASSR: the beginning of the construction of Soviet culture (1921-1927); the decisive successes of the cultural revolution (1928-1941); culture during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945); cultural construction in the post-war years (1945-1960); culture of developed socialism (1961-1980).

A. E. Kuprava emphasizes the fact that the socialist culture of Abkhazia developed taking into account the democratic elements formed in the original folk art. The author organically connects the question of the initial level of the cultural revolution with the problem of cultural heritage. Undoubtedly, the low level of literacy of the population, the lack of developed written traditions, the small number of intellectuals, despite all the significance of these circumstances, do not fully reflect the nature of the cultural environment, since they do not take into account other areas of culture (everyday culture, artistic creativity of the people, etc.), in which democratic elements often matured.

The author's reference to the sources of mutual influence of Abkhazian culture with the cultures of Russian, Georgian and other peoples is interesting. In the literature, this question is often reduced to the mutual influence of cultures in the conditions of socialism. Of course, at this stage, the socio-economic prerequisites for this process have expanded immeasurably. However, its origins, as A. E. Kuprava rightly notes, lie in historically formed cultural contacts. The study of these and other aspects of the process of development and rapprochement of national cultures is increasingly becoming a leading trend in modern historiography of Soviet national and cultural construction.

A. E. Kuprava rightly attributes the high rate of cultural development in Abkhazia to the broad assistance provided by more developed peoples, primarily Russians, in carrying out cultural transformations in the republic. The paper presents facts confirming this position, analyzes such forms of assistance as the allocation of additional funds for education, the provision of places for Abkhazian youth in higher education institutions of the country, etc. It is noteworthy that the author highlights the areas of the most pronounced cultural contacts of the Abkhazian, Russian and Georgian peoples. These include, first of all, creative activity - the development of science and artistic culture (p. 27-28). "In the process of cultural transformations," A. E. Kuprava concludes, "cultural backwardness was successfully overcome, and new diverse forms of development of national cultures were brought to life" (p. 33).

In general, the analysis carried out in the book gives an idea of the cultural and historical process, the success achieved in the cultural construction of the republic. Moreover, despite the predominance of quantitative characteristics, the author also notes significant qualitative changes in the spiritual environment.

1 See Kuprava A. E. From the history of cultural construction in Soviet Abkhazia (1921-1925). Sukhumi. 1961; same name. Cultural construction in an Abkhazian village. Sukhumi. 1973; his own. Elimination of illiteracy of the population in the Abkhazian ASSR. Sukhumi. 1979; and others.

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life of Abkhazians: raising the general cultural level of the population, improving the structure of national intelligentsia detachments, bringing together the general educational level of urban and rural populations, men and women, and developing folk art.

The publication of A. E. Kuprava's work is another step in the study of the actual problem of the flourishing of national cultures in the conditions of socialism. The complex and multi-faceted process of forming the Soviet multinational culture incorporates the features of the experience of spiritual development of all

the fraternal peoples of our country. "Soviet culture," said K. U. Chernenko, speaking at the jubilee plenum of the Board of the Union of Writers of the USSR, "appears today as an organic fusion of spiritual values created by all nations and nationalities of the country." 2 Further development of the history of cultural construction of Soviet Abkhazia will allow adding new essential characteristics to the historical and cultural process in the conditions of developed socialism.

2 Pravda, 26. IX. 1984.

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