120-ЛЕТИЕ ЛЕНИНГРАДСКОГО ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА В ФОКУСЕ ИДЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ СОВЕТСКОГО ГОСУДАРСТВА
THE 120th ANNIVERSARY OF LENINGRAD STATE UNIVERSITY IN FOCUS OF THE USSR IDEOLOGICAL POLICY

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on a significant event in the public and academic life of Leningrad on the eve of the Great Patriotic War – the 120th anniversary of Leningrad University, which was widely celebrated in 1939. The celebrations were attended by prominent state and party officials, as well as representatives from the scientific community and the creative intelligentsia. The author explores the socio-political context surrounding the preparations for these celebrations, reconstructs their progression, and analyzes how the events were covered in the press. The article concludes that, under a totalitarian regime, the university’s administration and staff viewed the anniversary as a chance to attract officials’ attention to their needs. In turn, the Soviet state used the occasion to showcase the achievements of science in the post-revolutionary period, organize educational activities for the city’s residents, and highlight the evolving status of the intelligentsia within society. Additionally, the 120th anniversary of Saint Petersburg/Leningrad University played a crucial role in shaping the prevailing narrative of its history and the contributions of its professors and students to the liberation movement.

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