Taranets S. The Old Belief in the social-cultural space of the Russian Empire from the end of the 17th until the beginning of the 20th century.

The dissertation introduces the term "Studies of Old Belief" as a scientific field in world history, the wide range of sources referring to the given question is presented, the evolution of the historiography from the beginning up to the present, as well as the main factors of the spreading of the Old Belief, geographic of settlements, numbers of Old Believers, their national composition and the social infrastructure. The study provides the characteristics of the juristical situation of the Old Believers in different stages of their historical development, shows the reasons of the liberalization of the Russian legislation towards the Old Believers in the sphere of taxation policies as well as civil and confessional policies. The times of the ban of the propaganda of the Old Belief by the Russian government are shown, as well as the reasons why the practice of the old Orthodoxy was compared to criminal acts, the pattern of the quick growing of the radical "bezpopovcy" unions, the increase of the amount of Old Believers communities; the periodization of Old Believers' participation in anti-governmental demonstrations are pointed at; the main forms of adaptation of the Old Believers towards the juristic system of secular and religious power are defined, the channels of reception of confidential information, the main reasons of the transition of clergy of the prevailing church to the Old Belief; the specifics and intensity of the inter confessional and interethnic relations, the formation of new forms of national self-consciousness.