Leonova, Lira Stepanovna

After graduating from the Zaraysk Pedagogical School in 1947 in 1948, she entered the Faculty of History of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov , which she graduated in 1953. Student N.V. Savinchenko and V.M. Selunskaya . Since that time, the professional activity of L. S. Leonova has been inextricably linked with the history department of Moscow State University.

In 1953, L. S. Leonova began working at the faculty as a laboratory assistant at the cabinet-library of the history of the USSR. Then she worked as a junior researcher , senior teacher. Since 1970 - associate professor , since 1983 - professor at the Department of History of the CPSU of the History Department of Moscow State University .

In 1965, L. S. Leonova defended her thesis on the topic “Training of Party Cadres in Soviet-Party Schools and Communist Universities in 1921-1925” (supervisor - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor V. I. Zlobin ) . In 1979 she defended her doctoral dissertation “The historical experience of the CPSU in training party cadres in party educational institutions. 1917-1975. "

From 1980 to 2013, she worked as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of History at Moscow State University for Research. In 1982, L. S. Leonova headed the Department of History of the CPSU, in 1991 transformed into the Department of the History of Social Movements and Political Parties, and remained in this post until the last days of her life. Since 1998 - Emeritus Professor of Moscow University .

She was a member of the academic council of the faculty of history of Moscow State University, chairman, deputy chairman of dissertation councils at the faculty of history, member of the editorial board of the publication “Transactions of the faculty of history”, member of the editorial boards of the journals “ Moscow University Herald . Series 8: History ”,“ Society - State - Politics ”,“ Historical Journal: Scientific Research ”.

L. Leonova's scientific interests included the history of political parties in Russia, the history of the political systems of the USSR and post-Soviet Russia, the history of Russian socio-political thought, the history of science and education in Russia, the historiography of the history of Russia of the twentieth century. Whereas in Soviet times, the main line of research of L. S. Leonova lay in the field of the history of party formation, in the post-Soviet years the historian turned to the study of the socio-political views of Academician V. I. Vernadsky .

Over the years of research and teaching, L. S. Leonova has prepared more than 30 candidates of science. At the Faculty of History, Moscow State University, she taught general and special training courses: “History of the CPSU”; "Training of party cadres in the post-October period (1917-1975)"; "The historical experience of cultural transformations in the USSR (1917-1936)"; "Cultural construction in the USSR"; “Methodological, historiographic, source study aspects of the study of the history of the formation of intelligentsia in the USSR”; "The History of Russian Socio-Political Thought (1917-1945)"; "The October Revolution of 1917 in the interpretations of the leaders of the political parties of Russia"; "The history of Soviet society in domestic historiography"; “The political system of the USSR - RF: formation and evolution”; "Electoral politics in modern Russia and the post-Soviet space." She also supervised a special seminar on term paper and a pre-diploma seminar.

L. S. Leonova prepared and published over 180 scientific papers.

The main works:

1. From the history of the training of party cadres in Soviet-party schools and communist universities. 1921-1925. M., 1972

2. The historical experience of the CPSU in training party cadres in party educational institutions. 1917-1975 M., 1979

3. Sketches of the history of the ideological activity of the CPSU. M., 1985 (et al.)

4. The Russian state: power and society. Collection of documents. M., 1996 (comp.)

5. "I can’t go into one science ..." Socio-political views of V. I. Vernadsky. SPb., 2000

6. Political transformations in Russia (1991-1999) // Modernization in Central and Eastern Europe: ideas, programs, implementation. M., 2000

7. Political parties and movements of Russia. Documents and materials. T. I. M., 2001; T. 2 M., 2008; T. 3 M., 2015—2016 (comp., Ed.)

8.Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky. Historical portrait // Questions of history. 2002, No. 4.

9.La formazione del sistema politico in URSS (1917-1986) // Novecento, Il secolo sovietico. 6-7. 2002 gennaio-decembre.

10. Industrialization in the USSR: political aspects // Industrialization and society. The social consequences of industrialization in Europe in the 19th-20th centuries. M., 2004

11. Historical science at Moscow University. 1755-2004. M., 2004 (et al.)

12. The struggle of V.I. Vernadsky for the autonomy of higher education in Russia (pre-October period) // Millennial history of Russia. Problems, contradictions and development prospects. M., 2004

13. The history of Russia 1917-2005. in modern Russian historiography: main trends. Xi'an, 2006

14. The history of Soviet society in Russian historiography. 1917-2008 // Magazine "World History" (China). 2009 ı 4

15. On the issue of the methodology of studying and teaching modern history // Problems of the methodology of studying and teaching modern history. Materials of the international conference on September 29, 2009. M., 2009

16. Vernadsky George Vladimirovich // Russian liberalism of the middle of the XVIII - beginning of the twentieth century. Encyclopedia. M., 2010

17. The activities of higher education and academic institutions during the Great Patriotic War // New and recent history. 2010 No. 6.

18. On the question of the causes of the collapse of the USSR // From Ancient Russia to the Russian Federation. History of Russian statehood. Materials of the international scientific conference. Moscow, Moscow State University, September 28-29, 2012. SPb., 2012

19. Moscow University during the Great Patriotic War // Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 20: Teacher Education. 2012 number 1

20.Soviet society during the NEP (in Chinese, 2012) (in co-authorship).

21. On the 150th anniversary of V.I. Vernadsky. Civic positions of a scientist and thinker // Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 8: History. 2013 number 1

22. The October Revolution of 1917 in the interpretation of the leaders of political parties of the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries (Yu. O. Martov, V. M. Chernov) // Historical Journal: Scientific Research. 2015 № 2

23. The History Department of Moscow State University named after MV Lomonosov: the anniversaries of the faculty as a factor in the study of its history (2004–2014) // Historical journal: scientific research. 2017 № 2

• 1973 - bronze medal of VDNH
• 1984 - medal "Veteran of Labor"
• 1997 - medal "In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow"
• 2004 - Order of Friendship
• 2004 - Lomonosov Prize, II degree
• 2016 - Award at the competition of works contributing to the solution of the tasks of the Moscow State University Development Program

• http://www.hist.msu.ru/Departments/SMPP/Staff/Leonova.htm - page of L. S. Leonova on the website of the Faculty of History, Moscow State University
• https://istina.msu.ru/profile/LeonovaLS/ - profile of L. S. Leonova in the TRUE system

• Professors and doctors of sciences at Moscow State University. M., 1998;
• Baibakov S. A. Honored Professor of Moscow State University (On the anniversary of Lira Stepanovna Leonova) // Political Parties of Russia. Pages of history. M., 2000;
• The history of the intelligentsia of Russia in the biographies of its researchers. The experience of the encyclopedic dictionary. Ekaterinburg, 2002;
• Encyclopedic Dictionary of Moscow University. History department. M., 2004;
• Moscow University in female faces. Biographical Dictionary. M., 2004;
• Chernobaev A. A. Historians of Russia of the twentieth century. M., 2005