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40-853: The idea of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia emerged in 1923 on the initiative of Otto Schmidt , a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences . In early 1924 Schmidt worked with a group which included Mikhail Pokrovsky , (rector of the Institute of Red Professors ), Nikolai Meshcheryakov (Former head of the Glavit , the State Administration of Publishing Affairs), Valery Bryusov (poet), Veniamin Kagan (mathematician) and Konstantin Kuzminsky to draw up

80-526: A Democrat to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Raymond E. Baldwin in December 1949 for the remainder of the term ending 3 January 1953. In the November 1950 election, he defeated Republican party candidate Prescott Sheldon Bush , father of U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush and grandfather of U.S. President George W. Bush . In 1951 he introduced a resolution to expel Joseph McCarthy from

120-785: A privat-docent starting from 1916. In 1918 he became a member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (internationallists) which was later dissolved in to the Russian Communist Party . After the October Revolution of 1917 , he was a board member at several People's Commissariats ( narkomats ) – such as Narkomprod from 1918 to 1920 ( Narodnyi Komissariat Prodovolstviya , or People's Commissariat for Supplies), People's Commissariat for Finance from 1921 to 1922 ( Narodnyi Komissariat Finansov , or People's Commissariat for Finances). Schmidt

160-750: A museum in 1966, the William Benton Museum of Art on the university's main campus in Storrs was named in his honor in 1972. Benton had donated his personal collection of works by Reginald Marsh to the museum. For much of his life, from 1943 to his death in 1973, he was chairman of the board and publisher of the Encyclopædia Britannica , was a member of and delegate to numerous United Nations and international conferences and commissions, and trustee of several schools and colleges. In 1943 Benton asked Mortimer J. Adler and Robert Hutchins to edit

200-460: A political tract. The encyclopedia was thus planned to provide the intellectual underpinning for the Soviet world offensive in the duel for men's minds. The Soviet government ordered it as a fighting propaganda weapon. And the government attaches such importance to its political role that its board of editors is chosen by and is responsible only to the high Council of Ministers itself. The third edition

240-527: A proposal which was agreed to in April 1924. Also involved was Anatoly Lunacharsky , People's Commissar of Education ( Narkompros ), who had previously been involved with a proposal by Alexander Bogdanov and Maxim Gorky to produce a Workers' Encyclopedia. There were three editions. The first edition of 65 volumes (65,000 entries, plus a supplementary volume about the Soviet Union ) was published during 1926–1947,

280-1064: A universal reference work for the Soviet intelligentsia. According to the publisher's foreword in the English-language translation of the encyclopedia, the encyclopedia is important for knowledge and understanding of the USSR. A major value of the Encyclopedia is its comprehensive information about the Soviet Union and its peoples. Every aspect of Soviet life is systematically presented, including history, economics, science, art, and culture. The ethnic diversity of USSR's peoples and its languages and cultures are extensively covered. There are biographies of prominent cultural and scientific figures who are not as well known outside of Russia. There are detailed surveys of USSR's provinces and towns, as well as their geology, geography, flora and fauna. The encyclopedia's Chief Editorial Board and advisory board sought input from

320-532: Is in two books, one being a full-sized book about the USSR, all with about 21 million words, and the chief editor being Alexander Prokhorov (since 1969). In the third edition, much attention was paid to the philosophical problems of natural sciences, physical and chemical sciences, and mathematical methods in various branches of knowledge. From 1957 to 1990, the Yearbook of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia

360-543: Is now found in libraries and schools throughout the CIS . Additionally, the 1980s editions remain in widespread use, particularly as references in scientific and mathematical research. Otto Schmidt Otto Yulyevich Shmidt (born Otto Friedrich Julius Schmidt ; 30 September [ O.S. 18 September] 1891 – 7 September 1956), better known as Otto Schmidt , was a Soviet scientist , mathematician , astronomer , geophysicist , statesman , and academician . He

400-638: The Bering Sea , and Bishop Berkeley . By April 1954, the Library of the University of California, Berkeley had received this “replacement.” This was not the only case of political influence. According to one author, Encyclopedia subscribers received missives to replace articles in the fashion of the Beria article frequently. Other articles, especially biographical articles on political leaders, changed significantly to reflect

440-621: The Franz Josef Land , exploring the northwestern parts of the Kara Sea and western coasts of Severnaya Zemlya , and discovering a few islands. In 1932, Schmidt's expedition on the steam icebreaker Sibiryakov with Captain Vladimir Voronin made a non-stop voyage from Arkhangelsk to the Pacific Ocean without wintering for the first time in history. From 1933 to 1934, Schmidt led

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480-587: The Great Russian Encyclopedia . Many outdated articles were entirely rewritten. In 2004 the first volume of the newly overhauled Great Russian Encyclopedia was published. The complete edition of 36 volumes was released by 2017. Publication of the Great Russian Encyclopedia is overseen by the Russian Academy of Sciences , and funded by the Government of the Russian Federation . The encyclopedia

520-585: The general election for the full term in 1952 to William A. Purtell . Benton's comeback bid failed in 1958 when, running against Bowles and Thomas Dodd he failed to win the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. He was later appointed United States Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris and served from 1963 to 1968. Benton served on the board of trustees of the University of Connecticut from 1957 to 1972. Converted to

560-481: The 34-volume set. The articles of the Greek version are being gradually digitised now; the digitised volumes can be found on "vivlio2ebook" blog, which is dedicated on digitising various books in Greek language. It is written on Modern (Demotic) Greek, but it uses the polytonic alphabet. The Soviet Encyclopedia is a systematic summary of knowledge in social and economic studies with an emphasis on applied sciences. It became

600-476: The Russian entry on Greece as well as a much larger one prepared by Greek contributors. Each article written especially in the Greek edition is marked with the note "Greek version supplement" (or "Συμπλήρωμα ελληνικής έκδοσης" as written in the Greek translation). Finally, a supplementary volume covering the 1980s was published in 1989. It contains translated and original Greek articles which, sometimes, do not exist in

640-697: The Senate. Benton provided 30,000 words of testimony on Sept. 28, 1951 in support of Senate Resolution 187. Due to Benton's resolution and McCarthy's response, the Senate Rules committee investigated and criticized both of them but punished neither. On television, when asked if he would take any action against Benton's reelection bid, McCarthy replied, "I think it will be unnecessary. Little Willie Benton, Connecticut's mental midget keeps on... it will be unnecessary for me or anyone else to do any campaigning against him. He's doing his campaigning against himself." Benton lost in

680-503: The Soviet fatherland, the Communist party, and its leaders; to propagate Bolshevik vigilance; to put an emphasis on internationalist education; to strengthen Bolshevik willpower and character, as well as courage, capacity for resisting adversity and conquering obstacles; to develop self-discipline; and to encourage physical and aesthetic culture. The third edition of the GSE subsequently expanded on

720-502: The Soviet point of view. Following the arrest and execution of Lavrentiy Beria , the head of the NKVD , in 1953 the Encyclopedia —ostensibly in response to overwhelming public demand—mailed subscribers to the second edition a letter from the editor instructing them to cut out and destroy the three-page article on Beria and paste in its place enclosed replacement pages expanding the adjacent articles on F. W. Bergholz (an 18th-century courtier),

760-621: The U.S.S.R. in the provinces of economics, science, culture, and art. ... With exhaustive completeness it must show the superiority of socialist culture over the culture of the capitalist world. Operating on Marxist-Leninist theory, the encyclopedia should give a party criticism of contemporary bourgeois tendencies in various provinces of science and technics. The foreword to the GSE (3rd ed.) expanded on that mission, paying particular attention to developments in science and technology: nuclear engineering , space technology , atomic physics , polymer chemistry , and radio electronics ; also detailing

800-814: The USSR of the first convocation (1938–1946). The authorities awarded Otto Schmidt three Orders of Lenin , three other orders and many medals. Schmidt Island in the Kara Sea , Cape Schmidt on the coastline of the Chukchi Sea in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , as well as the Institute of Earth Physics at the Soviet Academy of Sciences , among other places, bear Schmidt's name. A minor planet , 2108 Otto Schmidt  – discovered in 1948 by Soviet astronomer Pelageya Shajn  – commemorates him. The Soviet research vessel Otto Schmidt

840-502: The center of the civilized world." The GSE , along with all other books and other media and communications with the public, was directed toward the "furtherance of the aims of the party and the state." The 1949 decree issued for the production of the second edition of the GSE directed: The second edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia should elucidate widely the world-historical victories of socialism in our country, which have been attained in

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880-415: The chief editor being Otto Schmidt (until 1941). The second edition of 50 volumes (100,000 entries, plus a supplementary volume) was published in 1950–1958; chief editors: Sergei Vavilov (until 1951) and Boris Vvedensky (until 1969); two index volumes to this edition were published in 1960. The third edition of 1969–1978 contains 30 volumes (100,000 entries, plus an index volume issued in 1981). Volume 24

920-463: The current party line . An article affected in such a fashion was the one on Nikolai Bukharin , whose descriptions went through several evolutions. Publication of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia was suspended in 1990 and halted in 1991, but in 2002 it was reinstituted by decree of Vladimir Putin . In 2003 and 2004 a team of editors overhauled the old encyclopedia by updating facts, removing most examples of overt political bias, and changing its name to

960-508: The editors of the GSE , to whom he was granted unprecedented access, William Benton , publisher of the Encyclopædia Britannica , wrote the following in observation of the GSE ' s chief editor B. A. Vvedensky stating their compliance with the 1949 decree of the Council of Ministers: It is just this simple for the Soviet board of editors. They are working under a government directive that orders them to orient their encyclopedia as sharply as

1000-413: The general public. The entry list was sent to universities, scientific institutions, museums, and private specialists in every field. More than 50,000 suggestions were received and many additions were made. Scholars believe that the Encyclopedia is a valuable and useful source for Russian history. The Encyclopedia , though noted as having a strong Marxist bias, provides useful information for understanding

1040-466: The history and activities of the Russian revolutionary movement , the development of the labor movement worldwide and summarizing Marxist scholarship on political economy , sociology, and political science. In support of that mission, the GSE (2nd ed.) described as the role of education: To develop in children's minds the Communist morality, ideology, and Soviet patriotism; to inspire unshakable love toward

1080-559: The mid-1940s, Schmidt suggested a new cosmogonical hypothesis on the formation of the Earth and other planets of the Solar System , which he continued to develop together with a group of Soviet scientists until his death. Schmidt was an explorer of the Arctic. In 1929 and 1930, he led expeditions on the steam icebreaker Georgy Sedov , establishing the first scientific research station on

1120-461: The practical experience of building communism. The underlying principles of the Soviet system of public education include a scientific approach to and continual improvement of education on the basis of the latest achievements in science, technology and culture; a humanistic and highly moral orientation in education and upbringing; and co-education of both sexes, secular education which excludes the influence of religion. Based on his extensive talks with

1160-441: The role of education: Education is essential to preparing for life and work. It is the basic means by which people come to know and acquire culture, and it is the foundation of culture's development...The Soviet education rests on the principles of the unity of education and communist upbringing; cooperation among the school, the family, and the society in bringing up young people; and the linkage of education and training to life and

1200-590: The voyage of the steamship Cheliuskin , also with Captain Vladimir Voronin , along the Northern Sea Route. In 1937, he supervised an airborne expedition that established a drift-ice station " North Pole-1 ". In 1938, he was in charge of evacuating its personnel from the ice. Otto Schmidt was a member of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of

1240-660: Was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity. He graduated in 1921 and began work for advertising agencies in New York City and Chicago until 1929, after which he co-founded Benton & Bowles with Chester Bowles in New York. He moved to Norwalk, Connecticut in 1932, and served as the part-time vice president of the University of Chicago from 1937 to 1945. In 1944, he had entered into unsuccessful negotiations with Walt Disney to make six to twelve educational films annually. He

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1280-766: Was also employed as the director of the State Publishing House ( Gosizdat ) from 1921 to 1924, and chief editor of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia from 1924 to 1941. From 1923 he was a professor at the Second Moscow State University and later at the Moscow State University , and from 1930 to 1932, Schmidt was the head of the Arctic Institute. During this time he coined the term for the double bond rule . From 1932 to 1939, he

1320-528: Was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and held the position from August 31, 1945 to September 30, 1947, during which time he was active in organizing the United Nations . He was appointed to the United States Senate on 17 December 1949 by his old partner Chester Bowles (who had been elected Governor in 1948), and subsequently elected in the general election on 7 November 1950 as

1360-630: Was appointed head of Glavsevmorput' ( Glavnoe upravlenie Severnogo Morskogo Puti ) – an establishment that oversaw all commercial operations on the Northern Sea Route . From 1939 to 1942, Schmidt became a vice-president of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, where he organized the Institute of Theoretical Geophysics (he was its director until 1949). Otto Schmidt was a founder of the Moscow Algebra School, which he directed for many years. In

1400-643: Was born in the town of Mogilev in the Russian Empire , in what is now Belarus . His father was a descendant of German settlers in Courland , while his mother was a Latvian . In 1912–13 while in university he published a number of mathematical works on group theory which laid foundation for Krull–Schmidt theorem . In 1913, Schmidt married Vera Yanitskaia and graduated from the Saint Vladimir Imperial University of Kiev , where he worked as

1440-656: Was named after him in 1979. William Benton (senator) William Burnett Benton (April 1, 1900 – March 18, 1973) was an American senator from Connecticut (1949–1953) and publisher of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1943–1973). Benton was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota . He was educated at Shattuck Military Academy , Faribault , Minnesota, and Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota until 1918, at which point he matriculated at Yale University , where he contributed to campus humor magazine The Yale Record and

1480-824: Was one of the chief proponents of developing the higher education system, publishing, and science in Soviet Russia . He worked at Narkompros (People's Commissariat for Education), the State Scientific Board at the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR , and the Communist Academy . He was Chair of the Foreign Literature Committee from October 1921. Following the Litkens Commission Schmidt

1520-441: Was released annually with up-to-date articles about the Soviet Union and all countries of the world. The first online edition, an exact replica of text and graphics of the third (so-called Red) edition, was published by Rubricon.com in 2000. Editors and contributors to the GSE included a number of leading Soviet scientists and politicians: The foreword to the first volume of the GSE (2nd ed.) proclaims "The Soviet Union has become

1560-409: Was translated and published into English in 31 volumes between 1974 and 1983 by Macmillan Publishers . Each volume was translated separately, requiring use of the index found at the front of each volume to locate specific items; knowledge of Russian can be helpful to find the right volume the first time. Not all entries were translated into English; these are indicated in the index. The third edition

1600-428: Was translated into Greek and published in 34 volumes between 1977 and 1983 from Akadimos publishing company (owned by Giannis Giannikos ), which has also translated various Soviet encyclopedias and literature. All articles that were related to Greece or Greek history, culture and society were expanded and hundreds of new ones were written especially for the Greek edition. Thus the encyclopedia contains, for example, both

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