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Shostakovich, Dmitri

(Encyclopedia)Shostakovich, Dmitri dyĭmēˈtrē shŏstŏkôˈvĭch [key], 1906–75, Russian composer, b. St. Petersburg. Shostakovich studied at the Leningrad Conservatory (1919–25). The early success of his Fi...

Volgograd

(Encyclopedia)Volgograd vôlgəgrätˈ [key], formerly Stalingrad, city (1989 pop. 999,000), capital of Volgograd region, SE European Russia, a port on the Volga River and the eastern terminus of the Volga-Don Cana...

Makarenko, Anton Semyonovich

(Encyclopedia)Makarenko, Anton Semyonovich, 1888–1939, Russian educator. In the 1920s, Makarenko organized the Gorky Colony, a home for children left homeless by the Russian Revolution of Oct., 1917. In 1931 beca...

Grossman, Vasily Semenovich

(Encyclopedia)Grossman, Vasily Semenovich, 1905–64, Russian novelist and journalist, b. Berdichev (now Berdychiv, Ukraine). He graduated (1929) from Moscow State Univ., published novels and short stories, and bec...

Magadan

(Encyclopedia)Magadan məgədänˈ [key], city (1989 pop. 152,000), capital of Magadan region, Russian Far East, a port on the Sea of Okhotsk. It has shipyards, canning factories, and a major airport. A highway lea...

Ismoili Somoni Peak

(Encyclopedia)Ismoili Somoni Peak, 24,590 ft (7,495 m) high, NW Tajikistan, in the Pamir; the highest point in Tajikistan. Originally called Garmo Peak, it was determined (1932–33) the highest peak in the USSR an...

Kamenev, Lev Borisovich

(Encyclopedia)Kamenev, Lev Borisovich lyĕf bərēˈsəvĭch käˈmĭnyĭf [key], 1883–1936, Soviet Communist leader. His original name was Rosenfeld. He joined (1901) the Social Democratic party and sided with t...

Katyn

(Encyclopedia)Katyn kətĭnˈ [key], village, W central European Russia, 12 mi (19 km) W of Smolensk. During World War II, when it was part of the USSR, it was occupied by the Germans in Aug., 1941. In 1943 the Ger...

Krylenko, Nikolai Vasilyevich

(Encyclopedia)Krylenko or Krilenko, Nikolai Vasilyevich both: nyĭkəlīˈ vəsēˈlyəvĭch krĭlyĕnˈkō [key], 1885–1938, Russian revolutionary and Soviet jurist. In Nov., 1917, Trotsky promoted him from ensi...

Gladkov, Feodor Vasilyevich

(Encyclopedia)Gladkov, Feodor Vasilyevich fyôˈdər vəsēˈlyəvĭch glətkôfˈ [key], 1883–1958, Russian author. Born into poverty, Gladkov spent his youth wandering along the Volga and in the N Caucasus read...