The case of academician Nikolai Nikolaevich Luzin

Author(s)

• Demidov, Sergei S.
• Levshin, Boris Venediktovich
• Cooke, Roger

Bibliographic Information

The case of academician Nikolai Nikolaevich Luzin

Sergei S. Demidov, Boris V. Lëvshin, editors ; translated by Roger Cooke

（History of mathematics, v. 43）

American Mathematical Society, c2016

Other Title

Delo akademika Nikolaya Nikolaevicha Luzina

The Luzin case

Note

Includes bibliographical references and indexes

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The Soviet school, one of the glories of twentieth-century mathematics, faced a serious crisis in the summer of 1936. It was suffering from internal strains due to generational conflicts between the young talents and the old establishment. At the same time, Soviet leaders (including Stalin himself) were bent on ``Sovietizing'' all of science in the USSR by requiring scholars to publish their works in Russian in the Soviet Union, ending the nearly universal practice of publishing in the West. A campaign to ``Sovietize'' mathematics in the USSR was launched with an attack on Nikolai Nikolaevich Luzin, the leader of the Soviet school of mathematics, in Pravda. Luzin was fortunate in that only a few of the most ardent ideologues wanted to destroy him utterly. As a result, Luzin, though humiliated and frightened, was allowed to make a statement of public repentance and then let off with a relatively mild reprimand. A major factor in his narrow escape was the very abstractness of his research area (descriptive set theory), which was difficult to incorporate into a propaganda campaign aimed at the broader public. The present book contains the transcripts of five meetings of the Academy of Sciences commission charged with investigating the accusations against Luzin, meetings held in July of 1936. Ancillary material from the Soviet press of the time is included to place these meetings in context.

Table of Contents

Introduction The case of academician Luzin in the collective memory of the scientific community Minutes of the meetings of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the case of academician Luzin Minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin: 7 July Minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission on the matter of academician Luzin 9 July Minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission on the matter of academician Luzin 11 July Minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin 13 July Minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin 15 July Commentaries on the minutes of the meetings of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the case of academician Luzin Commentaries on the minutes of the meetings of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the case of academician Luzin Commentary on the minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin 7 July 1936 Commentary on the minutes of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin 9 July 1936 Commentary on the minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin 11 July 1936 Commentary on the minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin 13 July 1936 Commentary on the minutes of the meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences Commission in the matter of academician Luzin 15 July 1936 Literature Appendices Appendices introduction A pleasant disillusionment Reply to academician N. Luzin Enemies wearing a Soviet mask Letter from L. Z. Mekhlis, editor of $\textit{Pravda}$, to the Central Committee, 3 July 1936 Resolution concerning the articles ``Response to academician Luzin'' and ``Enemies wearing a Soviet mask'' in $\textit{Pravda}$ Draft of the proposal of the special session of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 4 July 1936 Letter from P. L. Kapitsa to Molotov, 6 July 1936 Excerpt from the minutes of the Presidum meeting of 7 July 1936 Letters from V. I. Vernadski iand N. V. Nasonov to the Academy of Sciences Division of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and to academicians A. E. Fersman and N. P. Gorbunov in support of academician Luzin Letter from academician N. N. Luzin to the Central Committee of the Communist Party 7 July 1936 Traditions of servility Resolution of the General Assembly of Scientists of the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics and Institute of Mathematics, Mechanics, and Astronomy at Moscow University Letter from Luzin to an undetermined addressee, 11 July 1936 Enemies wearing a Soviet mask The Leningrad scholars respond Letter from L. Z. Mekhlis, Editor of Pravda, to Stalin and Molotov, 14 July 1936 The enemy exposed Luzin's statement to the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences, 14 July 1936 Academician Gubkin on so-called academician Luzin The Belarus scholars on the exposed enemy Luzin The scholarly community condemns enemies wearing a Soviet mask Note accompanying the draft of the findings of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences regarding academician N. N. Luzin, 25 July 1936 Conclusion of the Commission On academician N. N. Luzin Findings of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 5 August 1936 To rid academia of Luzinism Glossary of Soviet terms and people Subject index Name index

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

• NCID: BB21617735
• ISBN:
  • 9781470426088
• LCCN: 2015047986
• Country Code: us
• Title Language Code: eng
• Text Language Code: eng
• Original Language Code: rus
• Place of Publication: Providence, RI.
• Pages/Volumes: xxxi, 375 p., [8] p. of plates
• Size: 26 cm
• Classification:
  • LCC : Q127.S65
  • DC23 : 510.92
• Subject Headings:
  • LCSH : Science and state -- Soviet Union -- History -- 20th century
  • LCSH : Luzin, N. N. (Nikolaĭ Nikolaevich), 1883-1950
  • LCSH : Mathematicians -- Soviet Union
  • LCSH : Mathematics -- Soviet Union -- History
• Parent Bibliography ID:
  • BA04858793