Party-ideological campaign against the «sycophancy towards the West» in 1947 in the Soviet state (on the example of the universities of Saratov)

The paper discusses the ideological campaign against “sycophancy towards the West” in 1947. This ideological campaign pursued the objective in the current foreign policy environment to nip the liberal sentiments of a part of the scientific intelligentsia related to the possibility of expanding international contacts and softening the internal regime. Based on materials from the State Archive of Contemporary History of the Saratov Region (SACHSR) and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RSALA), the author analyzes the specifics of the campaign in higher education institutions of Saratov. The role of local party bodies in organizing the campaign, the mechanism of its implementation, and the consequences for higher education in the region are shown. The author states that the campaign against the “sycophancy towards the West” of 1947, shifted from the center to the region, lost its sharpness, took, in many ways, propaganda forms and, nevertheless, had a negative impact on the development of Saratov’s universities.