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Isaak Mints

Russian historian (1896-1991)

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 31, 2026
Entity authorityQ241798 ↗
Source-derived summary

Isaak Izrailevich Mints (Russian: Исаа́к Изра́илевич Минц, Ukrainian: Ісак Ізраїльович Мінц; 3 February 1896 – 5 April 1991) was the leading Soviet historian in the early and mid-twentieth century. In 1949 he lost most of his academic positions as part of the campaign against the "rootless cosmopolitans", a Soviet euphemism for Jews. Nevertheless, he had eventually become an "ideal Soviet Jew" due to his adherence to the Soviet "party line".

Biography

Isaak Mints was born in Krinichki in the Russian Empire.

Mints was the leading Soviet historian in the early and mid-twentieth century. In 1949 he lost most of his academic positions following a campaign against him by his colleague Arkady Sidorov that was part of the drive by Joseph Stalin to eliminate the "rootless cosmopolitans", most of whom were Jewish. Despite this, in 1953 he arranged for Soviet Jews to write a letter to Pravda condemning Zionism, Israel, and the "doctors' plot".

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Isaak Mints” as russian historian (1896-1991). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Isaak, Mints and Russian.

Editorial reviewStrongest as a route into the people, institutions and dated events that shaped the subject’s public record. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1896, 1991, 1949, 1953—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1896-01-22. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Isaak, Mints and Russian providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Isaak Mints”, the useful work is to connect “russian historian (1896-1991)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q241798. VIAF identifies the subject as 289515561. The Library of Congress control number is n81050507. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1896, 1991, 1949 and 1953.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Isaak Mints”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Isaak Mints primary sources, Isaak Mints archive and Isaak research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Isaak Mints”?
  2. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Isaak Mints” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.