Sorokin and Kondratyev — Two Twisted Paths

The XX Congress of the Communist Party triggered the process of returning to society the names and works of those who had been cut off by Bolshevism, the GULAG or forced emigration from their motherland, for the sake of which they worked. In the present article the authors tell the story of life, friendship and scientific activities of two Russian scientists, whose work received both international attention and international recognition. The first – Pitirim Sorokin, Russian-American sociologist and culture specialist, one of the founders of the theory of social stratification and social mobility. The second – Nikolay Kondratyev, Russian and Soviet economist, founder of business cycles theory, the author of “Kondratyev’s five-year plan”.