Aleksandr Semyonovich Kapto (; April 14, 1933 – April 19, 2020) was a Soviet and Russian sociologist,

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

, diplomat, journalist and politician. He earned a philosophy degree in 1967 and his Ph.D. in 1985. In 2008 he was head of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

International Board of the Institute of Socio-Political Research under the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

(RAS).Progress Report 2006, Activities of the UNESCO Chair in Social Sciences, Institute of Social and Political Research, Russian Academy of Sciences
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Education

Kapto graduated from Dnipropetrovsk University in 1957 with a philosophy degree, studying the problems of war and peace,

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

political sociology Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis. Interested in the social causes and consequences of how ...

sociology of morality Sociology of morality is the branch of sociology that deals with the sociological investigation of the nature, causes, and consequences of people's ideas about morality. Sociologists of morality ask questions on why particular groups of people hav ...

and education, social activity of youths, and professional ethics.

Career

In addition to his duties with UNESCO, Kapto served as Chairman of the Expert Council under the Top Certifying Commission for Political Science; Chairman of the Council for Defending a Doctoral Thesis under the Institute of Socio-Political Research (ISPR RAS) (sociology of spiritual life and management); Vice-President of the Academy of Social Sciences; and was a member of the Presidium of the Academy of Political Science. He was a Soviet Ambassador to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

from 1985-9, and the last Soviet and first Russian Ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Writing career

Kapto was a member of the

Union of Russian Writers The Union of Russian Writers (russian: Союз российских писателей, translit=Soyuz rossiyskikh pisateley) is a non-governmental organization uniting Russian and writers (novelists, poets, essayists, etc.). It was established i ...

. In 1971 and 1974 he received a first-degree diploma certificate for winning the All-Union Competition for the best popular science works.

Awards and prizes

*Three Orders of the Red Banner of Labour *

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...

* Order of Honour (2003) *Cuban Order of Solidarity *S. Vavilov Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Spreading Scientific Knowledge, Enlightened and Humanitarian Activities *Honorary Citizen of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Bibliography

*''Social activity as a moral trait of an individual''. Kiev, 1968. *''Public activity of youths''. Moscow, 1971. *''Class education: methodology, theory, practice''. M., 1985. *''Political memoirs''. Moscow, 1996. *''Nobel peacemakers''. Moscow, 2002. *''Encyclopedia of the world''. Moscow, 2002 and 2005. *''From the bellicose culture to the culture of peace''. Moscow, 2002.

References and sources

A. Kapto’s biography
(in Russian)

External links

Official Web site of the Russian Academy of SciencesThe official web site of the Institute of Socio-Political Research
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapto, Aleksandr 1933 births 2020 deaths People from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Ambassadors of Russia to North Korea Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Cuba Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to North Korea Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Head of Propaganda Department of CPSU CC Oles Honchar Dnipro National University alumni Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (Soviet Union) members Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian philosophers Russian political scientists Russian sociologists Soviet philosophers Soviet sociologists Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery