Nikolay Luzin, his students, adversaries, and defenders (notes on the history of Moscow mathematics, 1914-1936)

Abstract

This is historical-mathematical and historical notes on Moscow mathematics 1914-1936. Nikolay Luzin was a central figure of that time. Pavel Alexandroff, Nina Bari, Alexandr Khinchin, Andrey Kolmogorov, Mikhail Lavrentiev, Lazar Lyusternik, Dmitry Menshov, Petr Novikov, Lev Schnirelman, Mikhail Suslin, and Pavel Urysohn were his students. We discuss the time of the great intellectual influence of Luzin (1915-1924), the time of decay of his school (1922-1930), a moment of his administrative power (1934-1936), and his fall in July 1936.