Leonid Vasilyev

Leonid Sergeyevich Vasilyev (Russian: Леони́д Серге́евич Васи́льев; October 9, 1930, Moscow — October 6, 2016, Moscow[1]) was a Soviet and Russian historian, social scientist, religious scholar, sociologist, orientalist (sinologist)[2] and Doctor of Historical Sciences.[3]

Leonid Vasilyev
Born	Leonid Sergeyevich Vasilyev (1930-10-09)October 9, 1930 Moscow, RSFSR, Soviet Union
Died	October 6, 2016(2016-10-06) (aged 85) Moscow, Russia

Vailyev was Head of the Laboratory of Historical Research and HSE (National Research University – Higher School of Economics)[4] and until 2011, Head of the Department of General and National History and a professor.[5] He began his tenure as the head of the sector of Theoretical Problems of the History of the East, then the Department of Oriental History of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and finally, the Institute's chief research officer.

He authored works devoted to the history and culture of China, the problems of Oriental studies and universal history - including the theory of the historical process - and the driving forces and dynamics of evolution.[6][7] Among these works is a two-volume university textbook, History of the East, a six-volume textbook series on Universal History, monographs on the problems throughout ancient Chinese history, a textbook, History of Eastern Religions, and other books.[8]