The author of the article explores the process of development of school history education in 1918-1950s, considering it through the prism of the publication of school textbooks of Russian history and the history of the USSR and the fate of the authors of these educational publications. Attention is drawn to the interest of researchers in the period of the 1930s. and a textbook on the history of the USSR for elementary school, edited by A.V. Shestakov and less studied educational literature published in 1918-1920s and 1940s-1950s. Four stages are identified and characterized, each of which had its own characteristics; the problem of educating a Marxist understanding of history through school history textbooks in these years has been updated; the historical concepts of the development of Russian history, born as a result of scientific discussions and the author's views of M.N. Pokrovsky and other scientists; analyzed the content of individual plots in school history textbooks; the relationship between power and historical science at certain stages of development is shown; conclusions are presented about the influence of historical eras on the historical fate of both history textbooks for the school and their authors.