ISSN 2078-9823 (Print), ISSN 2587-7879 (Online)

DOI: 10.24412/2078-9823.073.026.202601.021-038

УДК 94(470/5)

Nikolay M. Arsentiev1, Anatoly V. Sludnykh2, Ekaterina A. Averyanova3

1 Institute of Oriental Studies Russian Academy of Science (Moscow, Russia),

e-mail: director_isi@bk.ru

2 Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant named after E. N. Yalamov (Ekaterinburg, Russia),

e-mail: sludnichav1982@inbox.ru

3 National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University (Saransk, Russia),

e-mail: averyanova-morm@mail.ru

 

The Transcript as a Mirror of the Era: Reflection in the Public Consciousness of the Staff of the State Optical Institute of Changes in Scientific Policy and Industrial Activities of the 1930s–1940s

 

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of a unique layer of documents ‒ verbatim reports of the S. I. Vavilov State Optical Institute (SOI). Unlike official orders or scientific publications, the transcript is considered as a “living” historical source, recording not only the final decisions, but also the very process of the birth of scientific thought, the clash of ambitions and the drama of the introduction of high technologies into mass production.

Results and Discussions. Based on the analysis of previously poorly studied materials (mainly from the 1930s to the mid-1940s), it was revealed that the SOI transcripts are a mirror of a large–scale industrial transformation. The paper shows how critical tasks were solved through non-public discussions: from overcoming import dependence in the 1930s to the mobilization breakthrough during the Great Patriotic War.

Conclusion. The study showed that the transcript is a key tool for reconstructing the true history of science. It allows you to see behind the dry figures of the plans the living voices of the participants in the events and understand the mechanisms by which SOI became the foundation of the Soviet optical and mechanical industry. The research materials emphasize the relevance of studying the archival heritage for the analysis of modern strategies of technological development.

Keywords: State Optical Institute, transcript, history of science, historical source, industrialization, optical industry, scientific and technological progress, archives of the Central Research Institute.

For citation: Arsentiev N. M., Sludnykh A. V., Averyanova E. A. The Transcript as a Mirror of the Era: Reflection in the Public Consciousness of the Staff of the State Optical Institute of Changes  in Scientific Policy and Industrial Activities of the 1930s–1940s. Gumanitarian: aktual’nye problemy gumanitarnoi nauki i obrazovaniia = Russian Journal of the Humanities. 2026; 26(1): 21–38. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.24412/2078-9823.073.026.202601.021-038.

 

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