Dissemination of Scientific and Technical knowledge and advanced Production experience in 1940-1980 years (on the example of the Tatar Republic branch of All-USSR public organization «Knowledge» («Znanie»))

After the end of The World War II a new phase of modernization of industry began in the Soviet Union. New conditions of production and technical achievements demanded from the Soviet people high level of technical knowledge, knowledge of advanced industrial experience, new data in science and technology. One of the ways to achieve the objective of increasing interest of Soviet people in technical creativity and engineering, to make people more productive, was the active popularization of scientific and technological knowledge among the Soviet people. One of the biggest propaganda organizations in the second half of XX century was the Society «Knowledge» («Znanie»), created in 1947. The article reviews the results of activities of Tatar Republic branch of the All-USSA Public Society «Knowledge» in the field of development of lecture propaganda of scientific and technical achievements and advanced production experience. The evolution of forms and methods of propaganda, the impact of public policy, interaction with the organizations involved in the development and implementation of technical innovations and best practices, problems of lecture activities have been studied in article. The research is based on the analysis of archival material and investigates the impact of the Society «Knowledge» on the economic development of the Republic. The detailed investigation of archival sources has shown that the Society «Knowledge» had been conducting an extensive work in popularization scientific and technical knowledge and best industrial practices among the population: the number of lecture events were constantly increased, methodical assistance to lecturers was provided, publishing activities was carried out. The Society "Knowledge" established close contact with the institutions dealt with engineering design and new technology, made contacts with the largest enterprises and universities of the Tatar Republic. Organization «Knowledge» has constantly improved the forms and methods of propaganda of scientific and technical knowledge and advanced industrial experience. The most widespread forms were single lectures, series of lectures, scientific and technical conferences, schools of excellence, public universities of technical progress, exhibitions. However, it is shown that despite the constant increase of the number of lectures and other forms of popularization of knowledge (in 1985 there was read almost in 50 times more lectures than in 1955), the proportion of lectures on scientific and technical topics and about innovations in the total number of lectures was insignificant (not more than 6.0%). The situation with involvement of technical workers, innovators and inventors in the ranks of lecturers was unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, the Society «Knowledge» has played a significant role in raising the general level of knowledge of technical workers, in broaden the people's scope of knowledge, in the increase in product volume and a number of innovations. Improving the educational and cultural level of the population directly affected the attitude to the work, the implementation of production plans, the willingness to participate in socialist competition. All this eventually led to the different economic effects: saving raw materials, reducing the cost of production, increasing productivity.

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