The academic community of Tomsk during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945

The authors of this article tried to make the reconstruction of the history of the academic community of Tomsk during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on the basis of archival documents of periodicals and memories. As for the definition of the concept "academic community", it is a coherent set of scholars from different disciplines, that is a multidisciplinary academic community. The Tomsk Association of Scholars to promote industry, transport and agriculture in wartime (TAS), first in the country, became such a community of scholars united by a great national tragedy - the Great Patriotic War. It is noted that the academic potential of Tomsk (about 600 researchers, including 67 doctors, professors and more than 100 candidates of sciences) increased significantly due to the evacuated teachers and researchers from the European part of the country. However, the basis of the community was local scholars. Not only different generations were presented there, but also people formed as scholars in different historical epochs. The combination of scholars from different epochs was the specificity of the academic community of Tomsk in the war years. The moral and psychological aspect played an important role in bringing scholars together. In a sense, the very Great Patriotic War contributed to the creation of a united academic community. The analysis of TAS reports revealed the role of the non-governmental organization in mobilizing and coordinating the efforts of Tomsk scholars aimed to help the front and the rear. Due to this organization, one can speak about a united academic community of Tomsk during the war. It is noted that scholars were forced to create research products for the benefit of the front and the rear in the hard wartime conditions. On the basis of TAS activities one can judge about its relative autonomy, for example, in attracting new staff. Forms of interaction between the academic community and the industry of the city and the region are observed. A review is made of the micro-clusters of the community, i.e. academic schools (solid-state physics, botany, mining and geology, etc.), whose representatives worked actively during the war as part of the solid community of Tomsk scholars. The city became the largest center for the training of doctors and candidates of sciences. An important part of the academic community is the system of incentives, especially by the state. The period of the war was unprecedented for the scholars of Tomsk on the number of awards and titles. The conclusion is that the academic community of the city of Tomsk in the Great Patriotic War was a special autonomous centralized structure, and its activities were aimed at achieving the goal of the fastest victory, common for the entire country. Despite wartime difficulties, they managed to preserve and strengthen the traditions of earlier scientific schools. Tomsk confirmed its reputation as a major scientific and educational center.

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