Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union
On the 27th of July 1925, a resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union officially formed the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union. This new body stood on the foundation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which had previously been known as the Imperial Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences before the February Revolution. The first president appointed to lead this institution was Alexander Karpinsky, a geologist who had already served as president of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In its early years, the Institute of the Academy of Sciences faced an ambiguous reception from the new government leadership. It was viewed by some as a closed and elite scientific education that did not fully align with communist ideals. By 1928, pressure from authorities forced the election of several new Communist members into the academy. A defiant moment occurred in January 1929 when academicians rejected three Communist candidates: Vladimir Fritsche, Nikolai Lukin, and Abram Deborin. However, under extreme political pressure, they were forced to reconsider their decision just one month later. In June 1929, a government commission led by Yuri Petrovich Figatner arrived in Leningrad to cleanse the academy. Between June and December of that year, the commission dismissed 128 full-time employees out of 960 total staff and removed 520 supernumeraries from 830. Sergey Oldenburg lost his post as permanent secretary at the end of October 1929 after defending the independence of the institution. On the 25th of February 1929, the Politburo issued a special decision appointing Alexander Karpinsky as president alongside vice-presidents Gleb Krzhizhanovsky, Nikolai Marr, and Vladimir Komarov. This marked the first time the leading core of the Academy was directly appointed by the highest party body rather than elected internally.
On the 25th of April 1934, Vyacheslav Molotov signed a decree transferring the Presidium of the Academy and fourteen scientific institutes from Leningrad to Moscow. Felix Perchenok described this move as one of the most important steps toward turning the Academy into the headquarters of Soviet science. The transfer occurred under what he called fire order conditions. In 1935, the permanent secretary of the academy, Vyacheslav Volgin, wrote a letter to Joseph Stalin requesting release from his position. Volgin stated that he alone performed the difficult work of an indispensable secretary while other members of the party group merely threw out ideas. He noted that for five years in this role, he could not continue his own scientific work or even read books in his specialty. At age fifty-six, Volgin expressed concern that little time remained for him to return to science after his administrative duties ended. On the 8th of August 1935, the Politburo proposed releasing Volgin from his post as permanent secretary. By the 20th of November 1935, the General Meeting of the Academy thanked him for his work and freed him from those duties. Nikolai Gorbunov took over as affairs manager of the Council of People's Commissars before eventually assuming leadership roles within the Academy. On the 26th of June 1937, the position of permanent secretary was abolished altogether by decree of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union.
On the 1st of January 1937, the Academy employed eighty-eight full members and four thousand one hundred eight scientific and technical employees. From 1945 to 1970, the total number of researchers increased more than sevenfold, rising from one hundred thirty thousand people to nine hundred fifty thousand. One notable figure during this period was economist Lev Gatovsky, who served as director of the Institute of Economics from 1965 to 1971. By 1980, the total number of research workers reached one point four million, and by 1985 it had grown to one point five million. The total number of scientific, pedagogical, design, and other organizations in the Soviet Union steadily increased from seventeen hundred in 1945 to five thousand three hundred in 1970, then slightly decreased to five thousand one hundred in 1985. In 1932, the Academy organized its first branches: the Ural and Far East branches. It also established research bases including the Kazakh and Tajik bases. By the end of 1941, the Academy operated seven branches across Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Ural region. These branches employed approximately fifteen hundred scientific and technical workers, including twelve academicians and eleven corresponding members.
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union awarded scientists through a system of gold medals named after prominent figures. The highest award was the Gold Medal named after Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. Annually, two prizes were given to scientists, one Soviet and one foreign, for achievements in natural and social sciences. Other awards included the Leonard Euler Gold Medal for outstanding results in mathematics and physics. The Karl Marx Gold Medal was awarded once every three years to recognize work in social sciences. The Vernadsky Gold Medal honored contributions to earth sciences, while the Vavilov Gold Medal recognized excellence in physics. The Mendeleev Gold Medal celebrated achievements in chemical science and technology. Applied mathematics and mechanics received recognition through the Keldysh Gold Medal. Physiology of higher nervous activity and visceral systems were honored via the Pavlov Gold Medal. Classical mechanics and control theory were rewarded with the Andronov Prize. In 1969 and again in 1974, the Academy received the Order of Lenin for its achievements. By 1985, the Academy had established about three hundred thirty scientific institutions employing fifty-seven thousand scientists and researchers.
During the period from December 1929 to December 1930, over one hundred people were arrested under what became known as the Academic Case. These arrests primarily targeted experts in humanities fields, especially historians. On the 25th of February 1929, the Politburo issued a special decision appointing Alexander Karpinsky as president alongside vice-presidents Gleb Krzhizhanovsky, Nikolai Marr, and Vladimir Komarov. This marked the first time the leading core was directly appointed by the highest party body rather than elected internally. Sergey Oldenburg lost his post as permanent secretary at the end of October 1929 after defending the independence of the institution. The Politburo also appointed Vyacheslav Volgin as permanent secretary following these changes. Between June and December 1929, the commission led by Yuri Petrovich Figatner dismissed 128 full-time employees out of 960 total staff and removed 520 supernumeraries from 830. In January 1929, academicians defiantly rejected three Communist candidates: Vladimir Fritsche, Nikolai Lukin, and Abram Deborin. Under extreme political pressure, they were forced to reconsider their decision just one month later.
On the 21st of November 1991, a presidential decree signed on the initiative of Russian academicians created the Russian Academy of Sciences. All members of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union automatically became members of this new organization regardless of whether they lived in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Buildings, large scientific instruments, vessels, equipment, and other state property located within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic were transferred to the ownership of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Elections to the Russian Academy of Sciences took place in December 1991. Scientists participating in these elections together with full members of the former Academy constituted the new body. By 1992, the International Association of Academies of Sciences was established. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that scientific institutions located in former republics became part of newly independent states. Only the Russian Federation lacked its own Academy during the Soviet period despite housing ninety-eight percent of all scientific institutions and ninety-five percent of all members working and living there.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union officially formed?
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was officially formed on the 27th of July 1925 by a resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars. This new body stood on the foundation of the Russian Academy of Sciences which had previously been known as the Imperial Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences before the February Revolution.
Who led the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union after its formation in 1925?
Alexander Karpinsky served as the first president appointed to lead the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union following its establishment. The Politburo issued a special decision on the 25th of February 1929 appointing Alexander Karpinsky as president alongside vice-presidents Gleb Krzhizhanovsky, Nikolai Marr, and Vladimir Komarov.
What happened to the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union during the Academic Case between December 1929 and December 1930?
Over one hundred people were arrested under what became known as the Academic Case during the period from December 1929 to December 1930. These arrests primarily targeted experts in humanities fields especially historians while commissions dismissed hundreds of full-time employees and supernumeraries from the academy staff.
How many research workers did the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union employ by 1985?
By 1985 the total number of research workers employed by the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union had grown to one point five million. This figure represented an increase of more than sevenfold from the one hundred thirty thousand researchers recorded in 1945.
When was the Russian Academy of Sciences created after the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
The Russian Academy of Sciences was created on the 21st of November 1991 through a presidential decree signed on the initiative of Russian academicians. All members of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union automatically became members of this new organization regardless of whether they lived in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.