Achievements of Soviet biologists in the exposition of the Palace of Science at the World Exhibition in Brussels. 1958

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-1-99-117

For citation

Volodarskaya, Elena A., Fando, Roman A. (2025), Achievements of Soviet biologists in the exposition of the Palace of Science at the World Exhibition in Brussels. 1958, Herald of an Archivist, № 1, pp. 99-117, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-1-99-117

Volodarskaya, Elena A., Fando, Roman A., S. I. Vavilov Institute for the history of science and technology the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Achievements of Soviet biologists in the exposition of the Palace of Science at the World Exhibition in Brussels. 1958

Abstract

The article is devoted to the popularization of the achievements of Soviet science and, in particular, biology at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. The state scientific policy in the USSR during the “Khrushchev thaw” was aimed at expanding international contacts in various natural science, technical and humanitarian disciplines. The Central Committee of the CPSU and the USSR Council of Ministers adopted a number of resolutions regulating the study and implementation of foreign scientific experience for the development of the most important branches of the national economy, as well as the need to promote domestic developments in the world scientific community. Despite the continuing confrontation of political systems, the necessity of the postwar industrial upswing implied the active participation of domestic scientists in international cooperation not only for the purpose of inclusion in the system of scientific and technical communication, but also from the position of propaganda of the successes of socialism in the production and promotion of scientific knowledge, strengthening the positive image of the country in the international arena. The importance of attention to the issues of formation and maintenance of a positive image of the USSR as a strong, having a serious scientific and technological potential power, was reflected in the documents on international relations with academic and non-academic institutions, deposited in the fonds of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences: the Secretariat of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences (F. 2), the Scientific Council for exhibitions of works of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the academies of sciences of the union republics (F. 1509). A striking example of broadcasting the achievements of domestic science was the preparation by the staff of the Department of Biological Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences of a thematic exposition for the World Exhibition held in Brussels in 1958. The emphasis in the demonstrated results was placed on discoveries in the field of experimental biology, which was just beginning to overcome the negative pressure of Lysenkoism. In this connection, our country did not present for the exhibition exhibits reflecting discoveries in such fields as cytology, genetics, radiobiology, microbiology, virology, protistology, and embryology. Such a result was an indicator of the serious lag of domestic biological research behind the world developments. Over the next few decades, the USSR overcame the lag in various biological disciplines. This was facilitated by close contacts between Soviet and foreign scientists and science organizers established in the late 1950s. Participation of our delegations in international conferences and exhibitions allowed not only to get acquainted with breakthrough discoveries in the field of biology, new physical and chemical methods, but also helped to raise the prestige of Soviet science, to broadcast its results, and to determine strategies for future development.

Keywords

Soviet propaganda, popularization of science, history of biology, World Exhibition, Belgium, Palace of Science, Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, historical sources.

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About authors

Volodarskaya Elena A., Doctor of Psychology Sciences, in, S. I. Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology, the Russian Academy of Sciences, chief researcher, Moscow, Russia, +7-495-988-22-80, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0001-9879-0336

Fando Roman A., Doctor of Historical Sciences, S. I. Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology, the Russian Academy of Sciences, director Institute, Moscow, Russia, +7-495-988-22-80, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0003-2180-4393

Grant information

This work was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project № 22-18-00564, https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-00564/

The article was received in the editorial office on 04.04.2024, recommended for publication on 20.12.2024 г.