STATE SCIENTIFIC-TECHNICAL POLICY IN THE PERIOD OF "THAW": A BREAKTHROUGH AND THE REASONS FOR THE DECELERATION OF MODERNIZATION

Abstract

On the basis of the analysis of scientific literature, published and previously unpublished documents studied by the authors in the Russian state archive of economy, the Russian state archive of contemporary history, the State archive of the Russian Federation, a study of the problem of the evolution of the state scientific-technical policy of the USSR during the "thaw" was carried out. An attempt was made to identify the factors that determined the technological breakthroughs and the causes that impeded the modernization process. It is concluded that due to the powerful scientific and technical potential and, in general, correct selection of priorities in the development of science and technology, social optimism, the Soviet Union managed to successfully overcome the first stage of the scientific-technological revolution. However, the integration of science and production was hampered by the departmental approach, the shortcomings of the planning system with its strict regulation and centralism focused primarily on production volumes and not on the introduction of new technology, modernization of production. The volume of production was achieved mainly due to the construction of many thousands of large plants and factories. Moreover, large machine-building complexes with auxiliary production characterized by low economic efficiency were created. Automation in most industries covered individual, unrelated units and processes. Remote management and remote control of production were sparsely implemented in the industry. In the civilian sectors, the experience of the military-industrial complex in the sphere of ensuring the integration of production and science was not fully used.

Keywords

• scientific-technical policy
• invention
• implementation
• upgrading