.22Black Book.22 of Soviet science Suppressed research in the Soviet Union

1 black book of soviet science

1.1 biology
1.2 cybernetics
1.3 history
1.4 linguistics
1.5 pedology
1.6 physics
1.7 sociology
1.8 statistics

black book of soviet science
biology

in mid-1930s, agronomist trofim lysenko started campaign against genetics , supported stalin. if field of genetics connection nazis wasn t enough, mendelian genetics particularly enraged stalin due founder gregor mendel s being catholic christian priest, fact flew in face of soviet union s official atheism , antitheism.

in 1950, soviet government organized joint scientific session of ussr academy of sciences , ussr academy of medical sciences, pavlovian session . several prominent soviet physiologists (l.a. orbeli, p.k. anokhin, a.d. speransky, i.s. beritashvily) attacked deviating pavlov s teaching. consequence of pavlovian session, soviet physiologists forced accept dogmatic ideology; quality of physiological research deteriorated , soviet physiology excluded international scientific community. later soviet biologists heavily criticised lysenko s theories , pseudo-scientific methods.

cybernetics

cybernetics outlawed bourgeois pseudoscience. norbert wiener s 1948 book cybernetics condemned , translated in 1958. 1954 edition of brief philosophical dictionary condemned cybernetics mechanistically equating processes in live nature, society , in technical systems, , standing against materialistic dialectics , modern scientific physiology developed ivan pavlov . (however article removed 1955 reprint of dictionary.) after initial period of doubts, soviet cybernetics took root, attitude hampered development of computer science , engineering in soviet union.

history

soviet historiography (the way in history , written scholars of soviet union) influenced strict control authorities aimed @ propaganda of communist ideology , soviet power.

since late 1930s, soviet historiography treated party line , reality 1 , same. such, if science, science in service of specific political , ideological agenda, commonly employing historical revisionism. in 1930s, historic archives closed , original research severely restricted. historians required pepper works references – appropriate or not – stalin , other marxist-leninist classics , , pass judgment – prescribed party – on pre-revolution historic russian figures.

many works of western historians forbidden or censored, many areas of history forbidden research as, officially, never happened. translations of foreign historiography produced in truncated form, accompanied extensive censorship , corrective footnotes. example, in russian 1976 translation of basil liddell hart s history of second world war pre-war purges of red army officers, secret protocol molotov-ribbentrop pact, many details of winter war, occupation of baltic states, soviet occupation of bessarabia , northern bukovina, western allied assistance soviet union during war, many other western allies efforts, soviet leadership s mistakes , failures, criticism of soviet union , other content censored out.

the katyn massacre formally assigned nazi germany subject concealed. soviet famines taboo.

linguistics

at beginning of stalin s rule, dominant figure in soviet linguistics nikolai yakovlevich marr, argued language class construction , language structure determined economic structure of society. stalin, had written language policy people s commissar nationalities, read letter arnold chikobava criticizing theory. summoned chikobava dinner lasted 9 p.m. 7 a.m. taking notes diligently. in way grasped enough of underlying issues coherently oppose simplistic marxist formalism, ending marr s ideological dominance on soviet linguistics. stalin s principal work in field small essay, marxism , linguistic questions.

pedology

pedology popular area of research on basis of numerous orphanages created after russian civil war. soviet pedology combination of pedagogy , psychology of human development, heavily relied on various tests. officially banned in 1936 after special decree of central committee of communist party of soviet union on pedolodical perversions in narkompros system on july 4, 1936.

physics

in late 1940s, areas of physics, quantum mechanics special , general relativity, criticized on grounds of idealism . soviet physicists, such k. v. nikolskij , d. blokhintzev, developed version of statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics, seen more adhering principles of dialectical materialism. however, although planned, process did not go far defining ideologically correct version of physics , purging scientists refused conform it, because recognized potentially harmful soviet nuclear program.

sociology

after russian revolution, sociology gradually politicized, bolshevisized , eventually, stalinized . 1930s 1950s, discipline virtually ceased exist in soviet union. in era allowed practiced, , not replaced marxist philosophy, dominated marxist thought; hence sociology in soviet union , entire eastern bloc represented, significant extent, 1 branch of sociology: marxist sociology. death of joseph stalin , 20th party congress in 1956, restrictions on sociological research eased, , finally, after 23rd party congress in 1966, sociology in soviet union once again officially recognized acceptable branch of science.

statistics

the quality (accuracy , reliability) of data published in soviet union , used in historical research issue raised various sovietologists. marxist theoreticians of party considered statistics social science; hence many applications of statistical mathematics curtailed, particularly during stalin era. under central planning, nothing occur accident. law of large numbers or idea of random deviation decreed false theories . statistical journals , university departments closed; world-renowned statisticians andrey kolmogorov or eugen slutsky abandoned statistical research.

as soviet historiography, reliability of soviet statistical data varied period period. first revolutionary decade , period of stalin s dictatorship both appear highly problematic regards statistical reliability; little statistical data published 1936 1956 (see soviet census (1937)). reliability of data has improved after 1956 when missing data published , soviet experts published adjusted data stalin s era; quality of documentation has deteriorated.

while on occasion statistical data useful in historical research might have been invented soviet authorities, there little evidence statistics affected falsification or insertion of false data intent confound west. data falsified both during collection – local authorities judged central authorities based on whether figures reflected central economy prescriptions – , internal propaganda, goal portray soviet state in positive light citizens. nonetheless policy of not publishing, or not collecting, data deemed unsuitable various reasons more common simple falsification; hence there many gaps in soviet statistical data. inadequate or lacking documentation of soviet statistical data significant problem.