Houses of scientists of the USSR in the 1920s - 1930s in the system of state support for scientists

The article examines the role of the Houses of Scientists in the USSR during the 1920s and 1930s. Based on the analysis of autodocumentary and office sources, the authors analyze the significance of the Houses of Scientists in the state's efforts to encourage scientists. They also reconstruct the main changes in the educational and diplomatic tasks assigned to these organizations by state scientific policy, and consider how these changes affected the status of House of Scientists members. The authors conclude that over the first 20 years of its existence, the system of the Houses of Scientists evolved into a public association that served as a showcase for Soviet diplomacy and provided leisure activities for the scientific elite, while also requiring them to contribute to society through education. Active involvement in addressing social issues was rewarded with access to material goods and exclusive cultural events. In the House of Scientists, it was possible to interact with colleagues from related fields, attend presentations by foreign researchers, and discuss news in the world of science outside of their direct specialty. The combination of these functions turned the Houses of Scientists into one of the symbols of the elite status of scientists in the USSR. However, with the expansion of functions, there was a risk of devaluing of membership in the Houses of Scientists. Already in the early 1930s, a conflict between the social roles of a “social activist” and a “successful scientist” was noticeable. The Houses of Scientists turned into an elite subculture within the larger professional subculture of Soviet scientists, with limited access and strict internal corporate rules.