Formation and development of socio-cultural activity in the system of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Introduction. The paper focuses on the role of cultural leisure activities in the professional and personal development of an individual. The historical perspective enables the author to outline the modern problems of organizing socio-cultural activities for police officers. The issue under examination is not sufficiently covered by the scientific literature, therefore, the main resources of the research are the archive materials and the data obtained through studying the work of cultural organizations of the Ministry. Materials and Methods. The research was conducted basing on the archive resources of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan and available scientific publications related to the problem. The leading methods employed are content analysis and comparative analysis of the collected data. Results and Discussion. The author identifies and reveals the main stages of formation and development of cultural leisure of police officers corresponding to the general tendencies of socio-cultural activities of definite periods. The initial stage of formation of socio-cultural activity covering the period from 1917 to 1941 is characterized by introduction of new, Soviet forms of leisure which main functions were education and upbringing. At the main stage from 1945-1900 socio-cultural activity of a law enforcement officer gained stability and became more various. The present stage (since 1991 up to now) can be identified as the period of reforms and search of new demanded forms of cultural leisure of police officers. Conclusions. Formation and development of socio-cultural activity in the system of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is rather a long-time process dating back to the early 20th century. By means of the systematized periodization of this process basing on the analysis of definite historical conditions of the Ministry development it is possible to more accurately track the significant changes in the organization of leisure time for police officers.