All-union society "Technics to the masses" and the origin of workers’ invention in Samara region. 1927-1931

The 1917 revolution and the ensuing civil war radically changed the economic and social foundations of life in Russia. In the wake of industrialization and the campaign to eradicate illiteracy, numerous voluntary societies were intensively created in the country; they were designed to popularize technical knowledge, develop various fields of science and technology, and also solve social, educational, economic, ideological, and other problems. One of the most popular and actively working voluntary organizations in the Samara region in the late 1920s was a branch of the All-Union Society of «Technics to the masses» (Techmass), which laid the foundation for the development of invention in the region. The author discusses its organizational structure and various aspects of activity, analyzes the social composition and effectiveness of the implementation of the inventions, and the reasons for the reorganization of the society.