About the problem of the development of Tomsk local history organizations: The Society for the Study of the Tomsk Region and the Society of Naturalists and Doctors in the 1920s

The article presents the characteristics of the Tomsk Region Research Society in the Tomsk Regional Museum. It was a local history organization that operated from 1925 to 1928. The prerequisites for its creation are outlined, the structure and staffing are analyzed, and the main directions of its activities are indicated. The main attention of author is paid to the search for the causes of the decline of this society. Specifically for this purpose, an appeal was made to the activities of another local history association - the Society of Naturalists and Doctors at Tomsk University, which operated during the same period. Thus, the purpose of this article is to try to identify the prerequisites for decay of the Society for the Study of the Tomsk Region by comparing it with the Society of Naturalists and Doctors. The source base of the study was the office materials of both organizations (charters, protocols, correspondence, etc.), as well as materials of the periodical press. The Society for the Study of the Tomsk Region was established in 1925 by the staff of the local history museum. The situation in the country favored this undertaking, since the Soviet authorities needed actual information about regions. However, almost from the beginning the society has faced difficulties - a shortage of staff, low funding and the inability to expand its activities. Over time, the insolvency of its organization became more and more apparent, which eventually forced the administration of the society to merge it with the Society for the Study of Siberia. Analyzing the reasons for the failure of Tomsk local historians, it is necessary to turn to the history of another organization that conducted similar research - the Society of Naturalists and Doctors. It was established in 1889, successfully developed its activities, survived the shocks of the Civil War, and in the shortest possible time was restored. Its local history section successfully performed research until 1928, when the society was divided into medical and local history staff. As a result, the local history section became a part of the Society for the Study of Siberia, because it sought to further develop and strengthen its potential. Despite the same fate, the leaders of both societies had different motives when making decisions about unification. In the case of the Society for the Study of the Tomsk Region, the reason was in incorrectly drafted charter, in which its creators, due to lack of experience, unwittingly laid restrictions. We are talking about the boundaries of the organization's activities and its status as a subdivision of the museum. Because of this, the society has not been able to fully show its potential. In turn, the Society of Naturalists and Doctors competently took advantage of the moment and the available resources, and as a result successfully conducted its activities. By the way, both organizations contributed to the formation of organized local history in the region.