Development of the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant in the Second Half of the 1940s – mid 1960s in a Sociocultural Contex

Introduction. The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that in modern conditions of the formation of post-industrial society, the study of socio-cultural factors in the development of optics will complement the holistic picture of the late industrial model of Russian industrial modernization. Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the study was the theory of modernization, which involves taking into account not only economic, but also social, cultural and personal factors of industrial development. Results. Socio-cultural context of enterprise development in the second half of the 1940s – mid-1960s consistent with the trends of late industrial development. The enterprise actively cooperated with a wide range of research institutes, higher educational and scientific organizations. The socio-cultural infrastructure of Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant (UOMZ) was replenished with a library of scientific and technical literature, a hospital, a polyclinic, a gym, a recreation center, a kindergarten and a pioneer camp for the children of employees. Housing was built for factory workers. At the enterprise, there was a sponsored state farm, a greenhouse. Circles (choir, drama) and an orchestra worked at the factory club. The value of labor was built into the ethics of the working class. The fate of many UOMZ workers is a vivid illustration of the mechanisms of social mobility of the late industrial era and the social solidarity of a socialist society. Discussion and Conclusions. At the micro level, using the example of the activities of the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant, the regularities of the beginning of the final stage of industrial modernization in the optical industry are shown. This was done in the context of socio-cultural processes: the development of a personnel training system and production, the development of the socio-cultural sphere of an enterprise, socialist competition, the movement of innovators and innovators, the interaction of science.