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It was complicated [1]. Stalin didn't care for the idea. After he died, some took interest in it. Some of those people stepped on the toes of the military. It c

• cyberax 3y ago
  I was interested in the early USSR computing some time ago (well, almost 20 years ago, I'm feeling old). Back then, I tried to find the original sources for the supposed Stalin's disdain for computers. I could not find much in favor or against it. I would say that Stalin really did not care much, in the sense that he was not concerned about computers either way. He had way too much stuff on his plate anyway: executing medical doctors, trying to claw back power from WWII military leaders, that sort of stuff. The USSR also started serious computation research in 1948, including construction of a fully programmable computer ("MESM - Small Electronic Calculating Device") that was finished in 1950. It actually fit the USSR ideology quite well, the economy was supposed to be centrally planned and computing devices obviously are helpful in creating plans. Some early computing history of the USSR is fascinating, with real spies and drama. E.g.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Sarant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Sarant So my opinion: there was no real persecution of the early computer science in the USSR. And it's not the reason the USSR eventually fell behind. The _networking_ was an entirely different story. The USSR government instinctively was against making communication across hierarchical structures easier.