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The last chapter reproduces some of the book's positions in another terminology. It states what is left about L.I. Mandelstam in the social memory of physicists. He was a prominent figure in physics. He had his own considerable scientific results (this is not true for some contemporary academicians who are known as "organizers", "managers"). Besides, he was an honest, decent person.What could be said additionally about the Mandelstam School? Till now it has been a label for the very authoritative scientific community. Scientists, who were even indirectly connected with the Mandelstam community and with Mandelstam's students, often tend to represent themselves as belonging to the Mandelstam School. At the same time, the book referred to the facts which show that the Mandelstam School, like other social structures, is becoming scattered, and tends to become blurred in the course of time.Mandelstam's history provides a good opportunity to speak about the phenomenon of Soviet science. Mandelstam lived in a terrible period of Soviet history. Nevertheless, by becoming a professor of the Lomonosov Moscow State University he reached a high social status. True, a few of the physicists belonging to or being close to Mandelstam's community had problems with Soviet authorities: moreover, Vitt was arrested and died in prison; and Shubin was executed. However, most of Mandelstam's disciples were successful in their careers. Physics was respectable in the Soviet Union and the leading physicists were influential.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-00572-0_15

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