A. S. Tumanova

The paper examines the attitude of the tsarist government (in particular, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Police Department) toward domestic aviation and automobile associations involved in engineering and popularizing the achievements of science and technology. In the early 20th century, when such associations started appearing in various parts of the country, the leadership of the Police Department, while generally appreciative of the development of aviation and automobile industry in the country, became concerned about the potentially hazardous social consequences of their activities. Based on a variety of published and archival sources, the paper analyzes the measures taken by the Police Department in order to keep the new social phenomenon under control.