THE SOURCE POTENTIAL OF THE CRIMEAN PERIODICAL PRESS IN 1940-1955 FOR STUDYING THE SYSTEM OF STATE LABOR RESERVES OF THE USSR

This article examines the functioning of the USSR’s state labor reserves system (1940–1955) in the Republic of Crimea, drawing on regional press materials. The study aims to explore the role of Crimean newspapers - such as "Krasny Krym" (later "Krymskaya Pravda") and "Krymsky Komsomolets" - as sources for the history of vocational and technical education. It identifies the thematic strands, rhetorical devices, and social practices represented in these publications, while tracing the evolution of the propaganda discourse surrounding the training of the industrial workforce. The source base consists of newspaper articles from 1940–1955 concerning the state labor reserves system; specific details were verified through cross-referencing with archival records and official reports. The methodological framework incorporates approaches from historical semantics and discourse analysis, treating newspaper texts as normative statements that construct behavioral models and value orientations. The analysis highlights several key thematic areas: the mobilization of youth into the labor reserves system; labor-related cooperation and the practice of industrial enterprises acting as patrons for educational institutions; the institutional development of the vocational and technical education network in the region; the educational/upbringing component and the formation of a labor identity; and the use of symbolic markers and the celebratory rhetoric of labor. The study traces the evolution of this discourse - from the mobilization-focused agenda of the early 1940-s to the more systematic organization of vocational education and an increased emphasis on ideological and moral upbringing during the 1950-s. Particular attention is paid to regional specifics, including the industries prioritized in Crimea, the multi-ethnic composition of the population, and the adaptation of all-Union directives to the local context. The research findings demonstrate the significant potential of the regional press as a source for reconstructing not only the organizational but also the sociocultural aspects of the state labor reserves system. Periodical materials shed light on the mechanisms behind the formation of labor identity, practices of social partnership, and everyday strategies for disseminating ideological tenets; they thus serve as a vital supplement to traditional documentary sources on the history of Soviet vocational education and the social history of the USSR.