Since 1917, culture and science in Soviet Russia had been developing under hard ideological control. Under the guidance of the Communist Party, the country was to accomplish a grand social experiment. It was bound to prove the ideas of Marxist philosophy: the unity of all aspects of social development, comprising economy and culture, and a definite direction, a line of advance for that development, which was aimed at Communism – a comprehensive whole of prosperous economy and social harmony.

Marxist philosophy was based on principles of materialism and dialectics. Culture and science as part of it in Soviet Russia had to be Marxist, and psychological theories were severely inspected to conform to that. Idealism and metaphysics were a deadly charge.

All open theoretical discussions were authorized and officially approved, and led to "organizing" (so it was called) consequences, infringing the very possibility of a professional career for the discussant who was supposed to have lost the debate. An open unauthorized polemics could well lead to the same "consequences" for both.

There was and is much rumor about the ruptures of Leontiev and Vygotsky, and of Leontiev and Rubinstein, but little was stated openly. That is why in order to learn about the difference of opinions of the founders of Soviet psychology today, explorers turn to analysis of archives and memoirs. As a result there are many controversies in the works of contemporary historians and huge impact of personal attitude, a good example being a brilliant biography of A. N. Leontiev written by his son A. A. Leontiev and grandson D. A. Leontiev (Leontiev et. al., 2005).

As for the discrepancy of views and the rupture between Vygotsky and Leontiev, there are some facts we can be sure of, and wide space for interpretations and hypotheses. The facts are that in 1924 Vygotsky came to Moscow invited by A. R. Luria (1902–1977), and began working at the Psychological Institute. Luria, though a very young man, was already a well-known scientist at that time, and Leontiev worked as his assistant. When Vygotsky appeared in the Institute he was immediately recognized as a creative leader for the trio. Leontiev later acknowledged that he had been "empty" and the ideas of Vygotsky "filled the vacuum", thus determining his professional life line (Leontiev et al, 2005). Their collaborative work was in good progress until the beginning of 1930s.

The 1920s in Russia were a time of a wonderful splash of creative activity in psychological science. Great expectations of the Soviet government were laid on psychological practice. Two great tasks were put forward, both concerning the ideology as well as the economic life of the country: to increase labor productivity[19] and to develop a new human type – that of "proletarian culture". As a result, psychotechnics and pedology were rapidly developing. At the beginning of 1920s, one by one, psychological departments and laboratories were being opened throughout the country. Applied psychology was also rapidly developing. It was the time when the world-renowned Vygotsky cultural-historical theory was born.