Abstract A review of the theory of the stimulated resonance Raman scattering (SRRS) is given. The calculation of the gains for the SRRS with the ground level (SRRS I) or an excited one (SRRS II) as initial states shows that there are some restrictions for their appearance. Due to the strong resonance absorption of the pumping wave and the disturbing influence of stimulated fluorescence the SRRS I is not observable in a Franck‐Condon excitation and in an absorption of Lorentzian line shape. The SRRS II has a sufficiently large gain on the condition τel ≪vib (τel, τvib – transversal relaxation time of the electronic or vibronic transition). In case of a strong deviation of the wings of the absorption profile from the Lorentzian shape, however, the SRRS I is favoured rather than the two other processes. Another possibility to avoid the resonance absorption of the pumping wave exists for the transversal excitation of the SRRS. Thereby the limit of application of the SRRS may be extended to other substances which are no saturable absorbers. Apart from the saturable absorption and the transversal excitation the self‐induced transparency is the third possibility to generate SRRS of ultrashort light pulses.