3-GORBACHEV+Farrell,+Luke

What was the condition of Education in Soviet Russia before Gorbachev?
 * Education in Russia Under Mikhail Gorbachev**

Before the initiation of the communist movement in Russia (pre-1917), literacy rates stood at around 24 percent. The communist movement did everything it could to reduce that, so it made four years of compulsory education in the rural areas and seven years of compulsory education in the towns/cities. This was good, but after a while the Russian leaders realized that although they were extremely proficient in areas such as language, reading, and mathematics, they were severely deficient in other topics of study. Under Stalin in the 30s, Russians began a mobilization to strive for “educational inoculation,” where education was the goal of the people. This was a noble endeavor that was forgotten in the turmoil of the second World War, and a educational mobilization of the like was not seen again until the days of Gorbachev’s perestroika in the 80s. The Soviet Education System was like a horse with blinders on, only focusing in one direction without any deviation, and as such many of the students being churned out were able to only do one thing in the Soviet society.

Excerpt: “Education is one aspect of life where Soviet and American views nearly conform. In both the Soviet Union and the United States, education is a pillar of national belief and a key determinant of social structure. The functions and expectations of education are similar: train the young for the specialized demands of a technologically modern state and keep each country respectively competitive with other nations in a geopolitical and socioeconomic sense. Education plays a dominant part in creating values and beliefs, in creating and maintaining creative talents for the preservation of national interests. Further, it is education, more than any other institution, that enables each country to think of itself as a classless society in which there are no barriers or inequalities among those who acquire socially valuable skills. It is education that underlies the social and economic development in both societies toward a new hierarchical system of meritocracy. And, although the two societies have evolved from the opposite extremes of collectivism and egalitarian individualism, both now determine status above all by one's education and the prestige of the school that he or she attended” (Sweeney).

How did education interpret the policies of perestroika?

At the beginning of his reign as Russian Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev symbolised youth and vigor, he was a man who was able to get things done. He was from the southern part of Russia, which is viewed much like the southern part of the United States- homely, polite, but at the same time a bit misguided. Nonetheless, Mikhail Gorbachev was able to plan great things for the Russian education system with his system of perestroika and this excited the entire educational community in Russia. He spoke rather highly and promised a great many things for the perestroika in education, yet when the time came for it to be instituted he was unable to do so, and when he did it came in “fits and starts” (Englund and Lally). He claimed he was thwarted by the people he surrounded himself with, but through all of his excuses the Russian people realized that he was not able to deliver all he had promised. He was accused of not being able to lead the changes he spoke of by Boris Yeltsin, his successor of the Office of Premier. Many of the things he spoke of were instituded by the people of Russia, such as his ideas of “vospitania”, but he was unable to institute them himself and for that the people view him as a failure.

Excerpt: “Glasnost swept the Soviet Union. Speech and inquiry had never been freer. Perestroika was a different matter. At best, Mr. Gorbachev moved in fits and starts. He never managed to move on comprehensive reforms. Jack F. Matlock Jr., the U.S. ambassador to Moscow at the time, says that Mr. Gorbachev should nevertheless be credited for laying the groundwork that eventually allowed a market-oriented and at least nominally democratic Russia to emerge. Mr. Gorbachev himself has argued that he was not the strong dictator that Russian reformers imagined he was. He was constantly maneuvering around the conservative elements of the party, he says, bringing the Politburo along with him only with a great deal of cunning and cajoling.He was particularly bedeviled by the ethnic aspirations that blossomed from the Baltics to the Caucasus to Central Asia, and that seemed to have blindsided his regime. Mr. Gorbachev certainly did not appear to know what was going on during a pivotal moment in recent Russian history. In August 1991, after some of his most trusted advisers tried to take control of the country in a coup, Mr. Gorbachev emerged from four days of captivity remarkably unchanged” (Englund and Lally).

How did the Soviet State apply the policies of perestroika to the Education system of Russia?

Perestroika brought with it a term called “vospitania.” There is no direct English translation, but it roughly means “upbringing.” In vernacular terms it is much like the concept of a renaissance man, it is a person who is wholly rounded and proficient in many things, not just one. The aim of vospitania was to turn the education of Russia around from such a narrow minded approach, and turn it to a new holistic approach (think of a heavy AP course load over a few subjects compared to the IB course load over many subjects). The Soviet Government was relatively weak when these ideas were trying to take hold, and as such much of it was down to the educators themselves rather than a steadfast government educational policy, so it was a very internal and self-driven change for the Russian people.

Excerpt: A Soviet citizen, as a result of vospitania, should think and act in accordance with the dictates of the Party. "To think and act in this manner is to posses, in the hierarchy of communist virtues, the highest virtue. A person who possesses this virtue is commonly referred to, in Party parlance, as 'the new Soviet man'--one who has developed a communist world view and acts in accordance with this worldview (Long, p470)." "To achieve a communist world view, a Soviet youth must develop some virtues that are common to good citizens in most societies. For example, he or she must be honest, truthful, and helpful to others; and he or she must work hard in school to develop intellectual, aesthetic, and physical abilities--that is, to develop a comprehensive, harmonious personality (Long, p470)." Although these important virtues receive considerable attention in Soviet schools, the virtues regarded as most integral to the development of communist ethics are love of labor, patriotism, atheism, and collectivism (Long, p470). (For amplifying information concerning the virtues of labor, patriotism, atheism, and collectivism, see Appendix A.) Further, having a correct attitude toward work, patriotism, atheism and collectivism does not in itself make a model Soviet citizen, since a model citizen must not only have correct beliefs but must act on them. It is here that the school plays an important role. "The Communist Party relies heavily on the school not only to teach students basic Leninist-Marxist thought but also to provide them with opportunities to put this knowledge into action (Long, p470)." (Sweeney)

What was the significance of Gorbachev on the Education system in Russia?

Gorbachev, although he was unable to personally change the education system through government policy, was able to change the way the Russian people approached their own education. Under the previous Soviet policies, education was viewed as just another box to check on their list of “things to do as a country,” but under the rhetoric of Gorbachev (not necessarily his actions), the USSR was able to reform itself and restructure itself using the ideals of vospitania to galvanize its citizens. Gorbachev was able to convince his people that his idea of a better Russia was the best alternative to where they were now. Education is such an important part of any country, and with an education that was moulded by the ideals of Mikhail Gorbachev, his legacy being left behind is much more than what he himself has done, but also the education of millions of Russians in his wake. All of the education in Russia now follows his model of vospitania, and without it Russia would be a wholly different country.

Excerpt: Vospitania is an integral part of the Soviet culture and educational system. In the years to come, the extent to which vospitania moves away from an administered model to a system wherein individuals and groups are allowed to govern their own interest will define the degree of transition to demokratiya (democracy) that has taken place (Lane, p15). Under perestroika, demokratiya seeks to involve the masses in a more positive way in public affairs. In so doing, it will restrict the power of the political leadership. A pluralism (plyuralizm) of points of view, rather than the previously centralized and controlled orientation, will be encouraged. Hence a movement to democracy is an important mechanism to restrict traditional interests that maintain the status quo and is thought to be a necessary condition to ensure the acceleration of economic development (uskorenie) (Lane, p15). Neither uskorenie nor demokratiya will occur over night. Attempts to change the system are only possible given the tolerance of top leaders who have the power to introduce "freedom" in measure doses and by means of authority. Clearly, there is a precarious circle in all this: democracy is permitted on orders from the bosses, who are free at any moment to increase or restirct it. I trust that in time coercion will not be a necessary condition of "freedom". (Sweeney)

Bibliography Englund, Will, and Kathy Lally. "From Cold War to Cool Reception Mikhail S. Gorbachev: Lionized in the West as a Peacemaker, the Former Soviet Leader Stands Virtually No Chance in His Quixotic Run for the Russian Presidency."The Baltimore Sun 2 Mar. 1996: n. pag. Print. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1996-03-02/news/1996062033_1_gorbachev-mikhail-s-russian

Sweeney, Chuck. "IMPACT OF PERESTROIKA AND GLASNOST ON SOVIET EDUCATION: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FOR FOLLOW-ON RESEARCH." Impact of Perestroika and Glasnost on Soviet Education. RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF EDUCATION, BALTIC ACADEMY OF ST. PETERSBURG, MOSCOW STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY, Moscow. Address. http://www.friends-partners.org/oldfriends/education/russian.education.research.html.