Workers’ Faculties: The Education of People’s Masses and/or Ideological Chimera

Abstract

The paper considers the history of the creation and development of Workers’ Faculties in the RSFSR and the USSR. That system of education was widespread in the first fifteen years of the existence of the Soviet state. Major politicians of Soviet Russia considered the issues of teaching methods and methodologies. They, for the most part, were former students of those faculties and were actively engaged in self-education, as one of the main priorities of the young socialist state. The Soviet leaders emphasized the need to increase the level of education of the broad masses without interruption from productive activities. At the same time, there was a dilemma on the importance of pre-revolutionary experience in building a new education system, the task of which was to educate a person who possessed personal qualities that allowed her to follow the ideological principles of communism. The author paid particular attention to the legislation governing the activities of the Workers’ Faculties and the long-term consequences of applying this educational model.