The Origins of Modern Russian Education: An Intellectual Biography of Count Sergei Uvarov, 1786-1855

by Cynthia H. Whittaker

Overview

As minister of education and president of the Academy of Sciences, Count Sergei Uvarov was one of the most important statesmen in nineteenth-century Russia. But, because he has often been labeled as a reactionary and sycophant, his ideas and policies have tended to be dismissed as examples of the bankruptcy of the Russian "cold regime."

Whittaker's intellectual biography, based on research in Russia and Finland, offers a striking reinterpretation of Uvarov's career and of the quality of Russian intellectual life in his age and in assuring his country's place in the mainstream of European educational development. With its wealth of new insights, The Origins of Modern Russian Education will be of interest to readers, specialists and nonspecialists alike who are concerned with nineteenth-century Russia and with the history of education in general.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780875809847
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	02/24/2011
Series:	NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Edition description:	1
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Cynthia H. Whittaker is Professor of History at Baruch College of the City University of New York. She is the author of Russian Monarchy among other works.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

I Introduction 1

Part 1 The Reign Of Alexander I, 1801-1825

2 Searching For A Russian Cultural Identity 10

A Cultured Nobleman Comes Of Age 12

The Possibilities Of Orientalism And Neoclassicism 19

The Dialectic Of The Arzamas Literary Circle 29

3 The Formulation Of A Theory Of History 34

The Trial Of The Revolutionary And Napoleonic Eras 36

The Promise Of Maturity 45

4 The Superintendent Of The St. Petersburg Educational District 57

Secondary And Elementary Schooling 62

The Dual Ministry And The Establishment Of St. Petersburg University 71

Part 2 The Reign Of Nicholas I, 1825-1855

5 The Framework 86

A Timetable For Development 87

The Principles Of Development 94

Orthodoxy 95

Autocracy And Serfdom 96

Nationality 103

Censorship 110

The Personality 121

6 The Lower And Middle Schools 128

The Principle Of State Control 130

The Drive For Uniformity 130

Private Education 135

The Class Question 138

Parish Schools 140

District Schools 141

Gymnasia 143

7 The Renaissance Of The Universities And The Academy Of Sciences 152

University Administration 156

University Faculties 160

The Philosophical Faculty: Division Of History And Philology 162

The Juridical Faculty 166

The Philosophical Faculty: Division Of Physics And Mathematics 168

The Medical Faculty 173

The Universities And Students 174

The Academy Of Sciences 182

8 The Subject Nationalities: A Policy Of Cultural Imperialism 189

The Poles 191

The Baltic Germans 199

Thejews 202

Transcaucasians And Siberians 207

9 The Fall From Power 213

The Society Of Sts. Cyril And Methodius 214

1848 And The Censorship 220

The Attack On Education 228

Retirement 239

Notes 247

Bibliography 300

Index 331

Editorial Reviews

Whittaker has demonstrated beyond possibility of debate that the traditional picture of Uvarov the reactionary is simply wrong and must be revised. There was a need for a soundly researched, intelligently conceived, and clearly presented biography of Uvarov. Whittaker's book meets that need quite completely.

Russian Review

This book is an important contribution to historical scholarship, rich both in pertinent details and insightful observations on the labyrinthine complexities of the political structure of Russian society.

Slavic Review

This book is well written and thoroughly researched, with a wealth of documentary support. Whittaker's "revisionism" rings true.

Canadian Slavonic Papers

For those interested in the history of Russian education this book is an invaluable source of information on the first half of the nineteenth century.

Scottish Slavonic Review

Cynthia Whittaker's excellent book is a tour de force of the educational, intellectual, and social history of Russia from 1800 until the Russian Revolution.

-- "Vitae Scholasticae"

For those interested in the history of Russian education this book is an invaluable source of information on the first half of the nineteenth century.

-- "Scottish Slavonic Review"

This book is an important contribution to historical scholarship, rich both in pertinent details and insightful observations on the labyrinthine complexities of the political structure of Russian society.

-- "Slavic Review"

This book is well written and thoroughly researched, with a wealth of documentary support. Whittaker's "revisionism" rings true.

-- "Canadian Slavonic Papers"

This volume is a stimulating intellectual experience providing many insights into the origins and development of Russian education and it explains many of the contradictions still found there.

-- "Choice"

Whittaker has demonstrated beyond possibility of debate that the traditional picture of Uvarov the reactionary is simply wrong and must be revised. There was a need for a soundly researched, intelligently conceived, and clearly presented biography of Uvarov. Whittaker's book meets that need quite completely.

-- "Russian Review"

From the Publisher

"This volume is a stimulating intellectual experience providing many insights into the origins and development of Russian education and it explains many of the contradictions still found there."

Choice

"Cynthia Whittaker's excellent book is a tour de force of the educational, intellectual, and social history of Russia from 1800 until the Russian Revolution."

Vitae Scholasticae