How successful were Communist education policies in the years 1917 to 1985?
Lenin to Andropov.
In-depth and detailed knowledge of success and failures of communist education policies .
Essay plan
How successful were Communist education policies in the years 1917 to 1985?
Introduction
Paragraph 1-Literacy
Positives
Lenin
1817 only 32% of the population could read and write. Lenin believed that ending illiteracy was
crucial to building socialism
Civil war
Trotsky introduced literacy class throughout the red army. In 1918 50% of soldiers were illiterate,
by 1925 all soldiers were literate
-lunacharsky set up a network of reading rooms, (liquidation points), across Russia. They offered 6
week intensive courses in reading and writing.
Nep
Campaign to end illiteracy was restarted in 1925, once the economy had stabilised – among adults
by 1927
Communist worked with trade unions to establish libraries and run literacy classes
-the metal workers union reposted a decline in illiteracy from 14% in 1925 to 4% in 1926
-transport workers union achieved 99% literacy by 1927
Overall rates improved from 38% in 1914 to 55% in 1928
Stalin wanted to end illiteracy by end of first 5 year plan – military style
Volunteers ‘cultural soldiers’ organised in ‘cultural battalions’ went sent to soviet villages and told
to fight cultural war against illiteracy
By 1939 over 94% of soveit citizens were literate
Negatives
Lenin
Outside the red army the literacy campaign was not a success. Learning was not a priority foe
those trying to survive the civil war
-spreading literacy in rural areas was much harder
-campaign of volunteers took police in the midst of forced collectivisation -40% of teachers were
physically attacked in the fist year of campaign and it failed to eliminate illiteracy during the first 5
year plan
-cuts during nep
Overall literacy rates 55% in 1928
Paragraph 2-Adult Education/ education
Positives
During the civil war there were insufficient resources to achieve their Gail of providing free
polytechnic education to all children between 8-7
1917-28
Civil war was more important than education – many schools were tuned into stores or barracks,
meaning that in some areas education ceased
Nep
Schools expanded
1927- fees fro primary school were abolished, from then in the majority of children received a 4
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