German schools of St. Petersburg province (Leningrad region) in the XIX — first third of the XX century: general regularities and peculiarities of development

Abstract

This article analyzes the history of German settler schools near St. Petersburg/Leningrad practically throughout their existence, from the emergence of the first forms of education during settlement in new places to their closure for political reasons in the late 1930s. The purpose of the paper is to identify the common and special features in the development of school education and school construction of St. Petersburg colonists in comparison with the colonists of other regions of the country, primarily the Germans of the Volga region. The common features in the formation and development of colonist schools are related both to the Protestant tradition of compulsory education of children and the general government policy towards the German population and their educational sphere. Characteristic features of the schools of St. Petersburg colonists are manifested at all stages of the period under study, which is largely due to the proximity of the capital (in the pre-revolutionary period) and the country's largest scientific, cultural and educational center, the status of which was maintained by Leningrad. The peculiarities were manifested in the provision of schools for the German population, the possibility of obtaining teachers from among the city teachers, as well as the special attitude towards Germans on the part of the authorities both before the revolution and during the years of Soviet power.