The educational process in Kyiv's educational institutions under the influence of the imperial autocratic bureaucracy (second half of the 19th century)

Abstract

The aim of the article is to reveal the main trends and principles of management and influence on the educational process in secondary schools of Kyiv in the second half of the 19th century by the Russian autocratic bureaucracy, and to examine the mechanisms of state administration of the educational process in the effort to shape obedient citizens of the empire.

Methods and methodology. To explore the topic of the article, the authors used the method of review and analysis of archival materials, the descriptive method, and the method of critical analysis.

Results. The negative traits of the autocratic imperial educational bureaucracy are revealed, namely: excessive detailing of intervention in the educational process, the combination of declaring the right to freedom and personal choice in education with directives for obedience and compliance with government decisions, ideological and worldview orientation toward shaping a compliant citizen of the autocratic empire, censorship of the interests of students, primarily reading, constant monitoring of literature lists, categorical rejection of manifestations of Ukrainian national culture and identity both in the educational process and in the life and activities of students outside school hours, justification of state regulatory institutions' interference in the process of forming a young individual's personality, maximum restriction of social creativity manifestations despite the declared principles of freedom, imposition on the younger generation of imperial notions of moral norms, patriotism, honor, and dignity.

Conclusions. The importance of identifying the mechanisms of imperial autocratic influence on the formation of Ukraine's younger generation during the period under review is emphasized, as well as understanding the methods of governance in the empire, which is necessary today for contemporary postmodern Ukrainian education in order to avoid mistakes that could lead to the authoritarianization of social institutions, the weakness of civil society, and the restriction of individual rights and freedoms; to identify and prevent the manifestation of such negative educational practices that are traditional and, unfortunately, always present in educational institutions, regardless of ideology, social order, or political regime. Thus, during the period under review, all the negative features of the activities of the autocratic imperial educational bureaucracy are intensified as never before, although, as is known, this did not stop the explosive development of the national consciousness of the Ukrainian people.