Political Control Over the Academic Environment at the Kamianets-Podilskyi Pedagogical Higher Education Institution in the 1920s

Abstract

This article examines the policy of ideological «purges» at the Kamianets-Podilskyi Higher Pedagogical Institution (Institute of Public Education) in the 1920s. The aim of the study is to analyze the mechanisms and forms of implementation of the Soviet policy of control over the faculty and student body of the institution of higher education, as well as to determine its impact on the formation of the social and ideological composition of the academic environment. The methodological basis of the work consists of the principles of historicism, objectivity, and systematicity. The study employs general scientific and specialized historical methods, including problem-chronological, historical-comparative, biographical, and analytical approaches. The use of these methods made it possible to comprehensively investigate the processes of ideological control and the conduct of «purges» at the Kamianets-Podilskyi Institute of Public Education, to trace their causes, implementation specifics, and consequences for the faculty and the student body.

As a result, it was established that throughout the 1920s, the Kamianets-Podilskyi Institute of Public Education was under constant supervision by party and state authorities, which carried out systematic inspections and personnel «purges» among faculty and students. A significant portion of the academic intelligentsia was forced to leave the institution due to political pressure, dismissals, or persecution. At the same time, campaigns were conducted among students to «purge» individuals of non-proletarian origin, accompanied by expulsions, social background checks, and ideological control.

It has been concluded that the policy of «purges» became an important tool for the Sovietization of the higher education system and was aimed at creating an academic environment loyal to the authorities. Its implementation led to significant changes in the faculty composition and the social structure of the student body at the Kamianets-Podilskyi Institute of Public Education.