The “new man” project and teaching history and social sciences: on the discussion in the journal “The Marxist historian”. 1926–1928

The paper deals with research of sources of history teaching transformation in the Soviet education up to 1930s in the context of constant change of the political course that was linked with ideological requirements of new Soviet identity formation. The project of «new man» creation was subject to the idea of the Soviet state establishment and this one was the tool of the formation. Efforts aimed at the formation of social unity among Soviet citizens through the construction of common identity were promoted along with other peculiarities of the “new man” in 10 years after the Bolshevik power were established. Certain historical memory was one of conditions in achievement of the goal. Hence, the role of historical science in society changed, this, in turn, demanded transformation in the training process of history in schools of different levels, workers’ faculties and universities. The article analyzes the discussions that started in connection with the establishment of the Society of Marxist Historians. The problem of the «new man» formation was not directly voiced, yet implied. The ideological discourse supposed the “new man” as the target of Soviet social engineering, at the same time the unified plan to reach it was missing. Accordingly, the discussions about teaching history among Marxist historians started with pointing the goal – the formation of a person with a Marxist worldview, a revolutionary, a Leninist. However, along with implementation of the so-called laboratory plan, the lack of historical knowledge and thinking was revealed even in the amount which was significant for accommodation of Marxist ideas. The essence of the discussion itself left the ideology and the focus shifted to a reasonable discussion of the problems related to teaching history and social science. Thus, by 1928, the discussions featured the need for systematic history at different educational levels.

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