An attempt to implementation «the new soviet man» project in the context of regional needs. On the material of political education of the Stavropol district in 1924–1925

The article deals with the process of party and state leadership in the area of cultural and educational work on the local level due to the strategic goal – upbringing «a new man» for communist future. It was revealed that in the process of implementing this goal in the regions, the task of matching the actions of local authorities with the formal requirements of the Center was brought to the fore and at the same time the issues that arose from the needs of the local community were resolved. Those were the difficulties of financial support, human resources at cultural and educational organizations and their work as well. The authors make the reconstruction of the main directions of cultural and educational work: schools, reading rooms, rural clubs, clubs, museums, libraries as the means for enlightenment and ideological and political influence on the adult, capable of functioning population of the country. On the local level the aim of the formation a “new man” was brought to a certain social practice, which was not always accepted with joy by the local population. On the one hand, it was an attempt to overcome the political ignorance of people, especially in the countryside, and on the other hand, all political and educational activities were seen as a means of attracting local residents to active social work. To a certain extent, it solved the problem linear personnel and fostered loyalty to the Soviet authority. The authors pay great attention to the elimination of illiteracy, which faced with the passivity of the population in the middle of 1920s. In the work, a great place is given to the financing all these activities, which was shifted to the regional budgets. In Stavropol, they were enhanced by the poverty of the district budget, the remoteness of the district from the Center and the relatively late final establishment of Soviet power in the region.

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