«The Struggle for the Souls»: the Polish-Russian Confrontation in Education in the Late XIXth – Early XXth Centuries

Abstract

The article deals with educational system of the Dnieper region as the area of struggle between Polish national and Russian imperial projects during the second half of XIX – early XX century. According to the author, the Polish educational practices during this period became strong resistance's factor to the Russification strategy of the region by the government and contributed to the forming of Polish national consciousness. The author concluded that the absence of conditions for Poles to legitimate national and political work turned their educational activities only available channel to preserve their own national and cultural identity. On the other hand, the genesis of modern society had influenced on the sphere of education, which became area of fierce struggle for “soul and consciousness” because the Russian Empire’s government made decisive steps towards the reforming of the state education system and establishing control over this important part of social life from the mid-nineteenth century.