Comrades' courts in general education in the Russian Empire in the mid-19th century

Abstract

In the context of sources previously introduced by historians of Russian pedagogy and education, and the limited information available in scientific and pedagogical literature, this article brings to light a virtually forgotten pedagogical phenomenon that existed in general education in the mid-19th century: the «conscientious court of comrades» or comrades' court. The article presents the practice of holding comrades' courts, which generated unique pedagogical and organizational-managerial experience, the foundations of which were laid in the Kiev educational district of the Russian Empire in the late 1850s. It demonstrates that the practice of holding comrades' courts in educational institutions in Russia, developed during those years, was effective and consistently developed in accordance with the general trends in the development of the Russian education system during that historical period. The article emphasizes that the Trustee of the educational district, the renowned surgeon, public figure, and statesman N.I. Pirogov, through the introduction of comrades' courts, attempted to improve the regulatory mechanism for general education in the educational institutions under his jurisdiction. At the same time, the trustee constantly emphasized the prevention of formalism and the strict pedagogical justification of this activity, focusing on achieving an effective educational process. The article presents the comradely court as a pedagogically sound mechanism for regulating the teaching and learning process, which shaped the foundations of behavior for general education students in Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It demonstrates that the practice of holding comradely courts experienced positive developments. Its elements were also used later, under a different political regime, in the early years of Soviet power.