ABSTRACT
Of all the Soviet achievements, educational gains are the most impressive. The October revolution failed in many respects, but certainly not in the field of education. Education became the main vehicle of social advancement, as or more important than a party card and connections. The growth of education came in several stages. In the 1920s the emphasis was twofold: eradication of illiteracy and the creation of working-class elites. The 1920s also witnessed a number of educational experiments, ranging from complete student self-governance at the high school level to optional attendance of classes and free choice of curriculum. The basic structure of Soviet education has roots in the pre- revolutionary system, which in turn borrowed heavily from Western Europe, especially Germany. But the most important German implant was the Academy of Sciences, something unknown in the Anglo-Saxon world and existing elsewhere on a much more modest scale.
