| This dissertation examines the relationship between education and politics in the Stalinist period through a study of the lives and work of Soviet schoolteachers. Through their practices and attitudes, elementary and secondary teachers expressed and gave shape to the most significant aspects of Stalinist political culture, including the extension of state power, the transformation of society and culture, and political repression.; This study examines changes in both the social character and occupational roles of teachers that followed the professional expansion needed to meet the demands of universal schooling. In conditions of material deprivation and social instability, teachers' attempts to improve living standards and working conditions often challenged government strategies intended to establish order in schools and in society. As the level of political intervention in schools increased, teachers came to accept a certain amount of government control in exchange for greater recognition of their professional status. Within the classroom, however, teachers' instructional and disciplinary practices were shaped as much by social context and direct experience as they were by the demands of official pedagogy. Recognizing the tensions between public celebrations of their role and practical experiences of social and political subordination, teachers defined identities that emphasized professional achievements rather than political status. Occupying a mediating role in a repressive political context, teachers attempted to balance fears about their personal safety with broader concerns about maintaining boundaries between political and professional spheres.; To understand how teachers helped to shape the most significant values and structures of Stalinist political culture, this dissertation makes use of materials from Soviet archives, pedagogical journals and newspapers, statistical and document collections, first-hand accounts, and comparative literature on teachers, the history of education, and the relationship between structure and agency. Asking what it meant to be a Soviet teacher in the 1930s, this study of the making of Stalinist political culture provides an internal perspective for understanding this crucial period of Soviet history. |
