Austrian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 11-12 (2016) History and archaeology

ISSN 2310-5593 (Print) / ISSN 2519-1209 (Online) УДК 37.014 (477.54) “1917/1921” DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20534/AJH‑16-11.12-10-14

D. O. TSEPKOV 1 1 Postgraduate student of the Department of Ukrainian history, H. S. Skovoroda National Pedagogical University ()

LOCAL REGULATORY BODIES OF EDUCATION ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION OF 1917–1921 YEARS (USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE KHARKIV ) Abstract Purpose: to study the structure, main tasks and peculiarities of the functioning of the regional regulatory bod- ies of education in the , created by different governments, that struggled for power in Ukraine during the revolution of 1917–1921 years. Methods: comparative, chronological, system analysis and quantitative research methods. Results: Using the example of the Kharkiv Governorate, the struggle for power in Ukraine during the fight for national liberation of 1917–1921 years is considered. The activity of different governments on the territory of Ukraine in the scope of regional education management is analyzed. The place of education in the revolutionary plans of the Central Rada, the Hetmanate of P. Skoropadskyi and the representatives of the Soviet government is defined. Scientific novelty: For the first time, the basic subdivisions of the local regulatory bodies of education in Kharkiv and their activities during the revolution of 1917–1921 years are studied. A comparative analysis of different models of education management, created by the Ukrainian and Soviet governments is made. Keywords: zemstvo; ukrainization; teacher’s conference; governorate department of education; state bodies’ structure.

Introduction lishment of the local regulatory bodies of education, that The fight for national liberation of 1917–1921 years is had to create schools (national as well as Soviet, labor). one of the most difficult and controversial periods in The question of the establishment and the activi- the . The revolution that began in St. ties of the local regulatory bodies of education in the Petersburg in February, 1917 swept Ukrainian lands, Kharkiv Governorate during 1917–1921 years has not raised the local national question. The Central Rada was been a subject of a special scientific research. However, established to represent Ukrainian people’s interests to it is necessary to highlight the modern Ukrainian scien- the Interim Government. Later, the General Secretariat tists who while exploring the issues of the educational was founded. It was the first Ukrainian government. The policy during the revolution casually touched Kharkiv. newly formed government could not solve many ques- These are monographs of A. Borovyk, V. Maiboroda, tions, so the process of the struggle for power was in- V. Lypynskyi and an article N. Ivanova. Moreover, scien- tensified. National (by turns the Central Rada, then the tists N. Sorochan, S. Zhukov have revealed the activities Hetmanate of P. Skoropadskyi and the Directorate) and of the individual local authorities in the field of education monarchical (the Volunteer Army of A. Denikin) po- management in their articles. litical forces and the Bolsheviks struggled for Ukrainian The study’s results lands. Each of these forces had its own idea and views on In the period from March to June, 1917, i. e. before the future of Ukraine and Eastern Europe. They tried to the proclamation of the I Universal, the Central Rada did get the victory not only with the help of weapons but also not make serious steps to reforming the regulatory bod- through the dissemination of their ideology among the ies of education. Educational districts were the basis of population. Education has become one of the most effec- education management in the times of the Russian Em- tive channels of their own ideas popularization. There- pire. The eponymous educational district was in charge fore, each of these forces paid great attention to the estab- of the educational processes of the Kharkiv Governorate.

D. O. TSEPKOV LOCAL REGULATORY BODIES OF EDUCATION ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION OF 1917–1921 YEARS (USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE KHARKIV GOVERNORATE)

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ISSN 2310-5593 (Print) / ISSN 2519-1209 (Online) In addition, the Kharkiv educational district also includ- of education was introduced in many governorates. In ed Voronezh, Tambov, Kursk, Penza governorates and the Kharkiv region from November until the beginning the Region of the Don Cossack Host. The Head of this of December, 1917 this position was held by a famous educational district in 1917 was I. A. Krasuskyi, a profes- historian, professor of Kharkiv University D. I. Bagalii, sor of Kharkiv Institute of Technology [17, 2]. and from December 8 N. Syniavskyi [3, 45]. With the beginning of the February Revolution of But the most important issue was reforming the 1917, educational districts were subordinated to the activity of the educational districts. On 28 December, Ministry of Education being a part of the Interim gov- 1917 the Central Rada signed a decree on the elimination ernment. The governorate zemstvo and the special de- of all three educational districts that had been “inherited” partment of public education at the local district сouncil by the UNR from the : Kiev, Kharkiv and were a separate structure, that managed education in the Odessa [15, 111]. On January 14 the Central Rada ad- governorate. H. I. Korkushko was the Head of the depart- opted another decree and liquidated the directorate and ment in the period from 1917 to may, 1918. [2, 55]. the inspectorate of public schools. The greatest problems With the proclamation of the I Universal in June, arose during the liquidation of the Kharkiv educational 1917 and the creation of the first Ukrainian govern- district, since by the moment of the decree adoption the ment, the General Secretariat, the question of creating had been seized by the Bolsheviks. the Ukrainian school is often raised at the meetings of the Only from March, 1918, after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Ukrainian authorities. To reform education in Ukraine was signed and the Bolsheviks left the territory of the fast and fundamentally, it was necessary to change the UNR, the process of reforming the educational authori- regulatory bodies’ structure. Moreover, the Kharkiv ties in the Kharkiv region was resumed. The education educational district also included Russian governorates. management in Kharkiv Govermorate moved to the edu- District and volost departments of education as a part cational commissariat, which had to include 7 people: of the relevant local district сouncils had been addition- four Ukrainians, and three ethnics (the Poles, Jews and ally generated by June, 1917 [3, 42]. During July-August, Russians). The work was distributed between commis- 1917, the plan of creating the Ukrainian schools in all sioners [17, 1]. the Ukrainian governorates for the 1917/1918 academic The first staff of the commissariat was formed of year was approved. At the end of 1917 the schools of the Ukrainians, the Poles and Jews. Among the Ukrainian Kharkiv Governorate began to report to the - teachers’ union there was O. N. Syniavskyi, a former gov- ate zemstvo on the number of schools with Ukrainian ernorate commissioner of education and a teacher of a language of teaching. According to the statistical infor- Ukrainian school, M. A. Plevako — a director of a Ukrai- mation given by 159 primary schools of Kharkiv and the nian gymnasium, O. I. Sokolovskyi, a member of the city Kharkiv district as of 20 December, 1917, 44 schools with council and a secondary school teacher, V. N. Fisenko — of teaching in the first form were es- a teacher of mathematics of a Ukrainian gymnasium. tablished (37 of them — on the initiative of the district L. I. Feldman became a member of the commissariat be- and volost zemstvos), there were still 108 schools with ing a teacher of a Jewish gymnasium, K. I. Okonskyi — a of teaching, 7 schools did not submit teacher of a Polish trade school. On 25 April, 1918, the such information. In addition, the task of the governorate final cut of the staff of the commissariat was approved. zemstvos was to place parish schools under the manage- H. I. Yushchenko was also included as a representative ment of the local authorities [5, 3–154]. of Russian teachers. O. N. Syniavskyi was appointed After November 7, when the power in Petrograd was the chairman of the Kharkiv Regional Commissariat of seized by the Bolsheviks, and the adoption of the III Uni- Education [15, 112]. However, it was not clear how the versal, the Central Rada became the only state body that powers would be distributed between the educational exercised the education management in the Kharkiv re- departments at zemstvos and district commissariats, so gion [1, 46]. Educational departments at governorate, technically, there was a diarchy in the education manage- district and city councils did not provide an adequate ment. level of education ukrainization in most governorates, On 29 April, 1918 as a result of a military coup a Het- including the Kharkiv one [1, 48]. In this regard, on No- man P. Skoropadskyi came to power in Kiev. On 3 May vember 10 the position of a governorate commissioner the changes happened in the central government in Kyiv:

D. O. TSEPKOV LOCAL REGULATORY BODIES OF EDUCATION ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION OF 1917–1921 YEARS (USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE KHARKIV GOVERNORATE)

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ISSN 2310-5593 (Print) / ISSN 2519-1209 (Online) M. Vasylenko became a minister of education [19, 6–7]. 1918, the fourth position of the commissioner from the On May 15–17 there was a meeting of representatives of Ukrainians was taken by O. I. Popov, a teacher of B. Hrin- governorate and district zemstvos in Kiev, where the cul- chenko Kharkiv Gymnasium. [18, 20]. tural policy issues were discussed, in particular, the local Since may, 1918 the main problem in the education authorities’ participation in the education management. management in the Kharkiv Governorate was the absence The meeting was attended by the representatives of the of the governorate commissioner of education. The reports Kharkiv Governorate [16, 135]. In general, it was de- for the period of May–June, 1918 on the activities of the cided to continue the previous policies in education initi- governorate commissioners of education in the Kharkiv ated by the Central Rada. The main tasks were: further Governorate contained the mark «vacant position» [18, ukrainization of education (particularly teachers train- 3–4, 9–12]. Only on June 17 a governorate commissioner ing) and the final elimination of the educational districts was appointed. He was D. O. Tkachenko. But considering and the district commissariats of education, placing the his personal request he had the status of «acting», be- power to the educational departments in zemstvos for cause «never wanted to lose pension» [19, 80]. further decentralization of the education management. Because of the overthrow of the Hetmanate by the The staff expansion of the public education depart- Directory and the later seizure of Ukraine by the Bol- ment of the Kharkiv governorate occurred shevik armies, the project of education management during 1918. From January to May, 1918, the depart- launched by the Central Rada and continued by the ment had 13 employees, 8 of whom held staff positions Hetmanate Ministry in the Kharkiv Governorate has not and 5 were in their positions as temporary employees. been completed. In January 1919, the Bolsheviks seized H. I. Korkushko was the head of the public education Kharkov again. department in this period, school education was man- On January 29, 1919 Provisional Workers’ and Peas- aged by M. P. Andriyevskyi, out-of-school education — ants’ Government of Ukraine was renamed the Rada of by V. O. Kravtsov. The positions of the heads of school People’s Commissars and the department of education statistics, professional education and preschool educa- was renamed the People’s Commissariat of Education. tion were vacant [2, 55]. The People’s Commissariat of Education of UkrSSR, its In August, 1918, the position of the head of school structure and the hierarchy of divisions was formed like statistics was held by Yu. S. Maliar, and the head of pro- The People’s Commissariat of Education of RSFSR. The fessional education — K. V. Romanenko. During Octo- main goal of the People’s Commissariat of Ukraine was ber–December, 1918, the number of full-time employees the school reform, the same model that was held in the of the public education department increased to 19, the Bolshevik . In early 1919 the process of forming structure of the department had five subdivisions: school Soviet education and culture authorities was renewed in education (3 employees), out-of-school education (3), the Kharkiv region. The Governorate Department of public education statistics (6), professional education Education (hereinafter — hubvno) was eastablished in (1), clerical work (5) and the head of the department January-February 1919. It was located in Sadovo (1). The department had two staff vacancies — the head Kulikovs’ka Street 9/2 (now the Darwin Street) [6, 1]. of pre-school education and the specialist on libraries. The Governorate Department of Education consist- In June, 1918, H. I. Korkushko applied for dismissal. On ed of five subdivisions: school, afterschool, arts, science August 30, the new head of the governorate state educa- and common subdivision. There was a panel of three peo- tional department was appointed. He was a former mem- ple at the head of each subdivision: manager, his deputy ber of the Valuisk district zemstvo council, H. V. Dakhno and the head of the school section. Each subdivision was [5, 211–214]. divided into sections. For example, after school subdivi- There were changes in the staffing of the Kharkiv sion (organized on January 10, 1919) was divided into Commissariat of Education. In connection with a large five sections: school, club, library, lecture and cinematic. task load as a director of a Ukrainian gymnasium, the There was a manager at the head of the section and there commissioner of the Ukrainians, M. A. Plevako applied were inspectors too [6, 12–25]. for dismissal. The commissariat instead nominated The process of establishing the Soviet state education a teacher Ya. V. Bobruk from Slobozhanska teachers’ and culture authorities in the Kharkiv region was ham- union [18, 9–12]. However, later in the late summer of pered by the establishment of Denikin regime in June

D. O. TSEPKOV LOCAL REGULATORY BODIES OF EDUCATION ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION OF 1917–1921 YEARS (USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE KHARKIV GOVERNORATE)

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ISSN 2310-5593 (Print) / ISSN 2519-1209 (Online) 1919 that lasted until December 1919. During his stay in al and instructional subdivision had two more statisti- Odessa the Volunteer Army does not have dedicated re- cians and a researcher, the supply subdivision had ware- gional institutions in the sphere of education but in gen- house managers (there were three in hubvno) and their eral Anton Denikin’s policy in the sphere of education employees. The Governorate Commissariat, in addition had the same features as the overall culture had: first of all to the heads of sections, had the heads and employees –the prohibition of Ukrainian language. According to the of museums, archivists, artists, scientists and librarians. decisions of the Special Meeting, approved by General The ethnographic section was headed by M. F. Sumtsov Denikin A. I. on the 10th of August, 1919, the study in and D. I. Bahalii was not only the head of the archives the Ukrainian language in schools where the teaching section, but also the head of the Central Historical Ar- had been in the Russian language before Ukrainian au- chives. There were also commandants and cleaners in the thorities came, was prohibited. The study in Ukrainian hubnvo. There were 291 workers in hubnvo in Kharkiv was permitted in private schools or for private funds. by the 7th of October in 1921 [7, 31–40]. Teaching Ukrainian was abolished, and “Little Russian” Thus, during the revolution of 1917–1921 years in language and literature were allowed as optional subjects. the Kharkiv Governorate various governments created The study of the cycle “Ukrainian” (history, language and their local representative bodies that took control of the geography of Ukraine) was stopped [22, 234, 100–101]. educational process. Each power saw the role of educa- On the 12th of December the Armed Forces of South tion in the upbringing of future generations differently, Russia left Kharkov, the city was undertaken by the Bol- just as the future. National governments (UPR General sheviks for the third time in the period of the Revolu- Secretariat, the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian tion in 1917–1921. State) wanted to ukrainize education and make it the On the 25th of March in 1920 the first Ukrainian foundation of formation of the Ukrainian nation. The meeting of the heads of governorate departments of Soviet government wanted to create a labor school, a educationwas held, they approved the scheme of pub- place where young people assimilated the principles of lic education in UkrSSR [13, 48]. At the beginning of teamwork and basic ideas of communist ideology. 1921 hubvno consisted of eight subdivisions: general; As for the principles of creation and activities of organizational and instructors; estimate and financial; the regional education authorities, they also differed in social education; political education; professional educa- different governments. The government, which identi- tion; supply; governorate committee for the protection fied itself with the national liberation movement of the of monuments of art (hubkopmys) [6, 8–10]. Ukrainian, created the local bodies on the basis of local Apart from subdivisions to represent the interests of democracy and decentralization. It can be proved with minority in Kharkiv region there were created three sec- the attempt of elimination of the school districts that was tions — Polish, Armenian and Jewish. Each of these sec- a trace of imperial times where the leaders were appoint- tions had an additional subsection of preschool educa- ed from the center, and replace them with educational tion. Their main task was to spread communist ideology departments in the counties where the authorities were among the minorities, especially young people [8, 36]. elected at the local level. During 1917–1918 the repre- The staff of hubvno was constantly changing; some- sentatives of the biggest minorities (including Russians) times the positions of the heads of subdivisions re- were involved into the education management in the mained vacant for several months. While selecting the Kharkiv Governorate too. The Soviet authorities estab- candidates, they considered the questionnaire, where lished their own engine of education management on the main point was about the attitude to the Commu- the principles of centralization and bureaucracy. It can nist Party. The majority of the accepted to a particular be proved by the growing number of business units, and position wrote «sorry» [8, 16]. therefore officials, as well as strengthening the role of the In general, the staff was similar in all subdivisions. central government and their orders in the management Thus, according to the data of the th7 of October, 1921, of education in the Governorate. each of the subdivisions consisted of: head, secretaries, heads of sections and committees, instructors, couriers Acknowledgements and printers. But there were some differences depending The study was conducted and funded by T. H. Shevchen- on the functions of the subdivision. So, the organization- ko Scientific Society in New York (USA).

D. O. TSEPKOV LOCAL REGULATORY BODIES OF EDUCATION ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION OF 1917–1921 YEARS (USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE KHARKIV GOVERNORATE)

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D. O. TSEPKOV LOCAL REGULATORY BODIES OF EDUCATION ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE DURING THE REVOLUTION OF 1917–1921 YEARS (USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE KHARKIV GOVERNORATE)

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