Reasons and Principles of the Implementation of Compulsory Adult Education in Ukraine in the 20s of the 20th Century

Abstract

The article focuses on adult education in Ukraine during the Soviet era, in particular, with the campaign to eliminate illiteracy in the 1920s. The article explores the reasons behind the introduction of basic adult education in the early years of Soviet rule in Ukrainian territories and the key principles underlying this educational campaign. It was found that the main reasons for the elimination of illiteracy among the adult population in the 1920s were ideological and economic. The ideological reason was grounded in the Communist Party's desire to spread its ideology among the population of subordinate states, and illiterate individuals were unable to comprehend such information and propaganda through printed press, agitation posters, and other means. Additionally, during that period, the Soviet state was undergoing active industrialization, which required a significant number of educated workers. It was determined that the main principles of the introduction of adult education in Ukraine in the 1920s were categorical, universal, and mandatory measures; comprehensive state regulation; class-ideological character; rapid implementation of Ukrainization; training of teaching staff in a short time and simultaneously in all regions; maximum efforts aimed at creating a methodological and material basis; and the presence of criminal liability for those who obstruct the process of eliminating illiteracy. The author of the article touches on the issue of Ukrainization, as he believes that the campaign to eliminate illiteracy and Ukrainization are integral parts and features of the educational policy of the Soviet authorities in Ukraine. The documents of the State Archive of the Sumy region were used for the research, but the article does not emphasize the regional features of the issue raised.