Parrot’s Projects of Rotating the Staff of Russian Universities, Sergey Uvarov’s Reform and Its Short- and Long-Term Consequences

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the views of Georg Friedrich Parrot in relation to the renewal of the professorial staff of the internal russian universities, reflected in his notes ‘Thoughts of universities in inner russia’ (Mémoire sur les Universités de l’intérieur de la Russie, 1827) and ‘Note on the plan to train teachers at national russian universities’ (Mèmoire concernant le plan pour former des professeurs aux universités russes nationales, end of 1832). Parrot’s position was radical. He advised the government to prepare young scientists and teachers and replace all professors in inner russian universities, which should have led to the establishment of a ‘new spirit of teaching’ and the transformation of universities into national ones. The Parrot’s project was implemented only partially, but implementation of this policy led to drastic changes in the age structure of the russian professors. All the professors and adjuncts, trained at the Professors’ institute in Dorpat and the second section of His imperial Majesty’s Own chancellery by mid-1830s represented approximately one generation. twenty to thirty years later, by the time when this generation reached retirement, a new crisis arose. Even in the 1880s universities continued to experience the effects of the reform of the 1830s. At the same time, the practical implementation of Parrot’s project led to the flourishing of inner universities in russia in the 1840s.