Belarusian National Commissariat and Higher School Projects in the First Years of Soviet Power

Abstract

Traditionally, the projects of the Belarusian higher school of the beginning of the 20th century are considered in close connection with the practice of their development by public organizations, zemstvos and city dumas, and implementation — with the activities of state structures of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus. When considering the history of higher education, Belarusian researchers note the role of the All-Belarusian Congress in December 1917 and dwell on the moments of practical work in 1919 on the opening of the Belarusian State University. But the issues of the role and influence of the Belarusian National Commissariat (Belnatsky), which developed in 1918 projects for the opening of the university, the Polytechnic, the national library and the People’s Academy of Technical Knowledge, are not fully covered. At the same time, all these developments subsequently formed the basis for the design of the university by members of the Minsk and Moscow commissions. Belnatsky’s projects in 1920–1921 were implemented in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus in the form of the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute and Belarusian State University. Projects to expand the network of universities presented under the Provisional Government, the Narkomprose of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, as well as at various congresses of teachers, scientists and professors have inspired confidence in the possibility of creating a national higher school. The best professors of Russian universities provided invaluable assistance in this matter. The higher educational institutions opened in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus allowed for the training of national personnel of managers, engineers, teachers and other specialists, ensuring the functioning of the most complex state mechanism.