Influence of representatives of national minorities оn the formation of higher education in Kharkov in the ХІХ – beginning of the XX centuries

Abstract

In the scientific article, a comprehensive analysis of the share of foreigners and representatives of national minorities in higher educational establishments in Kharkov during the 19th and early 20th centuries was carried out. Based on a wide range of sources, statistical and archival data, it was proved that in all higher educational institutions of the city foreign specialists who came from European countries took the leading place, their scientific and teaching experience allowed to raise the educational process to a sufficiently high level, draw a large number of young people from different regions of the country for training. Foreign professors stood at the origins of the formation of Kharkov University, more than half of the teaching staff were Germans, French, and from the 1920s. XIX century Poles, Serbs, Dutch, Finns and many others. Many of the foreigners accepted Russian citizenship and stayed here permanently. The analysis of the legislative base of the Russian Empire, which initiated the involvement of European educational and scientific personnel for work in Russian higher educational institutions, was carried out. Attention is drawn to the fact that not only material benefits attracted foreigners to work in Russia, but also the opportunity to creatively use their scientific and educational potential, their high relevance as specialists. This explains such a long stay of representatives of national minorities in Kharkov, which the became their second homeland for them. The author draws attention to the great role of representatives of national minorities in the formation not only of the university, but also of the veterinary, medical institutions, technical university, higher women's and commercial courses. The training of specialists for various branches of the economy in the higher educational institutions of the city turned Kharkov in the early 20th century into a powerful scientific, technical, industrial and cultural center of the Russian Empire. Attention is drawn to the fact that thanks to the scientific and practical activities of leading scientists and teachers from among representatives of national minorities, Kharkov universities and institutes have become scientific, technical and cultural centers not only in this region, but also in the Russian state as a whole.