Decree of the Council of People's Commissars "On the elimination of illiteracy among the population of the RSFSR. Decree on the Elimination of Illiteracy Decree of the Council of People's Commissars on the Elimination of Illiteracy

The campaign to eliminate illiteracy (from 1919 to the early 1940s) - mass literacy education for adults and adolescents who did not attend school - was a unique and largest social and educational project in the entire history of Russia.

Illiteracy, especially among the rural population, was rampant. The 1897 census showed that out of 126 million men and women registered during the survey, only 21.1% of them were literate. For almost 20 years after the first census, the literacy rate remained almost unchanged: 73% of the population (over 9 years old) were elementary illiterate. In this aspect, Russia was the last in the list of European powers.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the issue of universal education was not only actively discussed in society and the press, but also became an obligatory item on the programs of almost all political parties.

The Bolshevik Party, which won in October 1917, soon began to implement this program: already in December of the same year, an out-of-school department was created in the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR (A.V. Lunacharsky became the first People's Commissar of Education) under the leadership of N.K. Krupskaya (since 1920 - Glavpolitprosvet).

Actually, the literacy campaign itself began later: on December 26, 1919, the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) adopted a decree "On the elimination of illiteracy among the population of the RSFSR." In the first paragraph of the decree, compulsory literacy education in the native or Russian language (optional) was announced for citizens aged 8 to 50, in order to provide them with the opportunity to “consciously participate” in the political life of the country.

Concern for the elementary education of the people and the priority of this task are easily explained - first of all, literacy was not a goal, but a means: "mass illiteracy was in blatant contradiction with the political awakening of citizens and made it difficult to carry out the historical tasks of transforming the country on socialist principles." The new government needed a new person who fully understood and supported the political and economic slogans, decisions and tasks set by this government. In addition to the peasantry, the main “target” audience of the educational program were workers (however, the situation here was relatively good: the occupational census of 1918 showed that 63% of urban workers (over 12 years old) were literate).

In a decree signed by the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin) declared the following: each settlement, where the number of illiterates was more than 15, had to open a literacy school, it is also a point for the elimination of illiteracy - "likpunkt", training went on for 3-4 months. It was recommended to adapt all kinds of premises for likpunkts: factory, private houses and churches. Students were given two hours off their work day.

The People's Commissariat of Education and its departments could recruit for work in the educational program "in the order of labor service the entire literate population of the country" (not drafted into the army) "with payment for their work according to the norms of educational workers." Those who evaded the execution of decree orders were threatened with criminal liability and other troubles.

Apparently, a year after the adoption of the decree, no noticeable actions were taken to implement it, and a year later, on July 19, 1920, a new decree appeared - on the establishment of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for the Elimination of Illiteracy (VChK l / b), as well as its departments "in the field" (they were called "gramcheka") - now the commission was engaged in the general management of work. At the Cheka l / b there was a staff of traveling instructors who helped their districts in their work and monitored its implementation.

What exactly was meant by "illiteracy" in the system of educational programs?

First and foremost, it was the narrowest understanding - alphabetic illiteracy: at the initial stage of liquidation, the goal was to teach people the technique of reading, writing and simple counting. A graduate of the likpunkt (now such a person was called not an illiterate, but an illiterate one) could read “a clear printed and written font, make brief notes necessary in everyday life and in official affairs”, could “write down whole and fractional numbers, percentages, understand the diagrams”, as well as “the main issues of building the Soviet state”, that is, he was guided in modern socio-political life at the level of learned slogans.

True, often the illiterate, returning to his usual life (it was harder for women), forgot the knowledge and skills received in the educational center. “If you don’t read books, you will soon forget your diploma!” - menacingly, but rightly warned the propaganda poster: up to 40% of those who graduated from the likpunkt returned there again.

Schools for the semi-literate became the second step in the system of education for workers and peasants. The learning objectives were more extensive: the foundations of social science, economic geography and history (from the ideologically "correct" position of Marxist-Leninist theory). In addition, in the countryside, it was supposed to teach the principles of agro- and zootechnics, and in the city - polytechnical sciences.

In November 1920, about 12 thousand literacy schools were operating in 41 provinces of Soviet Russia, but their work was not fully established, there were not enough textbooks or methods: the old alphabets (mostly for children) were categorically unsuitable for new people and new needs . The liquidators themselves were also lacking: they were required not only to teach the basics of science, but also to explain the goals and objectives of building the Soviet economy and culture, to conduct conversations on anti-religious topics and to propagate - and explain - the elementary rules of personal hygiene and the rules of social behavior.

The eradication of illiteracy often met with resistance from the population, especially the rural population. Peasants, especially on the outskirts and "national regions", remained "darkness" (curious reasons for refusing to study were attributed to the peoples of the North: they believed that it was worth teaching a deer and a dog, and a person would figure it out himself).

In addition, in addition to all sorts of incentives for students: gala evenings, the issuance of scarce goods, there were many punitive measures with "excesses on the ground" - show trials - "agitation courts", fines for absenteeism, arrests.

Nevertheless, the work went on.

New primers began to be created already in the first years of Soviet power. According to the first textbooks, the main goal of the educational program is especially noticeable - the creation of a person with a new consciousness. Primers were the most powerful means of political and social propaganda: they taught to read and write according to slogans and manifestos. Among them were: “Our factories”, “We were slaves of capital ... We are building factories”, “The Soviets set 7 hours of work”, “Misha has a supply of firewood. Misha bought them at the cooperative”, “Kids need smallpox vaccination”, “Among the workers there are many consumptives. The Soviets gave the workers free treatment.” Thus, the first thing that the former “dark” person learned was that he owed everything to the new government: political rights, health care and everyday joys.

In 1920–1924, two editions of the first Soviet mass primer for adults (authored by D. Elkina and others) were published. The primer was called "Down with illiteracy" and opened with the famous slogan "We are not slaves, slaves are not us."

Mass newspapers and magazines began to publish special supplements for the semi-literate. In such a leaflet-application in the first issue of the magazine "Peasant Woman" (in 1922), the content of the decree on educational program of 1919 was stated in a popular form.

An educational campaign was also actively carried out in the Red Army: its ranks were largely replenished at the expense of the peasants, and those for the most part were illiterate. The army also created schools for the illiterate, held numerous rallies, talks, read aloud newspapers and books. Apparently, sometimes the Red Army soldiers had no choice: often a sentry was placed at the door of the training room, and according to the memoirs of S.M. Budyonny, on the backs of cavalrymen going to the front line, the commissar pinned sheets of paper with letters and slogans. Those who walked behind involuntarily learned letters and words according to the slogans "Give Wrangel!" and "Beat the bastard!". The results of the educational campaign in the Red Army look rosy, but not very reliable: "from January to autumn 1920, more than 107.5 thousand fighters were literate."

The first year of the campaign brought no serious victories. According to the 1920 census, 33% of the population (58 million people) were literate (the criterion for literacy was only the ability to read), while the census was not universal and did not include areas where hostilities took place.

In 1922, the First All-Union Congress for the Elimination of Illiteracy was held: it was decided there, first of all, to teach literacy to workers of industrial enterprises and state farms aged 18-30 years (the training period was increased to 7-8 months). Two years later, in January 1924, on January 29, 1924, the XI All-Russian Congress of Soviets adopted a resolution “On the elimination of illiteracy among the adult population of the RSFSR”, and set the tenth anniversary of October as the date for the complete elimination of illiteracy.

In 1923, on the initiative of the Cheka l / b, a voluntary society “Down with illiteracy” (ODN) was created, which was headed by the chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Congress of Soviets of the RSFSR and the USSR M.I. Kalinin. The society published newspapers and magazines, primers, propaganda literature. According to official data, the ODN grew rapidly: from 100 thousand members by the end of 1923 to more than half a million in 11 thousand likpunkts in 1924, and about three million people in 200 thousand points in 1930. But according to the memoirs, no one else like N.K. Krupskaya, the true successes of society were far from these figures. Neither by the 10th anniversary nor by the 15th anniversary of the October Revolution (by 1932) the undertaken obligations to eradicate illiteracy were fulfilled.

Throughout the entire period of the educational campaign, official propaganda provided predominantly optimistic information about the progress of the process. However, there were many difficulties, especially "on the ground". The same N.K. Krupskaya, recalling her work during the campaign, often mentioned the help of V.I. Lenin: "Feeling his strong hand, we somehow did not notice the difficulties in conducting a grandiose campaign ...". It is unlikely that local leaders felt this strong hand: there were not enough premises, furniture, textbooks and manuals for both students and teachers, and writing materials. The villages were especially poor: there they had to show great ingenuity - alphabets were made from newspaper clippings and magazine illustrations, charcoal, lead sticks, ink from beets, soot, cranberries and cones were used instead of pencils and pens. The scale of the problem is also indicated by a special section in the methodological manuals of the early 1920s "How to do without paper, without pens and without pencils."

The 1926 census showed moderate progress in the literacy campaign. Literate was 40.7%, i.e. less than half, while in the cities - 60%, and in the village - 35.4%. The difference between the sexes was significant: 52.3% of men were literate, and 30.1% of women.

From the end of the 1920s. The campaign to eliminate illiteracy has reached a new level: the forms and methods of work are changing, the scope is increasing. In 1928, on the initiative of the Komsomol, an all-Union cultural campaign was launched: it was necessary to pour fresh forces into the movement, its propaganda and the search for new material means for work. There were other, unusual forms of propaganda: for example, exhibitions, as well as mobile propaganda cars and propaganda trains: they created new educational centers, organized courses and conferences, and brought textbooks.

At the same time, the methods and principles of work are becoming tougher: “emergency measures” are increasingly mentioned in order to achieve results, and the already militaristic rhetoric of the educational program is becoming more aggressive and “military”. The work was referred to only as "struggle", to the "offensive" and "storming" were added "cultural assault", "cultural alarm", "cultists". By the middle of 1930, there were a million of these cultural soldiers, and the official number of students in literacy schools reached 10 million.

A serious event was the introduction in 1930 of universal primary education: this meant that the "army" of the illiterate would cease to be replenished with teenagers.

By the mid 1930s. the official press claimed that the USSR had become a country of complete literacy - partly for this reason, one hundred percent indicators in this area were expected from the next census in 1937. There was no continuous literacy, but the data were not bad: in the population older than 9 years, there were 86% of literate men, and 66.2% of literate women. However, at the same time, there was not a single age group without illiterates - and this despite the fact that the literacy criterion in this census (as in the previous one) was low: one who could read at least syllable by syllable and write his surname was considered literate. Compared to the previous census, the progress was colossal: most of the population nevertheless became literate, children and youth went to schools, technical schools and universities, all types and levels of education became available to women.

However, the results of this census were classified, and some of the organizers and performers were repressed. The data of the next, 1939, census were initially corrected: according to them, the literacy of people aged 16 to 50 was almost 90%, so it turned out that by the end of the 1930s, about 50 million people were literate during the campaign.

Even taking into account the well-known "additives", this testified to the clear success of the grandiose project. Illiteracy of the adult population, although not completely eliminated, lost the character of an acute social problem, and the campaign for educational program in the USSR was officially completed.

Anatoly Vasilievich Lunacharsky

Anatoly Vasilievich Lunacharsky (1875-1933) - the first People's Commissar of Education of the RSFSR (from October 1917 to September 1929), revolutionary (he has been in Social Democratic circles since 1895), one of the leaders of the Bolsheviks, a statesman, since 1930 -s. - Director of the Institute of Russian Literature of the USSR Academy of Sciences, writer, translator, fiery speaker, carrier and propagandist of conflicting views. A man who, even during the years of the Civil War, dreamed of the imminent embodiment of the ideal of the Renaissance - "a physically handsome, harmoniously developing, well-educated person who is familiar with the basics and the most important conclusions in various fields: technology, medicine, civil law, literature ...". In many ways, he himself tried to live up to this ideal, engaging in all sorts of large-scale projects: the eradication of illiteracy, political education, the construction of the principles of advanced proletarian art, the theory and foundations of public education and the Soviet school, as well as the upbringing of children.

97 years ago, on December 26, 1919, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a truly historic decree "On the elimination of illiteracy among the population of the RSFSR."

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia occupied one of the last places in Europe in terms of education. According to the 1897 census, there were only 21% of literate people in Russia. The illiteracy of almost three-quarters of the country's population hindered its economic and cultural development.

The decree ensured the equality of all peoples of Russia in the elimination of illiteracy. The entire population of the republic aged from 8 to 50 years old, who could not read or write, was obliged to learn to read and write in their native or Russian language at will. The decree provided for the complete elimination of illiteracy.

For those studying to read and write, the working day was reduced by two hours for the entire period of study with the preservation of wages. The organs of public education were given the right to use people's houses, churches, clubs, private houses, suitable premises in factories and factories and in Soviet institutions to organize classes for the education of the illiterate. Narkompros and its local bodies were given the right to involve in the training of the illiterate in the order of labor service the entire literate population of the country with payment for their work according to the norms of educators. The People's Commissariat of Education involved all public organizations in the work to eliminate illiteracy.

The implementation of the eradication of illiteracy took place in difficult economic conditions. The population experienced great deprivation and need, there was not enough bread and other necessities. The ruin was caused by four years of imperialist war, foreign intervention and civil war. The liquidation of illiteracy took place in the years when gigantic transformations were carried out in industry and agriculture, the way of life was changing, and the person himself was changing. The restoration of the national economy persistently demanded the elimination of illiteracy and the improvement of the culture of the entire people. The Soviet government allocated huge funds for the fight against illiteracy.

In 1925, anti-illiteracy enthusiasts united in the voluntary society Down with Illiteracy. Local branches of this society were created throughout the country, which appealed to the population with an appeal: "Everyone to fight against illiteracy." Without fear of exaggeration, we can say that the whole country sat down for books. Everyone learned from young to old.

The 1939 census showed that literacy among the population aged 8 and over had reached 81%. The concept of “literacy program”, in essence, has already receded into the realm of history, a great miracle has happened, illiteracy has been eliminated in the shortest possible time. For 20 years, in the course of the educational program (1919 - 1939), over 60 million people were taught to read and write in the USSR.

“In order to provide the entire population of the Republic with the opportunity to consciously participate in the political life of the country, the Council of People's Commissars decided:

1. The entire population of the Republic aged 8-50 years, who cannot read and write, is obliged to learn to read and write in their native or Russian language at will. This education is carried out in public schools, both existing and established for the illiterate population according to the plans of the People's Commissariat of Education.

2. The term for the liquidation of illiteracy is established by the provincial and city councils of deputies.

3. The People's Commissariat of Education is granted the right to involve in the education of the illiterate in the order of labor service the entire literate population of the country who has not been drafted into the troops, with payment for their work according to the norms of educational workers.

4. All organizations of the working population are involved in the immediate participation in the work to eliminate illiteracy by the People's Commissariat of Education and local bodies ...

5. For literate students working for hire, with the exception of those employed in militarized enterprises, the working day is reduced by two hours for the entire duration of training with pay.

6. To eliminate illiteracy, the organs of the People's Commissariat of Education provide the use of people's houses, churches, clubs, private houses, suitable premises in factories, factories and Soviet institutions.

7. The supplying authorities are obliged to satisfy the requests of institutions aimed at eliminating illiteracy, preferentially over other institutions.

8. Those who evade the duties prescribed by this decree and prevent the illiterate from attending schools shall be subject to criminal liability.

9. The People's Commissariat of Education is instructed to issue instructions on the application of this decree within two weeks.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov

Manager of affairs SNK Vl. Bonch-Bruevich"

The introduction of universal primary education in 1930 created certain guarantees for the spread of literacy. The liquidation of illiteracy was now entrusted to the appropriate sections under the local soviets. At the same time, the programs of educational programs for educational programs were revised, designed for 330 training sessions (10 months in the city and 7 months in the countryside). The fight against illiteracy was now considered an urgent task.

By 1936, about 40 million illiterates had been educated. In 1933-1937, over 20 million illiterate people and about 20 million semi-literate people studied only in registered educational programs.

By the end of the 1930s, mass illiteracy had been overcome. According to the 1939 census, the percentage of literate people aged 9-49 in the RSFSR was 89.7%. Differences between the city and the countryside, between men and women in terms of literacy remained insignificant. Thus, the literacy of men was 96%, women - 83.9%, urban population - 94.9%, rural - 86.7%.

This was a huge achievement of the Soviet state, which was on the verge of the most difficult trials.

On December 26, 1919, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted a truly historic Decree "On the Elimination of Illiteracy in the RSFSR". According to it, the entire population of Soviet Russia aged 8 to 50 years old, who could not read or write, was obliged to learn to read and write in their native language or in Russian (optional). The decree provided for the complete elimination of illiteracy.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the level of literacy in Russia was very low for a country that had entered the path of industrial development. Various sources give figures from 30% to 38% of the literate population of the total number of inhabitants of Russia.

The eradication of illiteracy unfolded in the conditions of the Civil War and foreign military intervention.

The restoration of the national economy persistently demanded the elimination of illiteracy and the improvement of the culture of the entire people. The Soviet government allocated huge funds for the fight against illiteracy. All supplying organizations were obliged to meet the needs of the educational program in the first place.

The achievement of universal literacy was considered by the Soviet leadership as one of the priority tasks. As Vladimir Lenin said, “We need a huge increase in culture. It is necessary to ensure that the ability to read and write serves to improve culture, so that the peasant gets the opportunity to apply this ability to read and write to improve his economy and his state.

By the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution, this problem had been solved in a number of regions of the country. According to the 1926 census, the proportion of the literate population doubled compared to pre-revolutionary times and amounted to 60.9%. By the end of the 1930s, mass illiteracy had been overcome. According to the 1939 census, the percentage of literate people aged 9-49 in the RSFSR was 89.7%. Differences between the city and the countryside, between men and women in terms of literacy remained insignificant. Thus, the literacy of men was 96%, women - 83.9%, urban population - 94.9%, rural - 86.7%.

Decree of the Council of People's Commissars "On the elimination of illiteracy among the population of the RSFSR". December 26, 1919

In order to provide the entire population of the Republic with the opportunity to consciously participate in the political life of the country, the Council of People's Commissars decided:

1. The entire population of the Republic aged 8-50 years, who cannot read and write, is obliged to learn to read and write in their native or Russian language at will. This education is carried out in public schools, both existing and established for the illiterate population according to the plans of the NCP.

2. The term for the liquidation of illiteracy is established by the provincial and city councils of deputies.

3. The People's Commissariat of Education is granted the right to involve in the education of the illiterate in the order of labor service the entire literate population of the country who has not been drafted into the troops, with payment for their work according to the norms of educational workers.

4. All organizations of the working population are involved in the immediate participation in the work to eliminate illiteracy by the NCP and local bodies ...

5. For literate students working for hire, with the exception of those employed in militarized enterprises, the working day is reduced by two hours for the entire duration of training with pay.

6. In order to eliminate illiteracy, the organs of the People's Communist Party are provided to use people's houses, churches, clubs, private houses, suitable premises in factories, factories and Soviet institutions.

7. The supplying authorities are obliged to satisfy the requests of institutions aimed at eliminating illiteracy, preferentially over other institutions.

8. Those who evade the duties prescribed by this decree and prevent the illiterate from attending schools shall be subject to criminal liability.

9. The People's Commissariat of Education is instructed to issue instructions on the application of this decree within two weeks.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov
Manager of affairs SNK Vl. Bonch-Bruevich

“Any truly democratic power in the field of education in the country, where illiteracy and ignorance reign,must set as its goal the struggle against this gloom.It must achieve in the shortest possible time universal literacy ... ".

A. V. Lunacharsky (Petrograd, 1917)

On December 26, 1919, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted the historic Decree "On the Elimination of Illiteracy in the RSFSR". According to it, the entire population of Soviet Russia aged 8 to 50 years old, who could not read or write, was obliged to learn to read and write in their native language or in Russian (optional). The decree provided for the complete elimination of illiteracy.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the level of literacy in Russia was very low for a country that had entered the path of industrial development. Various sources give figures from 30% to 38% of the literate population of the total number of inhabitants of Russia.

After the revolutionary events of 1917, the struggle for universal literacy became one of the decisive prerequisites for fundamental changes in the spheres of social relations, the national economy and culture. In December 1917, an out-of-school department was created in the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR under the leadership of N. K. Krupskaya, one of the main tasks of which was to organize the elimination of illiteracy in the country. In May 1919, the 1st All-Russian Congress on Out-of-School Education took place. At the initiative of the congress participants, the People's Commissariat of Education prepared a draft decree "On the elimination of illiteracy among the population of the RSFSR."

Decree of the Council of People's Commissars "On the elimination of illiteracy among the population of the RSFSR". December 26, 1919

In order to provide the entire population of the Republic with the opportunity to consciously participate in the political life of the country, the Council of People's Commissars decided:

1. The entire population of the Republic aged 8-50 years, who cannot read and write, is obliged to learn to read and write in their native or Russian language at will. This education is carried out in public schools, both existing and established for the illiterate population according to the plans of the NCP.

2. The term for the liquidation of illiteracy is established by the provincial and city councils of deputies.

3. The People's Commissariat of Education is granted the right to involve in the education of the illiterate in the order of labor service the entire literate population of the country who has not been drafted into the troops, with payment for their work according to the norms of educational workers.

4. All organizations of the working population are involved in the immediate participation in the work to eliminate illiteracy by the NCP and local bodies ...

5. For literate students working for hire, with the exception of those employed in militarized enterprises, the working day is reduced by two hours for the entire duration of training with pay.

6. In order to eliminate illiteracy, the organs of the People's Communist Party are provided to use people's houses, churches, clubs, private houses, suitable premises in factories, factories and Soviet institutions.

7. The supplying authorities are obliged to satisfy the requests of institutions aimed at eliminating illiteracy, preferentially over other institutions.

8. Those who evade the duties prescribed by this decree and prevent the illiterate from attending schools shall be subject to criminal liability.

9. The People's Commissariat of Education is instructed to issue instructions on the application of this decree within two weeks.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov

Manager of affairs SNK Vl. Bonch-Bruevich

The elimination of illiteracy was seen as an indispensable condition for ensuring the conscious participation of the entire population in the political and economic life of Russia. As V.I. Lenin -“We need a huge increase in culture. It is necessary to ensure that the ability to read and write serves to improve culture, so that the peasant gets the opportunity to apply this ability to read and write to improve his economy and his state.

The elimination of illiteracy unfolded in the most difficult conditions of the Civil War and foreign military intervention. The Soviet government allocated huge funds for the fight against illiteracy. All supplying organizations were obliged to meet the needs of the educational program in the first place.

In July 1920, the Council of People's Commissars created the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for the Elimination of Illiteracy (Likbez), subordinate to the People's Commissariat of Education. The commission took control of the organization of educational programs, the training of teachers, and the publication of educational literature. Anatoly Lunacharsky, People's Commissar of Education, was in charge of the affairs of this commission.

The 1st All-Russian Congress for the Elimination of Illiteracy (1922) recognized the need for priority literacy training for industrial and state farm workers, trade union members, and other workers aged 18–30. The term of study at the educational center was set at 7 months (6-8 hours per week). For those who studied literacy, the working day for the entire period of training was reduced by two hours with the same salary. Public education bodies were allowed to use people's houses, churches, clubs, private houses, suitable premises in factories and other institutions to organize classes for the education of the illiterate. Narkompros and its local bodies were given the right to involve all public organizations in the education of the illiterate, as well as the entire literate population of the country in the order of labor service.

On August 14, 1923, a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR "On the liquidation of illiteracy" was issued, supplementing the decree of December 26 and establishing the number of instructional schools at 1072 (574 liquidation points and 498 schools for the illiterate).

In 1925, enthusiasts of the fight against illiteracy united in the voluntary society "Down with illiteracy", local branches of which were created throughout the country. The society set as its task all possible assistance in carrying out measures to eliminate illiteracy and illiteracy among the adult population of the USSR: schools were created, groups whose members carried out individual work to educate the illiterate, and also carried out extensive political and educational work.

During the years of the NEP, the pace of illiteracy decline was far from desirable. The adult population employed in the private sector did not have social guarantees that made it possible to combine study with work. In general, the USSR by 1926 was only 19th in terms of literacy among European countries, behind such countries as Turkey and Portugal. Significant differences remained in the level of literacy of the urban and rural population (in 1926 - respectively 80.9 and 50.6%), men and women (in the city - 88.6 and 73.9%, in the village - 67.3 and 35.4%.

In 1928, on the initiative of the Komsomol, the so-called cultural campaign was launched. Its strongholds were Moscow, Saratov, Samara and Voronezh, where the bulk of the illiterate were trained by the public. By the middle of 1930, the number of cult-army soldiers had reached 1 million, and the number of students in registered literacy schools alone was 10 million.

The introduction of universal primary education in 1930 created certain guarantees for the spread of literacy. The liquidation of illiteracy was now entrusted to the appropriate sections under the local soviets. At the same time, the programs of educational programs for educational programs were revised, designed for 330 training sessions (10 months in the city and 7 months in the countryside). The fight against illiteracy was now considered an urgent task.

By 1936, about 40 million illiterates had been educated. In 1933-1937, over 20 million illiterate people and about 20 million semi-literate people studied only in registered educational programs.

By the end of the 1930s, mass illiteracy had been overcome. According to the 1939 census, the percentage of literate people aged 9-49 in the RSFSR was 89.7%. Differences between the city and the countryside, between men and women in terms of literacy remained insignificant. Thus, the literacy of men was 96%, women - 83.9%, urban population - 94.9%, rural - 86.7%.

This was a huge achievement of the Soviet state, which was on the verge of the most difficult trials.