The article analyzes the contribution of the outstanding philanthropist of education L. A. Shanyavskaya to the implementation of the project to create a non-state People’s University in Moscow (1908), which can rightfully be considered as an accessible social elevator for thousands of people in obtaining higher education despite the gender, class, nationality and
educational level. L. A. Shanyavskaya’s personality was paid special attention to at the international scientific and practical conference «Gender Studies: Theory, Scientific Schools, Practice», held on March 4, 2021 at the Russian State University for the Humanities. It became possible to execute a will of A. L. Shanyavsky because of her practical mind, diplomacy, perseverance. The authors reconstruct the dramatic events of the struggle for the people’s university, using
historical and biographic analysis and relying on archival documents. Before his death in 1905 A. L. Shanyavsky drew up a spiritual testament in which he allocated funds and instructed his wife Lydia Alekseevna to open the People’s University in Moscow until October 3, 1908. Everything went according to plan in the beginning. Moscow City Duma accepted Shanyavsky’s gift and approved of the Regulations on the People’s University. However, the Ministry of Public Education, represented by A. N. Schwartz, trying to take control of a new educational institution and prevent free-thinking, did everything to slow down the project which was already under way. L. A. Shanyavskaya united the best forces of the intellectuals (in the person of M. M. Kovalevsky, N. V. Speransky, A. F. Koni and others), appealed personally to the Minister of Education A. N. Schwartz, Moscow city mayor N. I. Guchkov, Chairman of the Council of Ministers P. A. Stolypin, and achieved the fulfillment of the will
at the cost of incredible personal efforts. read in PDF>>>
