Evolution of the foundations for the development of the Soviet higher education system with regard to the Russian empire's experience

The assessment of current changes in the higher education system of the Russian Federation cannot be objective without taking into account previously accumulated experience in this field. It is noted that the Soviet government adopted all the progressive solutions that had been implemented in the field of education in the Russian Empire. In addition, the newly established educational authorities of the young state excluded any possibility of religious norms influencing the educational process and greatly increased the importance of ideological elements. The comparative analysis of the development of educational systems pre- and post-revolution, conducted in this article, concludes that it was evolutionary rather than revolutionary in nature. In forming the system of higher education in Soviet Russia, the new authorities took rather careful note of the main developments of the Russian Empire in this field, valuing their effectiveness and keeping unaltered all those aspects which had really proved their effectiveness in training qualified personnel.