Conservative transformation of Russian school education at the end of the 19th century

The article analyzes significant changes in the system of Russian primary education at the end of the 19th century. Russian conservatives considered the reorganization of the education system, and especially of the elementary rural school, as the important task. The Orthodox Church was to play the decisive role in the development of primary school. Toward the end of the 19th century, parochial (church) schools become a serious competitor of the secular schools. Church schools played a significant role in spreading literacy among the peasantry, but could not ensure the achievement of the political goals of the Russian conservatives.