Teaching gymnastics and “military order” in educational institutions of the Olonets Province: the historical aspect

The legal status of pupils of Russian educational institutions in the XIX century was fixed by school charters. The curricula of academic disciplines were broad, reflecting the influence of the Enlightenment ideas and determining the preparation of a “well-mannered” person for future life. In the first half of the XIX century, gymnastics was not a compulsory school subject, with “physical exercises” prescribed for students’ walks in the fresh air. This study is the first attempt to analyze the introduction of gymnastics and “military order” lessons, the forms of organizing extracurricular work in the educational institutions of the Olonets Province during the second half of the XIX and the early XX centuries. The novelty of the study is the introduction of previously unpublished archival documents on the history of public education into scholarly circulation. The author shows the implementation of school charters and the decrees of the Ministry of Public Education on incorporating these academic disciplines into the educational process. The paper presents documents stored in the Russian State Historical Archive, the Central State Historical Archive, and the National Archives of the Republic of Karelia. A wide range of published sources and materials from central or regional periodicals were identified and reviewed. The author examines reports on the state of educational institutions filed by gymnasium directors, as well as reports of the heads of city schools and primary school teachers. The author concludes that the incorporation of military gymnastics lessons and “military order” training into the comprehensive schools’ curricula took place within the framework of government orders, namely decrees and circulars of the Ministry of Public Education and the Military Department. However, the organization of training was plagued by problems with documentation, facilities, and material resources, and the lack of personnel.