Graduates and students of Penza teachers’ seminary in the First World War 

Sergey V. Belousov, Doctor of historical sciences, professor, head of the sub-department of general history and social studies, Penza State University (40 Krasnaya street, Penza, Russia), E-mail: sergbel_1812@mail.ru

Background. The problem of teacher training has been and remains one of the most important problems of public education. The formation and development of institu-tions that have been engaged in the professional training of teachers over the years is the focus of attention of researchers in many scientific fields. One of the interesting problems is the comprehensive characterization of the teaching staff and students of teachers’ semi-naries. The study of this topic makes it possible not only to characterize the degree of pre-paredness of future teachers for professional activity, but also to consider the impact of ed-ucation on the formation of regional identity and territorial integration. Of particular inter-est is the appeal to the biographies of the teaching staff and pupils of teachers’ seminaries in crucial periods for the country, which provides an interesting field for analysis and seems very relevant. The article examines the participation of graduates and students of Penza Teachers’ Seminary in the First World War. Materials and methods. The article is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity and consistency, which made it possible to comprehensively solve the tasks set in the work. The main sources used were the materi-als of Fund 136 (Penza Teachers’ Seminary) of Penza Region State Archive and funds 408 (Lists of seniority of generals, staff and chief officers) and 409 (service records of officers) of the Russian State Military Historical Archive. Results. A set of sources and an analysis of scientific literature made it possible to identify the names of pupils and graduates of the Penza Teachers' Seminary who took part in the First World War. Conclusions. Penza Teachers’ Seminary, as a secondary specialized educational institution, was opened on September 12, 1874. The contingent of students at Penza Teachers’ Seminary was relative-ly small. In 1874-1917, just over 800 people were graduated. In 1914, there were a total of 61 students (there were 25 students in the 1st grade, 14 in the 2nd, and 22 in the 3rd). With regard to the performance of military service by teachers and pupils of teachers’ seminar-ies, the legislation of the Russian Empire provided for a number of benefits and ad-vantages. In general, they boiled down to the fact that all teachers were released from ac-tive military service in peacetime and enlisted in the reserve with the obligation to serve as a teacher for at least 5 years. Persons studying at teachers' seminaries were eligible for a deferral from military service for the duration of their studies. In wartime, in accordance with the law, persons holding the positions of national teachers lost the right to a post-ponement and were subject to conscription into the army or the state militia. Persons study-ing at teachers’ seminaries, by agreement between the Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry of the Interior, were entitled to a deferral from conscription until completion of their studies. As a result of archival searches, it was possible to identify the names of pupilsof Penza Teachers’ Seminary who expressed a desire to voluntarily go to the front, and graduates of this educational institution who took part in the First World War.

Penza province, Penza Teachers’ Seminary, World War I, Penza

Belousov S.V. Graduates and students of Penza teachers’ seminary in the First World War. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedeniy. Povolzhskiy region. Gumanitarnye nauki = University proceedings. Volga region. Humanities. 2025;(1):110–123. (Russ.). doi: 10.21685/2072-3024-2025-1-10