Academic Scientific JournalsEducation as Discipline: Power, Ideology, and the Soviet School System, 1917–1939
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26881/jpgs.2026.1.03Keywords:
Soviet education, Marxist-Leninist theory, ideological control, Stalinism, power and discipline, educational policyAbstract
This article examines the transformation of the Soviet education system between 1917 and 1939, focusing on its role as a mechanism of disciplinary power and ideological consolidation. Drawing on archival materials, policy documents, and pedagogical texts, the study employs a qualitative historical-comparative methodology to analyze how educational reforms translated Marxist-Leninist ideology into everyday schooling practices. The theoretical framework integrates Michel Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power with Antonio Gramsci’s notion of cultural hegemony and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic power. The findings demonstrate that Soviet education functioned not merely as a tool of knowledge transmission but as a central institution for producing political conformity, legitimizing authority, and shaping the “new Soviet person.” By situating Soviet schooling within broader debates on authoritarian governance, the article contributes to comparative research on education as a strategic site of power in both historical and contemporary contexts.
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