Democratization and Russian Education

Abstract

This review of literature examines the historical context and cultural, political, and economic forces affecting attempts to democratize education in post-Soviet Russia. Longstanding traditions of autocratic rule have cultivated a mentality of habitual dependence on authority and power, which poses many challenges to a cultural shift toward democratic values. Lacking experience in functional political democracy or cultivation of democracy in civil society, modern Russia remains insular, viewing the democratic West with suspicion and distrust. Attempts to introduce democratic principles often flounder in the wake of traditions of authoritarian rule, stagnation, political hypocrisy and apathy. Despite a simulation of democracy in Russian institutional processes, tight state control of the media and public skepticism of outside sources of information hamper efforts to emulate liberal democratic institutions and practices. Nevertheless, there have been tangible transformations in access to education and independence from rigid state control, but these have come with new challenges of coping with decentralization, insufficient funding, antiquated infrastructure, and the need for modern technology. Corruption and resistance to change persist, while piecemeal reforms have lacked systematic strategy. Civic-minded, progressive education, sustained by a shift to democratic tendencies in the national culture, is critical to freeing Russian from its totalitarian past.