The History of Education in Russia Page: 7

                                
edueatie^ did not earing from amy desire to help the people
or Improve their status; Peter was inordinately ambitious.
He wanted to build a strong Nua-eia but he had the foresight
to see that he could thia without also building up
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industry, and improving education. For this reaaon Peter
the Great mad# the fix's t effort to organize education, but
considered it merely &a preparatory to & career in the public
service, and this opinion dominated Russian thought until
go
the latter p&rt of the 19th century.
Peter, by despotic {Means# tried to introduce western ,-
aiwtlinatioa. He brought'in numbers of skilled artisans,
doe tors, merchants, teachers, printers^ and soldiers. He
made the beginnings of western secondary education for the
governing cleasea by the establishment in the cities of a
number of German-type gymiesia.^^
He planned great war campaigns, and tried, t-o make the
country self-sufficient in order to support them.. He built
an. ermy of 250,000 men and then established industries for
equipping it* Because Ruaai* had had no schools, there were
no skilled technic iene available; Peter imparted foreigners
and gent Russians west' to be educated. Re then created secu-
lar aahool#. These were, first, for the gentry, en whom
either civil or military service was obligatory* Se would
^Ellwoed P. Cubberly, 1BA# History Education, p. 477*
&icyelopedla Brltannica, op. cit.
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Cubberly, op. cit., p* 478.