The Development of Economic-Commercial Education in Pre-Revolutionary Russia: Initial Period of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

The article investigates history of the country education since the 16th century and describes social and economic factors that influenced its development. Special attention was paid to sources of commercial education and circumstances, when the Moscow Commercial Institute, later the Russian Plekhanov University of Economics was founded. The authors provided the detailed evolution of the education system in Russia and specific features of country education that came into being at each stage of its development. Problems of women’s education and history of first women’s higher education institutions were highlighted. The period of the late 19th up to early 20th century, when first Russian higher commercial education institutions were established was specified in detail. The role of public organizations and Russian entrepreneurs – Maecenas was demonstrated as their activities helped develop the system of country economic – commercial education. Special attention was given to the Moscow Society of Commercial Education Proliferation and its chairman A. S. Vishnyakov, who contributed greatly to the development of commercial school and college network and to arising of the first specialized higher education institution, i. e. the Moscow Commercial Institute (1907). The research pointed out to key features of the prerevolutionary system of commercial education and revealed its non-governmental character and the role of charity on the part of biggest entrepreneurs and industrialists. The article describes the way arising capitalist system influenced development of Russian commercial higher education institutions.