History of the creation of Moscow State University. History of the construction of the Moscow State University high-rise building Opening of Moscow State University 1755

In Moscow, on April 26 (May 7), 1755, the first university in our country opened, or more precisely, on that day a part of the university opened - a gymnasium, but three months later classes began at the university itself. The opening of the university was solemn. The only newspaper in Russia at that time said that on that day about 4 thousand guests visited the university building on Red Square, music thundered all day, illumination was blazing, “there were countless people, throughout the whole day, even until the fourth hour of midnight.

The need to create a university

The economic and socio-political development of the Russian Empire in the mid-18th century required a significant number of educated people. Petersburg Academic University, military educational institutions and vocational schools could not meet the state's needs for domestic specialists. Among the most enlightened people in Russia, the idea was ripe about the need to create a classical state university, where not only nobles, but also commoners could study.
In 1741, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna took the Russian throne. She contributed to the development of national science and culture, and brought educated people closer to her. Her official policy in the field of education was to continue the work begun by her father, Emperor Peter I. He dreamed of a university that would become a center of science and culture.

Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov

An important role in the implementation of Russian educational policy was played by the favorite of the Empress, the chamberlain I.I. Shuvalov. In the 1750s, Shuvalov had a noticeable influence on the domestic and foreign policy of Russia, promoted the development of Russian science and art, and provided patronage to scientists, writers and artists. Among other things, he supported many of the initiatives of M.V. Lomonosov. Under his patronage, Moscow University was founded in 1755 (Shuvalov became its first curator), and the Academy of Arts was created in 1757 (Shuvalov was its president until 1763). A young, charming, patriotic nobleman significantly influenced the development of Russian science and culture, patronized Russian scientists, writers, poets, and artists. Thanks to the commonwealth and cooperation of Count Shuvalov and Academician Lomonosov, the idea of creating a Moscow university was born. Count Shuvalov had no doubt at all that if Russia was given education, it would “compete in education” with all the developed nations of Europe on equal terms. These thoughts and aspirations brought him closer to M.V. Lomonosov, whom Count Shuvalov valued as an outstanding Russian scientist.

The idea of creating a university was embodied in the project of I.I. Shuvalov, written jointly with M.V. Lomonosov, which the Empress approved on January 24, 1755 with a personal decree “On the establishment of Moscow University and two gymnasiums.” But a more common statement is that Moscow University was created thanks to the care of the great Russian scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, whose name it bears.

Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov

Moscow University was not the first university in Russia, but it was the first university that accepted all young people without exception, regardless of what class they belonged to. One thing was required of a young man entering university: that he be talented and want to learn.

There has never been such a university in Russia. True, in 1725 the Academy of Sciences with a university opened in St. Petersburg. Despite the fact that the most advanced scientists of Russia taught there: M.V. Lomonosov, S.P. Krasheninnikov, G.V. Richman, they never managed to turn the St. Petersburg Academic University into an all-Russian center of education. Foreign academics sought to maintain their exclusive position in Russia, so foreign students and teachers were preferred, rather than “discovering” domestic talent in Russia.

In the winter of 1753, Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov left St. Petersburg for Moscow, where at that time the court of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was located, and began to work hard to create a university here. He developed a project that outlined the main provisions of the structure and activities of the first national university, and presented it to I.I. Shuvalov. Thus, Count I.I. Shuvalov became the second person to whom Moscow University owes its discovery.

On January 12 (25), 1755, Tatiana’s Day, the Empress signed a decree establishing Moscow University, the curators of which were I.I. Shuvalov, L. Blumentrost (physician), and the director is A.M. Argamakov.

The first professors were mostly foreigners, only two of them were Russian: N.N. Popovsky in literature and philosophy and A.A. Barsov in mathematics and literature, as well as teacher of Russian and Latin languages F.Ya. Yaremsky - they were students of the St. Petersburg Academic University.

Although Lomonosov was not present at the opening of the university and did not teach there, he took an active part in the development of Moscow University: he sought to ensure that lectures at the first Russian university were given by Russian professors and in Russian. His efforts were crowned with success only 3 years after his death. According to the Decree of Catherine II, “for better dissemination of science in Russia, lectures began in all three faculties by natural Russians in the Russian language.”

The Apothecary House, located next to Red Square at the Kuryatny (now Resurrection) Gate, was chosen as the building for Moscow University. It was built at the end of the 17th century. and its design resembled the famous Sukharev Tower. The decree on the transfer of the Apothecary House to the opening Moscow University was signed by Empress Elizabeth on August 8, 1754.

Organization of the educational process

Initially, three faculties with a staff of 10 professors were formed at Moscow University. The Faculty of Philosophy had four professors: philosophy, physics, eloquence and history. There were three professors at the Faculty of Law: general and Russian jurisprudence, as well as politics. It was planned that the medical faculty would have three professors: chemistry, natural history and anatomy (there were vacancies here for several years).

Scheduled classes at the faculties were held five days a week. Students were required to attend all public lectures, and those who wished could also take additional courses. In addition, all students participated in monthly debates, which were conducted under the guidance of full-time university professors. A week before the next debate, its topic and names of student speakers were announced. At the end of each half-year, open debates were organized at the university with the participation of professors, all students and fans of science from among the residents of Moscow. Preparation for debates helped students in their studies. The formation of Moscow University was difficult. The number of students grew slowly - in 1758 there were only 100 people.

Only 30 students received a salary of 40 rubles from the treasury. per year, and the rest lived on their own. In the minutes of the university conference dated July 2, 1759, there is the following entry: “One of the reasons that hindered the success of classes was the lack of textbooks, which the state-owned people could not acquire due to poverty.”

At the end of 1757, Count I.I. Shuvalov ordered money to be spent on shoes and dresses in order to decently dress the students. At the same time, it was ordered that state-owned employees be given “a half-ruble a month to each in addition to their salary for food.” Instructions to the director of the university (§22) prohibited students from entering classes in fur coats, gray caftans and bast shoes, which were considered the clothing of the poor. During Lomonosov’s lifetime, Moscow University was not yet Imperial: the educational institution was directly subordinate to the Government Senate, and its professorship was not subject to any court other than the university one. The activities of the university were regulated by the “Highly approved project on the establishment of Moscow University.” Only under Alexander I, in 1804, was a new charter of His Imperial Majesty Moscow University adopted, according to which the rector was annually elected by the professorial assembly and approved personally by the emperor. From that time until 1917 the university was called the Imperial Moscow University.

Breastplate of a graduate of the Imperial Moscow University

Strengthening discipline among students and encouraging their diligence in their studies was awarded with small swords, which gave personal nobility. For special merits, the best students received regular military ranks ahead of schedule. Studying at Moscow University was equivalent to military service. Upon completing a full course at the university, the student received the rank of chief officer (military rank of junior reserve officer).

Since spring, in the evening, students and university gymnasium students were involved in military training. Students and high school students formed a university amusing battalion, which was reviewed every autumn by the Moscow military commandant or one of the chiefs of the regiments stationed in the city.

Initially, students were not charged tuition fees, but state allocations only partially covered the needs of the university, so later poor students were exempted from fees. The university management had to find additional sources of income, not even excluding commercial activities. Patrons of the arts (Demidovs, Stroganovs, E.R. Dashkova, etc.) provided enormous financial assistance. They acquired and donated scientific instruments, collections, books to the university, and established scholarships for students. The graduates did not forget their university. During difficult times for the university, they raised funds by subscription. According to established tradition, professors bequeathed their personal collections to the university library. Among them are the richest collections of I.M. Snegireva, P.Ya. Petrova, T.N. Granovsky, S.M. Solovyova, F.I. Buslaeva, N.K. Gudziya, I.G. Petrovsky and others.

Moscow University played a prominent role in the dissemination and popularization of scientific knowledge. The public could attend lectures by university professors and student debates.

In April 1756, a printing house and a bookstore were opened at Moscow University on Mokhovaya Street. This marked the beginning of domestic book publishing. At the same time, the university began to publish twice a week the first non-governmental newspaper in the country, Moskovskie Vedomosti, and from January 1760, the first literary magazine in Moscow, Useful Amusement. For ten years, from 1779 to 1789, the printing house was headed by a graduate of the university gymnasium, the outstanding Russian educator N.I. Novikov.

For over 100 years, the university library was the only public library in Moscow.

In the 19th century, the first scientific societies were formed at the university: Explorers of Nature, Russian History and Antiquities, Lovers of Russian Literature.

Tatyana's Day

There is a version that I.I. Shuvalov presented Elizaveta Petrovna with the Decree on the University precisely on January 25 to please her mother, who had her birthday on that day. Since then, the celebration of Tatiana’s Day, primarily as the founding day of the University, has become traditional and beloved by everyone who was lucky enough to study in this temple of science.

Holy Martyr Tatiana. Icon

Holy Martyr Tatiana

The Holy Martyr Tatiana was born into a noble Roman family - her father was elected consul three times. He was a secret Christian and raised his daughter devoted to God and the Church. Having reached adulthood, Tatiana did not marry and gave all her strength to the Church. She was installed as a deaconess in one of the Roman churches and served God, caring for the sick and helping those in need through fasting and prayer. Tatiana was to crown her righteousness with the crown of martyrdom.

When sixteen-year-old Alexander Severus (222 - 235) began to rule Rome, all power was concentrated in the hands of the worst enemy and persecutor of Christians, Ulpian. Christian blood flowed like a river. Deaconess Tatiana was also captured. When she was brought to the temple of Apollo to force her to make a sacrifice to the idol, the saint prayed - and suddenly an earthquake occurred, the idol was blown to pieces, and part of the temple collapsed and crushed the priests and many pagans. Then they began to beat the holy virgin and gouged out her eyes, but she endured everything courageously, praying for her tormentors, so that the Lord would open their spiritual eyes. She was tortured for three days, but never renounced Christ. All the tortures of the tormentors were exhausted, she was sentenced to death, and the courageous sufferer was beheaded with a sword. Together with her, as a Christian, the father of Saint Tatiana, who revealed to her the truths of the faith of Christ, was executed.

From the beginning of its foundation, the holiday was not celebrated magnificently and included a prayer service in the university church and small celebrations. However, in the 60s of the 19th century, January 25 became an unofficial student holiday, which was divided into official and unofficial parts. Official celebrations included: lunch in the dining room, a prayer service in the university church on Mokhovaya, the rector’s address to students and the presentation of awards, as well as walks around the university premises: auditoriums and libraries.

After this, the unofficial program began. The students had fun and walked around the center of Moscow in groups, singing songs. The police treated the noisy students with understanding, and in the morning the police wrote the address on the backs of the students who had been out for a walk with chalk and took them home. On this holiday, all differences were erased: teachers walked with students, the rich had fun with the poor. The rich students dressed simply and had fun with the other students on the street. University graduates also celebrated this holiday with great pleasure. Thus, the founding day of the university has become the favorite holiday of all students in the country.

The holiday was so fun that everyone who could joined and walked on this day, and university graduate A.P. Chekhov once said regarding the celebration of Tatyana’s Day: “On this day everyone drank, except the Moscow River, and that was due to the fact that it was frozen... Pianos and grand pianos crackled, the orchestras did not stop. It was so much fun that one student, out of excitement, took a swim in the tank where the sterlets were swimming.”

After the celebration of the centenary in 1855, a tradition arose to organize an annual meeting of graduates of Moscow University on Tatiana's Day as a regular celebration.

After the revolution, the Bolsheviks considered the holiday too riotous. In 1918, the university church was closed and a reading room was installed in it. The holiday “Tatyana’s Day” was replaced in 1923 by “Day of Proletarian Students,” and the celebration of Tatiana’s Day was banned. In 1992, after Viktor Antonovich Sadovnichy took office as rector, the tradition of celebrating Tatyana’s Day at Moscow University was resumed.

Moscow University is rightfully considered the oldest Russian university. It was founded in 1755. The establishment of a university in Moscow became possible thanks to the activities of the outstanding scientist-encyclopedist, the first Russian academician - Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (1711-1765). In 1940, during the celebration of its 185th anniversary, the university was named after M.V. Lomonosov.

Back in 1724, at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, founded by Peter I, a university and a gymnasium were established to train scientific personnel in Russia. But the academic gymnasium and university failed to cope with this task. Therefore M.V. Lomonosov repeatedly raised the question of opening a university in Moscow. His proposals, formulated in a letter to I.I. Shuvalov, formed the basis of the Moscow University project. Shuvalov, the favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, patronized the development of Russian science and culture, helped many of M.V.’s endeavors. Lomonosov.

After reading the presented I.I. Shuvalov and M.V. Lomonosov's project for a new educational institution, Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree on the founding of Moscow University on January 25, 1755. The opening ceremony of classes at the university took place on the day of the anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna on May 7, 1755. Since then, these days have been traditionally celebrated at the university with student celebrations, the annual scientific conference “Lomonosov Readings” and days of student scientific creativity are timed to coincide with them.

In accordance with the plan of M.V. Lomonosov, 3 faculties were formed at Moscow University: philosophical, legal and medical. All students began their studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, where they received fundamental training in the natural sciences and humanities. Education could be continued by specializing in law, medicine, or the same faculty of philosophy. Unlike European universities, Moscow did not have a theological faculty, which is explained by the presence in Russia of a special education system for training ministers of the Orthodox Church. The professors gave lectures not only in the then generally recognized language of science - Latin, but also in Russian.

Moscow University stood out for its democratic composition of students and professors. This largely determined the widespread dissemination of advanced scientific and social ideas among students and teachers. Already in the preamble of the decree on the establishment of a university in Moscow, it was noted that it was created “for the general training of commoners.” People from various classes, with the exception of serfs, could enter the university.

Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov pointed to the example of Western European universities, where the principle of class was done away with; “At the university, the student who has learned more is more respectable; and whose son he is, there is no need.” During the second half of the 18th century, out of 26 Russian professors who taught, only three were from the nobility. Commoners also made up the majority of students. The most capable students were sent to foreign universities to continue their education, strengthening contacts and connections with world science.

State allocations only partially covered the needs of the university, especially since initially students were not charged tuition fees, and later they began to exempt poor students from them. The university management had to find additional sources of income, not even excluding commercial activities.

Patrons of the arts (Demidovs, Stroganovs, E.R. Dashkova, etc.) provided enormous financial assistance to the University. They acquired and donated scientific instruments, collections, books to the university, and established scholarships for students. The graduates also did not forget about their alma mater. More than once, during difficult times for the university, they raised funds by subscription. According to established tradition, professors bequeathed their personal collections to the university library. Among them are the richest collections of I.M. Snegireva, P.Ya. Petrova, T.N. Granovsky, S.M. Solovyova, F.I. Buslaeva, N.K. Gudziya, I.G. Petrovsky and others.

Moscow University played an outstanding role in the dissemination and popularization of scientific knowledge. The public could attend lectures by university professors and student debates. In April 1756, a printing house and a bookstore were opened at Moscow University on Mokhovaya Street. This marked the beginning of domestic book publishing. At the same time, the university began to publish twice a week the first non-governmental newspaper in the country, Moskovskie Vedomosti, and from January 1760, the first literary magazine in Moscow, Useful Amusement. For ten years, from 1779 to 1789, the printing house was headed by a graduate of the university gymnasium, the outstanding Russian educator N.I. Novikov.

In the 18th century, remarkable figures of Russian science and culture studied and worked within the walls of Moscow University: philosophers N.N. Popovsky, D.S. Anichkov; mathematicians and mechanics V.K. Arshenevsky, M.I. Pankevich; physician S.G. Zybelin; botanist P.D. Veniaminov; physicist P.I. Fears; soil scientists M.I. Afonin, N.E. Cherepanov; historian and geographer H.A. Chebotarev; historian N.N. Bantysh-Kamensky; philologists and translators A.A. Barsov, S. Khalfin, E.I. Kostrov: legal experts S.E. Desnitsky, I.A. Tretyakov; publishers and writers D.I. Fonvizin, M.M. Kheraskov, N.I. Novikov; architects V.I. Bazhenov and I.E. Starov.

A year after the creation of the university, the university library welcomed its first readers. For over 100 years it served as the only public library in Moscow.

The educational activities of Moscow University contributed to the creation on its basis or with the participation of its professors of such large centers of national culture as the Kazan Gymnasium (from 1804 - Kazan University), the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg (until 1764 - under the jurisdiction of Moscow University), and the Maly Theater.

In the 19th century, the first scientific societies were formed at the university: Explorers of Nature, Russian History and Antiquities, Lovers of Russian Literature.

Until 1804, the activities of the university were regulated by the “Highly approved project on the Establishment of Moscow University.” In 1804, the university charter was adopted. The university was granted significant autonomy; the rector and deans of faculties were elected from among the professors. The first elected rector was professor of history and literature Kh.A. Chebotarev. The Council of Professors decided all issues of university life and awarded academic titles. Books printed with the approval of the Council in the university printing house were exempt from general censorship.

Students studied in four faculties (departments): moral and political sciences, physical and mathematical sciences, medical sciences, and verbal sciences. The training lasted 3 years. After the final exams, the best of those who graduated from the university were awarded the degree of candidate, the rest - the title of “actual student”. The continuity of various levels of education increased. According to the charter of 1804, the university exercised general management of secondary and primary educational institutions in the central provinces of Russia.

The invasion of Russia by Napoleonic army in 1812 caused an unprecedented patriotic surge among university students. Many joined the militia, and the work of university doctors was especially noted by M.I. Kutuzov. During the stay of Napoleonic soldiers in Moscow, the university buildings were almost completely burned down. The library, archive, museum, and scientific equipment were destroyed. The restoration of the university became a matter for the entire Russian society. Scientific institutions, scientists, and individuals donated money, books, ancient manuscripts, natural science collections, and instruments to the university.

By 1815, 7.5 thousand books had been collected for the university library alone. Despite the difficult situation of the university, professors and students began classes on September 1, 1813. By the 20s of the 19th century, the number of students exceeded 500 people.

In the first half of the 19th century, Moscow University occupied a leading place in the public life of Russia. Many members of Decembrist organizations were his pupils. The traditions of freethinking were continued by the student circles of the Kritsky brothers, N.P. Sungurova, V.G. Belinsky, A.I. Herzen and N.P. Ogareva, N.V. Stankevich. In the university classrooms, debates between Westerners and Slavophiles about the paths of development of Russia were in full swing. Public courses of lectures and debates by the head of Westerners, the brilliant historian T.N. Granovsky collected the entire Moscow intelligentsia of the 1840s.

A new stage in the life of the university began after the fall of serfdom in 1861 and Russia’s entry into the path of capitalism. The university charter of 1863 reflected the general policy of the government towards reforms designed to accelerate the development of the country. The growth of industry, trade, agriculture, transformations in the sphere of management, the courts, and the army required an increase in the level and expansion of university education. According to the charter of 1863, the number of academic disciplines and the number of teachers increased. Much attention was paid to organizing practical and laboratory classes and seminars. The election of the rector and deans, which was virtually destroyed during the reign of Nicholas, was restored. About 1,500 students studied at the four faculties of the university - history and philology, physics and mathematics, law and medicine, most of whom belonged to commoners.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, the professors of Moscow University did a lot to strengthen the connection between science and practice. University scholars wrote textbooks for schools. Many university students worked as teachers, representing the most qualified part of the Russian teaching profession.

On the initiative and with the assistance of the university, in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, famous Moscow museums arose: Polytechnic, Historical, Zoological, Anthropology, Fine Arts (now the A.S. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts); The Botanical Garden and the Zoological Garden (Moscow Zoo) were opened.

The Charter of 1863, which opened up new opportunities for the development of domestic education and science, lasted only until 1884. After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II by Narodnaya Volya in 1881, the government resumed its attack on university autonomy and strengthened control over teaching. Nevertheless, the university has retained itself as one of the centers of advanced scientific knowledge and spiritual life in Russia.

The names of outstanding Russian thinkers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries are associated with the university: V.S. Solovyova, V.V. Rozanova, E.N. and S.N. Trubetskoy, S.N. Bulgakova, P.A. Florensky. Students and professors responded to the most pressing problems of Russian reality. Famous figures from Russia's leading political parties studied or taught at the university.

Moscow University students were in the forefront of freedom fighters in the revolution of 1905-1907. At a meeting on September 9, 1905, students adopted a resolution demanding the overthrow of the autocracy and the transformation of Russia into a democratic republic.

The rise of the revolutionary movement on the eve of the First World War also affected Moscow University. In 1911, in protest against the illegal dismissal of a number of professors and the violation of university autonomy, more than 130 professors and teachers demonstratively left its walls. Among them are world-famous scientists: K.A. Timiryazev, P.N. Lebedev, N.D. Zelinsky, N.A. Umov, S.A. Chaplygin, V.I. Vernadsky, V.I. Picheta and others. The government responded by expelling more than a thousand students from the university, arresting and expelling revolutionary-minded students from Moscow. The number of students also decreased sharply due to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

After the revolution of 1917, significant changes occurred in the fate of higher education. On the one hand, it has undergone deep democratization. Tuition fees were abolished and students were provided with state scholarships. Since 1919, the university was completely transferred to state funding. In order for people from working and peasant families to be able to obtain the amount of knowledge necessary to enter a university, a preparatory Workers' Faculty has been operating at the university since 1919. World-famous scientists continued teaching at the university in the first post-revolutionary decade: D.N. Anuchin, N.E. Zhukovsky, N.D. Zelinsky, A.N. Severtsov, K.A. Timiryazev, S.A. Chaplygin.

At the same time, some students and famous scientists who did not accept the new political order were forced to leave Moscow University. The reorganizations of the 20s and 30s, initiated in the pursuit of increasing the number of specialists, also caused some damage. The medical, Soviet law and chemical (temporarily) faculties were removed from the university, and independent universities were created on their basis.

The geological, mineralogical and geographical departments in the natural faculties were transformed into the same universities. On the basis of the humanities faculties, the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History was opened in 1931, merging again with Moscow State University only ten years later. Excesses were also made in the organization of the educational process: a “team-laboratory method” of teaching was introduced, which abolished lectures, left the study of material to student teams of 3-5 people, and individual exams were replaced by collective reports from teams.

Fortunately, this period in the life of the university was short-lived. In 1932, the “team-laboratory” method was abolished. New curricula were introduced, and the work schedule in higher education changed. In 1934, the first candidate's theses during the years of Soviet power were defended at the university.

The university was not spared by the tragic events of social life of the 30-50s. Ideological and administrative dictates from the authorities hindered freedom of creativity. Contacts with foreign scientific centers were limited. Many scientists were subjected to unjustified repression, entire areas of research, especially in the social sciences, philology, cybernetics, and biology, were curtailed.

Despite these heavy losses, university science as a whole achieved significant results in the 20-30s. By 1941, about 5 thousand students were enrolled only in the full-time department. Over 30 professors and researchers became full members of the USSR Academy of Sciences. University scientists have developed textbooks for higher and secondary schools.

The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 was a difficult test for our country. Already on June 25, 1941, the first group of students and employees of Moscow State University went to the front, mainly to replenish the command and political staff of the Red Army. The 8th (Krasnopresnenskaya) division of the people's militia was staffed by MSU volunteers. She fought heroically during the defense of Moscow.

Since October 1941, the university was evacuated, first in Ashgabat, and from the summer of 1942 in Sverdlovsk. The university returned to Moscow only in the spring of 1943, although classes with the students who remained in the capital resumed in February 1942 after the defeat of the fascist hordes near Moscow.

During the war years, the university graduated more than 3 thousand specialists. With their scientific achievements, MSU scientists have made a significant contribution to the defense of the country and the development of its economy. More than 3 thousand scientific developments were carried out at Moscow State University during the military four-year period. These include the improvement of aircraft construction and control of sea vessels, the substantiation of the theory of accuracy of artillery fire and area shooting, the provision of precise time signals for the entire country, and the invention of explosives.

In total, more than 5 thousand university students fought on the war fronts, over a thousand people were awarded orders and medals of the USSR and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition during the war, and seven were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

About 3 thousand students, graduate students, professors, teachers and staff of Moscow State University did not return from the war. In their honor, a memorial sign was unveiled next to the 1st academic building in 1975, and the Eternal Flame of Glory was lit.

Post-war reconstruction and further development of the country was impossible without a new rise in university education. In the late 40s - early 50s, the financial situation of Moscow University improved significantly. A huge complex of new university buildings is being built on the Lenin Hills. On September 1, 1953, classes began there. The laboratories and classrooms were equipped with the latest equipment at that time. The university budget has increased more than 5 times compared to the pre-war one.

Strengthening the material base, measures taken since the mid-50s to democratize political life in the country, and expanding contacts with foreign countries have made it possible to significantly enrich the range of scientific research conducted at the university. Numerous specialized laboratories are being created, including interfaculty ones, and a powerful Research Computing Center has been organized. New faculties appeared as part of Moscow State University: the Institute of Oriental Languages (since 1972 - the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University), the Faculty of Psychology, the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics, and the first Faculty of Soil Science in the country. The total number of full-time students increased from 13 thousand in 1953 to 31 thousand in 2001.

Moscow University has become a major international center for training undergraduate and graduate students. To teach foreign citizens the Russian language, in 1959 the university established one of the first preparatory departments of this profile in our country (now the Center for International Education).

In total, from 1917 to the present, Moscow University has graduated about 180 thousand specialists and about 35 thousand candidates of science for the national economy, culture and education.

Many famous scientists worked at the university: mathematicians and mechanics M.V. Keldysh, A.N. Kolmogorov, N.N. Luzin, I.G. Petrovsky, I.I. Privalov; physicists V.K. Arkadyev, N.N. Bogolyubov, S.I. Vavilov, A.A. Vlasov, P.L. Kapitsa, I.V. Kurchatov, L.D. Landau, G.S. Landsberg, Ya.B. Zeldovich; chemists Ya.I. Gerasimov, V.A. Kargin, A.N. Nesmeyanov, N.N. Semenov; geographers N.N. Baransky, A.A. Borzov, V.N. Sukachev; geologists A.D. Arkhangelsky, N.V. Belov, A.A. Bogdanov; biologists and soil scientists A.N. Belozersky, D.G. Vilensky, L.A. Zenkevich; historians A.V. Artsikhovsky, B.D. Grekov, A.A. Guber; art critics V.N. Lazarev, A.A. Fedorov-Davydov; philologists D.D. Blagoy, S.M. Bondi, D.N. Ushakov; philosophers V.F. Asmus, V.P. Volgin, G.E. Glzerman; lawyers M.N. Gernet, P.E. Orlovsky, A.N. Trainin; psychologists A.N. Leontyev, A.R. Luria, S.L. Rubinstein; economists L.Ya. Berry, A.Y. Boyarsky, V.S. Nemchinov.

In 1992, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Moscow University received the status of a Russian self-governing (autonomous) higher educational institution. In November 1998, the Charter of Moscow State University was adopted. M.V. Lomonosov, according to which the rights of faculties and research institutes were significantly expanded. They are independent educational and scientific organizations that are part of the structure of Moscow State University.

Currently, Moscow University includes 29 faculties, as well as 9 research institutes. More than 300 departments are represented at the faculties of the University. More than 31 thousand students and about 7 thousand graduate students study at Moscow State University. The number of professors and teachers is 4 thousand people. In addition, the university employs about 5 thousand researchers.

Two and a half centuries of history of the oldest Russian university testify to the enormous contribution of its students to the cause of serving the universal ideals of freedom, humanism, goodness, beauty, and truth.

Initially it was located on the site of the current State Historical Museum on Red Square.

History of University

The role of the driving force was taken on by the greatest Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. Mikhail Vasilyevich conceived an ambitious project to create a university for gifted students. However, implementing the idea turned out to be difficult: officials invariably responded with a polite refusal to his proposal. In the end, Lomonosov had to use a cunning “workaround” maneuver: he handed over the project and charter of the university to the favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov. An influential courtier, a subtle and intelligent man, Shuvalov sought the glory of a philanthropist and was able to achieve approval by the Senate of the charter of a new educational institution proposed by Lomonosov. On January 25, 1755, the decree on the creation of the Imperial Moscow University was signed by Empress Elizabeth (by the way, this is where the student tradition of celebrating Tatiana’s Day originates).

Initially, the university was located in the Apothecary House at the Resurrection Gate on Red Square (now the Historical Museum is located on this site). There were three faculties: philosophy, medicine and law. Partly due to the fact that Lomonosov himself was a genius “from the bottom,” the educational institution pursued a very democratic policy: everyone was accepted with the exception of serfs, provided that the person passed the necessary entrance tests. The lectures were given by the best professors, and the classes often attracted a huge audience, since everyone could come to the lectures. Such a democratic policy soon led to significant development of the educational institution. In the 19th century, the number of faculties grew; in the middle of the century, more than 1,000 students were studying within the university.

The university building quickly becomes cramped, and for classes they rent and then buy the courtyard of Prince Repnin on Mokhovaya Street, then six more manorial estates. In 1785, Catherine II released 125 thousand rubles from the treasury for the construction of a university building designed by architect Matvey Kazakov. Alas, the very first building has not reached us: a fire in September 1812 destroyed it along with the museum, library, artistic and scientific values. But after five years, they began to restore the charred skeleton, and funds for construction were collected by the whole world. Reconstruction work ended in 1819 under the leadership of the architect Dementio Gilardi. The solemn and elegant building acquired the familiar majestic appearance, and classes began there.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, studying at the Imperial Moscow University was both difficult and interesting. Lectures began at nine in the morning, there were seven classes on the schedule. Faculties were not as clearly demarcated as they are now - one could attend classes by renowned professors in various specialties. For the course of study it was necessary to pay 28 rubles 57 kopecks in banknotes, but this did not apply to low-income talented students: there were still scholarships for them, as well as compensation for renting a room. In addition, a bonus system was introduced, and for excellent studies one could receive up to 300 rubles, and the competition prize for outstanding scientific work was 1,500 rubles. In those days when the average worker’s salary was 25 rubles a month, this was quite decent money.

During the reign of Nicholas I, students received a mandatory uniform: a frock coat, cocked hat and sword.

However, soon dramatic events took place in the country: a revolution, a change in the political system, and the execution of the imperial family. All this could not but leave an imprint on the structure and policy of the university. It should be noted that there was a serious split within the team: there were those who were “for” and those who were “against”. Students and professors who did not accept the new political government were forced to leave the university, and under pressure from the new government, entire scientific areas in philosophy, biology, history and philology that did not correspond to the revolutionary ideology were closed.

Nevertheless, all these trials did not prevent Moscow University from maintaining its place as a leader in higher education. Already in 1934, the first candidate's dissertations in the USSR were defended at Moscow State University, but as soon as the learning process began to gradually improve again, difficult times came again. During the Great Patriotic War, more than five thousand students and teachers went to the front. Educational activities are suspended. Although already in the first post-war years there was a new rise in education, the country needed scientific personnel and qualified specialists. In 1947, on the day of the 800th anniversary of Moscow, the city received eight giant construction sites on Vorobyovy Gory. Among them is a new complex of buildings for Moscow University with a high-rise building for Moscow State University. The main building was built from 1949 to 1953, and now it is the symbol of the university.

In the 50s, there was a real stir at the entrance exams to Moscow State University. The budget increased five times compared to the pre-war period, which made it possible to equip scientific laboratories and classrooms, open new faculties and specialized laboratories. The Faculty of Psychology, the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics, the country's first Faculty of Soil Science, and the Institute of Oriental Languages (since 1972, the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University) appeared. Today MSU has 39 faculties, 15 research institutes, 4 museums, about 380 departments and more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Moscow State University is the only one in Russia that has educated 11 Nobel laureates.

The university is one of the three Russian universities with a special status: a presidential decree of 2008 enshrined academic independence, which gives the right to set its own educational standards and programs.

MSU Library

The Moscow University Library, opened in 1755, was the only secular, free and publicly accessible library in Moscow for more than a hundred years. In the middle of the 19th century, restored after the fire of 1812, it consisted of more than 7,500 volumes. Today, the unique fund amounts to 10 million books, manuscripts and periodicals. Its services are used by about 65 thousand readers.

Student theater

Russian stage art owes its flourishing to the first student theater. In 1756, students of Moscow University under the leadership of the rector, poet M.M. Kheraskov, showed the first performance to the public. Subsequently, Russian theater troupes consisted almost entirely of university graduates, and one of them became the basis of the Imperial Moscow Theater, the forerunner of Russia's cultural heritage - the Bolshoi and Maly Theaters.

Church of St. Tatiana

After Kazakov’s building and the first university church of Tatiana the Martyr burned down in a fire in 1812, Nicholas I bought Pashkov’s house on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street for the university. Architect E.D. Tyurin rebuilt this building for the new Auditorium building, the left wing for a library, and the right wing from the former state theater into a church. Tyurin surprisingly harmoniously connected the new building with the Main Building of Kazakov - Gilardi. The elegant semi-rotunda with a colonnade received paintings by Anton Claudi and a unique sculptural iconostasis by I.P. Vitali. In 1837, the holy martyr Tatiana became the patroness of Moscow University, and then of the entire Russian student body.

High-rise building on Vorobyovy Gory

The main building of Moscow State University on the Vorobyovy (Lenin) Hills was designed in the studio of the architect L.V. Rudneva. The selected construction site - a high plateau on a bend of the Moscow River - provided unique opportunities for the project. By moving the high-rise building away from the shore, the architect emphasized its grandeur and size with a solemn approach, decorated with green alleys and squares with fountains. The Moscow State University building is the tallest among the “Stalinist sisters”. The central span has 36 floors, so until 1990 it was the highest in Europe. The construction of the 240-meter skyscraper required more than 400,000 tons of steel, 175 million bricks, and 111 elevators. The department of Lavrentiy Beria oversaw the unusual construction; thousands of prisoners worked on the construction and finishing of the building. The central part houses three faculties, the administration, a library, a palace of culture and a museum of geosciences. The 19-story buildings on the side buildings house student dormitories and apartments for teachers.

The high-rise building of Moscow State University on Vorobyovy Gory has been chosen as a place to live by a couple of rare peregrine falcons.

The biggest myth associated with the Main Building is that the solid jasper columns on the 9th floor were allegedly moved here from the destroyed Cathedral of Christ the Savior. But actually it is not.

Famous university teachers...

The creator of aerodynamics Nikolai Zhukovsky, the inventor of the gas mask, chemist Nikolai Zelinsky, the great physiologist Ivan Sechenov, the natural scientist Kliment Timiryazev, the surgeon Nikolai Sklifosovsky, the creator of biogeochemistry Vladimir Vernadsky and many other luminaries who taught at Moscow State University are confirmation of his level and prestige.

...and no less famous graduates

Playwrights Denis Fonvizin and Alexander Griboedov, poets Vasily Zhukovsky and Fyodor Tyutchev, revolutionary writers Alexander Herzen and Nikolai Ogarev, writers Ivan Turgenev and Anton Chekhov, philosopher Pyotr Chaadaev, theater figures Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and Vsevolod Meyerhold, artist Vasily Kandinsky.

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HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF MOSCOWSTATE UNIVERSITY

Moscow University is one of the oldest Russian universities. It was founded in 1755. The establishment of the university is associated with the name of the outstanding scientist-encyclopedist, the first Russian academician Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (1711-1765). Mikhail Vasilyevich actively advocated for the creation of a higher education system in Russia. Most educational institutions created in the era of Peter I were outdated by the middle of the 18th century. By that time, there was an urgent need to train high-class specialists and improve the level of educational institutions, including higher education.

Lomonosov more than once raised the question of opening a university in Moscow. He sent his proposals to I.I. Shuvalov, the favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who, as is known, patronized the development of Russian science and culture. Thus, the proposals of M.V. Lomonosov formed the basis of the Moscow University project with the consent of Shuvalov. Shuvalov's role in the opening of the university was not always assessed objectively, but it is indisputable that without his assistance, the establishment of the university in the conditions of that time would have been a difficult undertaking.

Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov is one of the brightest personalities of that time, a man with a high level of education, a representative of the Russian Enlightenment. He, like no one else, understood the importance of the development of education, science and culture in the Russian Empire. It was on his initiative that the Academy of Arts was created in 1757, of which he became president. Shuvalov managed to buy and transport the best examples of works of art to the Academy. The Academy's collection was represented by paintings by the best European artists and consisted of about 104 canvases (Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, etc.).

I. I. Shuvalov presented the project of a new educational institution to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who, after familiarizing herself with it, signed a decree on the creation of a university on January 24 (February 4), 1755. In memory of the day the decree was signed, Tatyana's Day is celebrated annually at Moscow University. The ceremonial opening of classes at the university took place on the day of celebration of the anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna on April 26, 1755. At the same time, the first lectures were given at the university. Shuvalov became the first curator of the university, and Alexey Mikhailovich Argamakov (1711-1757) was appointed its first director. It is interesting to note the fact that during the grand opening of the university, the name of Lomonosov was not even mentioned. According to the historian M. T. Belyavsky, “Shuvalov not only arrogated to himself the authorship of the project and the glory of the founder of the university,” but also “significantly spoiled the Lomonosov project by introducing into it a number of provisions that Lomonosov and other advanced Russian scientists fought with such passion in Academy of Sciences".

The university was directly accountable to the Governing Senate. The teaching staff was subject only to the university court with the approval of the curator and director. The head of the university was a curator who appointed teachers and approved lecture courses. Direct management was carried out by the director. He was authorized to manage the university's income and take care of its well-being. The director's decisions were approved by the curator. The advisory body under the director was the Conference of Professors - an analogue of the modern academic council. It consisted of three professors and three assessors of the university.

In accordance with the plan of M.V. Lomonosov, 3 faculties were formed at Moscow University: philosophical, legal and medical. All students began their studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, where they received fundamental training in the natural sciences and humanities. Education could be continued by specializing in law, medicine, or the same faculty of philosophy. It is significant that Moscow University was the only one in Europe that did not have a theological faculty. This is because Lomonosov resolutely opposed the church’s encroachments on the freedom of scientific creativity. Lomonomov sought to liberate science in Russia from the tutelage of the church. This idea was reflected in paragraph 4 of his project: “Although in every University, in addition to philosophical sciences and jurisprudence, theological knowledge should also be offered, the care of theology is rightly left to the Holy Synod.”

At first, the professors were mostly invited from abroad and only two: N. N. Popovsky - in literature and philosophy and A. A. Barsov - in mathematics and literature, as well as a teacher of Russian and Latin languages F. Ya. Yaremsky were identified from students of the St. Petersburg Academic University.

Lomonosov actively advocated that lectures at the first Russian university be given by Russian professors and in Russian. True, Lomonosov’s efforts were crowned with success only three years after his death: according to the decree of Catherine II, “for the better dissemination of science in Russia, lectures began in all three faculties by natural Russians in the Russian language.”

From the very beginning, Moscow University was distinguished by its democratic composition of students and professors. Almost all of them belonged to unprivileged classes. Already in the preamble of the decree on the establishment of the university, it was noted that it was created “for the general training of commoners.” People from various classes, with the exception of serfs, could enter the university. M.V. Lomonosov gave the example of Western European universities, where the principle of class was done away with: “At the university, the student who has learned more is more respectable; and whose son he is, there is no need for that.”

Shuvalov, as the first curator of the university, invited the best European professors and teachers to teach, and personally purchased books and manuals. On July 3, 1756, the university library, one of the oldest in our country, was opened. For over 100 years it served as the only public library in Moscow. Moscow Lomonosov University student

The establishment of Moscow University and the Academy of Arts was only the beginning. Shuvalov intended to lay a powerful foundation for the system of higher educational institutions - provincial gymnasiums and schools. From the first years of its activity, Moscow University carried out great work on the establishment and development of secondary education and enlightenment in the country. His educational activities contributed to the creation on his basis or with the participation of his professorship of such large centers of national culture as the Kazan Gymnasium, the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, and the Maly Theater.

The combination of the tasks of education, science and culture in the activities of Moscow University turned it, in the words of A.I. Herzen, the “center of Russian education”, one of the centers of world culture. Thus, with the advent of the university in the Russian Empire, the level of education in society increased significantly, and education spread among the population.

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