Educational strategies of youth in the USSR in the 1950s–1960s

Introduction. Currently, the Russian Federation is implementing a state youth policy, the goal of which is to create the necessary conditions for self-realization of youth and their active inclusion in social processes. In this regard, the task of studying the historical experience of the USSR in the field of implementing state youth policy in the 1950s–1960s is actualized. At that time the interests and needs of youth began to be widely taken into account for the first time in the implementation of socio-economic development programs, including in the field of education. The article analyzes the conditions, causes and consequences of the choice of educational strategies by young people, reveals the relationship between the material capabilities of society and the social aspirations of young people. Sources and Methods. This problem is viewed from the point of view of social history, within the framework of the concept of "socialist welfare state". The research is based on archival materials from the collections of GA RF, RGANI, RGASPI. Analysis. The educational opportunities of young people in the early 1950s were significantly limited by the low quality of education, its partial payment; the dominance in the school system of the incomplete seven-year secondary school; a limited number of educational institutions providing vocational training on the basis of a complete secondary school; poor development of evening and distance learning. One of the main negative factors in the choice of educational strategies was the low standard of living. Conclusions. The implementation of the new social policy helped to increase the material capabilities of the population, opened access to higher and secondary education for a wide range of young people. Among the most important prerequisites for the free choice of educational strategies were the abolition of tuition fees, the expansion of the network of ten-year schools, the improvement of the quality of education, and the widespread dissemination of forms of on-the-job training.