Past: "No exams are needed for conscientious proletarian sailors"

Content:

Context

Course with employment: "The profession of a Methodologist from scratch to PRO"

The question of transitional exams for the next course arose, since by the spring of 1919 the top leadership had already abandoned the idea of training red sailor commanders in six months. The course continued, although its duration was not precisely set. In the summer of that year, a decision was made to extend it to four years.

The issue of examinations arose not among the teaching staff, but among the highest Soviet naval leadership. This became evident when it became clear that there was a significant difference between cadets who actually studied at the naval command courses and those who did nothing but received a salary. The need to introduce examinations became urgent for improving the quality of education and selecting the most qualified specialists, which directly impacted the effectiveness of the navy.

It is clear that some students considered "students" are unable to continue their studies in naval sciences. This is due both to insufficient mastery of previous courses and to insufficient preparation in general subjects, which makes the transition to more complex scientific disciplines virtually impossible.

Among the leadership circles, the idea arose of attracting loyal and educated young people with a secondary education to the command courses. To successfully integrate new members into an existing team, it's necessary to carefully analyze the current composition, assign employees based on their knowledge and skills, and make room for new candidates. This will not only refresh the team but also improve its overall effectiveness.

All of this led to the question of the inevitability of spring exams, which could serve as a stage for assignment and selection. It was also announced that cadets deemed incompetent and unsuccessful by examiners would be dismissed from the courses and returned to their ships.

The situation sparked heated debate among the course participants. The general meeting dedicated to this important issue drew a large crowd and was characterized by high tension. Even those who usually ignore such events showed up in large numbers to the drafting room, where about 400 people gathered. The commissioner and department heads—that is, the faculty—were invited to the meeting, adding weight to the topic under discussion.

The dull drafting room became the site of lively debates with the commissioner, a rarity at the time. The faculty remained on the sidelines, as no one was interested in their opinions. Lazy and idle students naturally unanimously opposed exams, which was explained by their obvious motives.

Some students who demonstrated diligence but lacked exceptional abilities also opposed exams. They considered the teachers' fears that, given their insufficient knowledge, they would not be able to cope with the material in the next course to be unfounded. Moreover, they did not want to lag behind their peers, who, although they worked just as hard, had greater natural ability and did not risk repeating a year of study.

Successful and hard-working students did not express dissatisfaction with the exams, but also did not support them due to a vague sense of comradely solidarity.

There was another group with a pronounced political orientation, consisting primarily of members of the communist collective. This group was obviously afraid of possible criticism, which was clear from their behavior. Throughout the winter, they spent more time gathering in the group room, relaxing on a comfortable sofa and sipping tea, than attending classes. However, their self-perception and their highly valued privileged position prevented them from admitting this and joining the less active participants.

This group advanced a purely political position: “We recognize the nature of these exams. They are simply a method used by counterrevolutionary instructors to exclude undesirable cadets. Conscientious proletarian sailors have no need for exams; we ourselves will figure out who is really studying and who is simply wasting time, who is capable of learning and who is not, and we ourselves will remove the slackers from the courses.”

Imagine that this bold formula was approved at the meeting, and the resolution, despite the commissar's objections, was drafted precisely in this manner.

In the end, everyone remained in their positions; no one was fired. About twenty new representatives of the intelligentsia joined the team, and this decision proved justified. The newcomers took to their work with enthusiasm, although perhaps they were motivated less by high moral principles than by fear of the consequences.

Vadim Belov, in his work "The Cradle of the Red Fleet: At the Soviet Courses for Naval Command Personnel," provides a unique perspective on the formation and development of the navy in Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1921. Eyewitness accounts, collected and edited by M. A. Erokhova, illuminate key moments related to the training and preparation of the naval command personnel. This publication is an important source for studying the history of the Red Fleet, its role in the Soviet state, and its influence on naval strategy. The text also emphasizes the importance of command courses as a foundation for developing professional personnel, which contributed to strengthening the country's defense capability in difficult times.

Context

The naval command courses at the Naval Academy were founded in 1918 in Petrograd. The young Soviet government, without tsarist officers, faced an acute shortage of qualified specialists such as navigators, mechanics, electrical engineers, radio operators, and artillerymen. These courses became an important step in training personnel for the navy, which contributed to strengthening the country's defense capability in the context of the post-revolutionary crisis. The courses covered all necessary aspects of naval service and technology, ensuring the formation of a professional team to carry out combat missions. Thus, the creation of command courses played a key role in the development of the Soviet fleet and the formation of a new generation of naval specialists.

Admission to the courses was limited to a fourth-grade education, but many applicants, including sailors, did not even achieve this minimum. Nevertheless, they were accepted because there was a shortage of applicants. Some cadets studied diligently, while for others, the salary and bread rations were the main incentive for enrollment. This group either skipped classes or attended only perfunctorily.

To keep their places in the courses, the students from the lazy group first achieved the abolition of grades, and then of exams. This decision was made at a general meeting. This group was made up of communist sailors who had become the "kings" of the new order, and even the head of the courses—the commissar—didn't dare openly oppose them. No one listened to the teachers.

Several months after the start of classes, by the New Year, it became clear who was capable of successfully completing the course and who wasn't. Some students left the program, while others remained. At some point, the administration decided to take a harsh approach and expel the most lax students. These students were known to everyone, even without grades or exams. One day, their expulsion was announced without explanation, and, remarkably, this time they did not challenge the decision. The author of the memoir notes that they likely felt the justice of this decision intuitively.

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