Figure 1.-- Gradually after World War II (1939-45), economic cinditions began to improve. Nonthing like conditions in the West, but there were improvements. And we see more and nore children wearing uniforms to school. Initially the boys look like little soldoers. The girls wore basic dresses with pinafores. Here we see well, but mot fully uniformed group in the 1950s. Note the flowers. On the fistb day, the children bring flowers to their teacher. Evntually a less poronmoued military style was adooted.

Tsarist Russia had by the late-19th century a substantial education system. Most Russsians, howevern, only received a primary education, espcially the huge rural oeasantry. Secondary schools operated in the cities, but were attendded by uoper and middle-class students. Few wprking-class students attended secondary schools. This was the general mpattern in Eyrooe, but esoecially pronomced in Russia because so much of the popukatiin was the rural oeasntry. Some Russian children wore uniforms during the Tsarist era. Almost all of the secondary schools had uniforms, mostly militart styles. Rural primary schools did not have uniformsm and we do not think that they were common in the cities either, athough our information is limited. We are mot sure about the situation in the major cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow. There nay have been some elite schools. We habe not, however, found imnages of uniformed primary students. Almost all secondary students wore unifiems, but not the primary students. The Bolsbeks planned a major expansion of the education system, opening it up to peasant and worker children, And this became a major feature onjective pf Soviet education policy, onewhivch was largely accomplihed---one of the few major accomplisments of the Soviet Union. We are not sure what the initial Bolshebik plans were for uniforms, but from an early point we see dome children in the major cities wearing uniforms, inclusing the primary schools. We think the major reason that most children did not wear uniforms was the pronounced poverty of Soviet Russia. Families could not affiord to buy uniforms and th Soviet state coukd nit adffird to privide them. Gradually after World War II (1939-45), economic cinditions began to improve. Nonthing like conditions in the West, but therevwere imorivements. Andcwe se see nire and nore children wearing uniforms to school. Initial the boys look like little solduers, but evntually a less oromounced military style was adooted. The girls wore basuc dresses with pinafores.

Chronology

Russian elementary children used to wear distinctive uniforms, both before and after the Revolution. Only since the disolution of the Soviet Union in 1992 did Russian school children stop wearing uniforms. HBC has little information on school in Imperial Russia. Girls were less likely to attend school. For the most part it was middle-class boys attending school. Rich children were educated at hone. Peasant and working class children often did not attend school. Many boys had their heads shaved. Russian revival style bloused tunic or military-style uniforms were often worn to school. A Russian artist has left us a fascinating imge of a rural school about 1865. Girls began attending school in large numbers after the Revolution. I'm not sure what boys wore to school in the 1920s, but by the 1930s military-styled uniforms were common. There does not seem to have been a standard uniform worn country-wide. Schools in Moscow and Lenningrad seem to have had quite strict uniform standards. During the Stalinist era there was a formal school uniform. It was a milotary-looking uniform consisting of a peaked cap, tunic, wide belts, ans red scarf. Yonger boys might wear short pants, sometimes with over-the-knee stockings. This uniform persisted even after Stalin's death in 1953. Basic education in the Soviet Union had 10 grades. Children began at 7 years and graduated at 16. Girls in grades 1-8 wore a brown dress with a black pinafore style-apron in front. Another source says a dark-blue or black dress with an Edwardian style pintafore white apron. Apparently the dress colors varied somewhat. After the breakup of the Soviet Union children no longer wanted to wear the Soviet-era uniforms. A HBC reader reports, "Russian children no longer wear school uniforms. My children go in school in whatever they want. This seems to vary among schools. A 2000 internet report indicated, "There are different styles of clothes in our school. Younger children have to wear the uniform. They don't like it very much, but, honestly, we like their suits. We find them very pretty. Their uniform is not equal. In the 1st grade children wear the red uniform, in the 2nd grade they wear the blue one, in the 3rd grade the uniform is green. Thus, we can always understend, what grade is the pupil from.

Garments

The school uniforms worn by Russian boys have changed over time, but until the disolution of the Soviet Union in 1992, nostly consisted of military-styled garments. This included both the Tzarist and Soviet periods. Boys wore both peaked military caps and campaign caps. I'm not sure if they had a dress cap or wore the same cap year round. I'm less sure about the caps or hats worn by the girls. A jacket or military blouse buttoned to the collar. Some boys wore white shirts. One style was towear the collar outside the jacket. Russian boys normally wear long pants to school.

Gender

Boys and girls in Russia before the breakup of the Soviet Union used to wear distinctive uniforms. There were differences over time. We are unsure how boys and girls dressed in the early Soviet period. The girls in the 1960s commonly always wore dresses, often blue dresses. The younger girls wore pinafores. Soviet school girls never wore pants. Both boys and girls wore military-styled uniform. The style varied from school to school and over time. The boys and girls uniforms looked quite similar, at least the tops. The most obvious difference was that the girls wore Peter Pan collars and the boys pointed collars. Uniforms appear to have declined or disappeared in modern Russian schools and now geans are common for both boys and girls. We have, however, few details at this time.

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