Count Dmitry Andreyevich Tolstoy (; ,
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
– ,
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
) was a Russian politician and a member of the
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council ( rus, Госуда́рственный сове́т, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj sɐˈvʲet) was the supreme state advisory body to the tsar in the Russian Empire. From 1906, it was the upper house of the parliament under t ...
(1866). He belonged to the
comital
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
branch of the
Tolstoy family
The House of Tolstoy, or Tolstoi (), is a family of Russian gentry that acceded to the Russian nobility, high aristocracy of the Russian Empire. The name ''Tolstoy'' is itself derived from the Russian adjective ( ). They are the descendants of ...
.
Career
Tolstoy graduated from the
Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum
The Imperial Lyceum () in Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg, also known historically as the Imperial Alexander Lyceum after its founder Tsar Alexander I, was an educational institution which was founded in 1811 with the object of educating yo ...
in 1843. He held a managing position at the Ministry of the Navy beginning in 1853. Tolstoy was an
Over-Procurator of the
Holy Synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox ...
in 1865–1880, simultaneously holding a post of the Minister of National Enlightenment in 1866–1880.
In 1882–1889, Tolstoy was the
interior minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...
and Chief of
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
. He is considered one of the pillars of the political
reaction
Reaction may refer to a process or to a response to an action, event, or exposure.
Physics and chemistry
*Chemical reaction
*Nuclear reaction
*Reaction (physics), as defined by Newton's third law
* Chain reaction (disambiguation)
Biology and ...
in the 1880s and supporter of the strong authority. Tolstoy's activities were aimed at backing the
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
, regulating
peasant
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...
ry's ''
modus vivendi
''Modus vivendi'' (plural ''modi vivendi'') is a Latin phrase that means "mode of living" or " way of life". In international relations, it often is used to mean an arrangement or agreement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace. In ...
'', and spreading his administration's influence over local authorities. On Tolstoy's initiative, they issued the so-called ''"Temporary regulations"'' in 1882, which limited the
freedom of press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...
to an even greater extent. Tolstoy, together with A. Pazukhin, outlined and prepared the so-called "counterreforms", which would become very unpopular in Russia. As one of the great counter reformers of the post Crimean period Tolstoy used his position as minister of education to promote study at university and secondary levels that would bolster Russia as a nation with honest people in power looking to maintain Orthodoxy and Autocracy: something in danger during Tolstoy's rule as the post Crimean period of reform amounted also to increasing rebellion and student dissent. Tolstoy did his best to educate a Russia, and moreover a Russian elite that would maintain Orthodoxy and Autocracy while being in mountable competition with the West. His focus was on consolidating his power over education while suppressing revolutionary attitudes by just censorship, etc.
Tolstoy was elected president of the
St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1882. He wrote a number of books on Russian history.
Higher education
In 1871, Tolstoy was in charge of the college reform, which would result in the prevalence of the classical education (included
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and
Greek language
Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...
s and ancient literature, among other things).
Feminist activists
Maria Trubnikova,
Nadezhda Stasova, and
Anna Filosofova
Anna Pavlovna Filosofova (; ; 5April 183717March 1912) was a Russian feminist and activist of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born into a wealthy, noble family, she married and they had six children. Initially concerned with the plight of ...
began pushing, in 1867, for Russian universities to create courses for women.
Demonstrating "considerable skill in rallying popular support", according to the historian Christine Johanson, the women wrote a carefully-worded petition to
Tsar Alexander II
Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland fro ...
.
They gathered over 400 signatures among middle and upper-class women.
However, there was widespread opposition to the education of women, particularly by Tolstoy.
Tolstoy argued that women would abandon education after being married, and dismissed the signatories by stating that they were "sheep" merely following the latest fashion.
He rejected the petition in late 1868, but allowed mixed-gender public lectures which women could attend, under pressure from the Tsar (then
Alexander II).
However, these were rapidly taken up, overwhelmingly by women.
The feminist trio also appealed to war minister
Dmitry Milyutin
Count Dmitry Alekseyevich Milyutin (; – ) was a Russian Military history, military historian and politician who served as the Ministry of War of the Russian Empire, minister of war from 1861 to 1881. He was also the last Russian Field marshal ...
, who agreed to host the courses after being persuaded by his wife, daughter, and Filosofova. Tolstoy countered by allowing the lectures at his own apartments, where he could monitor them.
The political movement in favor of women's education continued to grow, and by October 1869, the Russian government permitted a limited set of courses for women on advanced subjects (including "chemistry, history, anatomy, zoology, and Russian literature").
Stasova organized these and recruited the professors to teach them; the courses began in January 1870. Attended by over 200 women, they became known as the ''Vladimirskii'' courses, after their host beginning in 1872, the Vladimir college.
References
External links
Dmitry Tolstoy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolstoy, Dmitry
1823 births
1889 deaths
Politicians from Moscow
People from Moskovsky Uyezd
Dmitriy
Dmitry (); Church Slavic form: Dimitry or Dimitri (); ancient Russian forms: D'mitriy or Dmitr ( or ) is a male given name common in Orthodoxy, Orthodox Christian culture, the Russian version of Demetrios (, ). The meaning of the name is "devote ...
Counts of the Russian Empire
Interior ministers of the Russian Empire
Education ministers of the Russian Empire
Members of the State Council (Russian Empire)
Politicians from the Russian Empire
Most Holy Synod
Demidov Prize laureates
Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum alumni
Honorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences