"WE ARE EDUCATING NON-SENTIMENTAL COMMUNISTS": THE BEGINNING OF A MENTAL REVOLUTION IN SOVIET RUSSIA THROUGH LABOUR SCHOOLS AND EXPERIMENTAL DEMONSTRATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE 1920S

This article explores the process of forming a new mindset in Soviet Russia following the October Revolution of 1917. It analyzes the work of labor schools and demonstration institutions, which were seen as tools for ideological education. Their goal was to eradicate old capitalist and bourgeois values and instill communist morals. The article draws on archival materials from a conference of workers at experimental institutions in 1921, as well as the writings of educators. It aims to demonstrate how educational institutions served as platforms for agitation and propaganda aimed at children, and ultimately, the broader population. Special emphasis is placed on educational methods such as student self-governance, which fostered a sense of collective culture in shaping individuals who aligned with the ideals of socialist society.