Figure 1.--Here we see Stalin looking down on what looks like a class pff 1st graders, meaning 6 year olds. Notice the boys's jackers and the girls' dresses and pinafores. Notice the girls also have white collars like the boys. In this case we know the photograph was taken in 1953. The boys' close cropped hair is useful in dating undated images. Notice the tacher's flowers.

Soviet schools mandated uniforms, but it was not until the post-World War II recovery that many families were able to obtain the uniforms for their children. There may have been uniforms at some prestige schools, but uniforms were not common. This did not change until the 1950s when uniforms became widely worn. Stalin died (1953). The Stalinist era continued for a few more years. Stalin's henchmen remained in control and were deterrmined to remain in power and continued Stalinist policies. This continued until Khrruschev at the 20th Party Congress launched the De-Stainization process (1956). Most of the school portraits we have found date from the 1950s. We believe this a reflection of improved economic conditions. These portraits show the children wearing uniforms. We are mot sure just when the tranformatiomn to uniforms took place, but a 1953 portrait shows almost all of the children wearing uniforms. Unfortunalely, relativly few of the avilable portraits are dated. The boys wear jackets with white collars showing over the jackts. We think the white collars are collars on shirts. We note more military-styled unidorms, but we are not sure just when this was introduced or how prevalent they were. The girls all wear dresses with white pinafores. This is the earliest we have found girls wearing these white pinafores. It is not a tradition we have noticed in earlier Soviet school portraits. The Soviet Union launched the first artifical eath sattklelikte--Sputnik. A testimont to the quality of the Soviet education system. This reulted in a major American Federal effort promoting education. The Soviets at the time were producing more technicians and engineers. This was not a good sign durin the Cold War competition with its hugh-trech component. The problem for the Soviets was that their inefficent socilist economy was mot making good use of the technical experise and capabilities of all these well educated people. By the 1960s we see Soviet school uniforms with an increasinly military look.

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Created: 1:03 PM 1/2/2022
Last updated: 1:03 PM 1/2/2022