About author
Abstract. The Society of Zealots of Russian Historical Education in memory of Emperor Alexander III, formed at the end of the 19th century, represented a conservative-protective alternative to the liberal educational projects that arose at that time. The figure of Alexander III, personifying the primacy of Russian principles in domestic and foreign policy, which meant refusing to continue the process of liberal reform, strengthening the unity of the empire, protecting the national interests of the Russian people, became the main symbol that united the “healthy” forces of society around him. This ideological message was the best suited for the implementation of cultural and educational activities in the western outskirts of the Russian Empire, where it became necessary to counteract alternative assimilation projects that threatened the integrity of the imperial space. These circumstances led to the creation of a department of the Society in Vilna, a report on the activities of which for 1903 is presented in this publication. The document chosen for publication, which is kept in the fund of the Society of Advocates of Russian Historical Education of the Russian State Historical Archive, is not accidental. It was in 1903 that the Vilna department, headed by Governor-General P.D. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, turned into a full-fledged cultural and educational center, which began the implementation of a number of educational and scientific projects.
Keywords: Russian Empire, Society of Zealots of Russian Historical Education in Memory of Emperor Alexander III, Northwestern Territory, Vilna, P.D. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, cultural and educational activities.