This scholarly written book delivers much detailed information on education during the late Tsarist Russia, and the Soviet and Post-Soviet eras. It is a valuable reference work on Russian education and is highly recommended for anyone interested in any aspect of education in Russia during the periods discussed.

International Journal of Russian Studies

This well-written history of education provides a state-of-the-art overview of education (private as well as public) from 1700 to the present. It synthesizes a large corpus of scholarly literature and offers fresh insights into the dynamics and impact of education on the development of modern Russia.

Gregory Freeze, Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of History, Brandeis University, USA

A timely and much needed overview that skillfully synthesizes the latest scholarly literature on the subject and will certainly become a must for anyone interested in the subject. By carefully placing schools and schooling in their historical context Wayne Dowler maps out the waves of reforms, counter-reforms, and counter-counter-reforms in Russian education from Peter I to Putin.

Igor Fedyukin, Associate Professor of History, HSE University, Russia