School Cooperatives in the European North in the 1920s

Abstract

This article examines the organization and activities of school cooperatives in the European North in the 1920s. The aim of the paper is to provide a general overview of school cooperation in the region under the New Economic Policy, a period of its widespread development. The relevance of the study lies in the significance of the value potential of youth communities and the increased interest in cooperative-type schoolchildren’s labor associations in various regions of the country. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using historical experience in the implementation of projects to create voluntary adolescent organizations of the economic type. Based on the archival documents and printed sources introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, the study examines school cooperatives operating in the European North in the 1920s. In the course of the study, student cooperatives that existed in the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, and Northern Dvina provinces, as well as Karelia, were analyzed; the most common types of student cooperatives (consumer societies and agricultural artels) in cities and rural areas were identified. This article explores the role of teachers and adult cooperative members in organizing children’s cooperative societies. It describes the preparatory work for establishing school cooperatives (discussions about cooperation, excursions to consumer societies, general student meetings to adopt charters and determine membership and share dues). It also identifies instances of collaboration between school cooperatives and workers’ and employees’ cooperative organizations. The main activities of student cooperatives are described: providing students with textbooks and writing materials, and providing them with hot breakfasts. Shortcomings have been identified in the commercial practices of some student consumer societies (selling goods on credit). Meanwhile, properly organized cooperative activities generated profits for the school, which was used for cultural, educational, and charitable purposes. However, the commercial aspect of student cooperative associations’ activities conflicted with the goals of the Soviet school, leading to the curtailment of the school cooperative movement.