The Formation of Civic Identity in the "Poteshnie" Movement in the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Part 1

The "poteshnie" movement was initiated by Emperor Nicholas II in 1909 with the aim of introducing basic military training in villages. The active phase of the movement spanned five years, during which several stages were completed. In the early stages, "poteshnie" detachments spontaneously formed in both military units and various departments related to children's education. By the middle of 1911, an official regulation was introduced, outlining the guidelines for creating and managing these detachments. In the summer of 1913, the third stage began, where the responsibility for the physical development and initial military training of children shifted to schools. As a result, interested departments redirected their attention to establishing similar activities within schools, while scouts emerged outside educational institutions offering more engaging programs for teenagers. This led to the gradual disappearance of the "poteshnie" movement. The article specifically explores the system of national and patriotic education developed within the framework of the " poteshnie" movement. The paper concludes that while the prevailing view in historiography sees the "poteshnie" as an independent extracurricular children's movement, it is also partially correct to consider them as the initial stage of introducing compulsory gymnastics lessons and the military system in schools. However, it is important to note that the system of national education within the "poteshnie" movement was not fully developed and primarily followed the "official nationality theory" proposed by Uvarov.