Count Tolstoy sincerely believed that the strength of Russia is the church and autocracy. Welcoming the assimilation of European achievements, he noted: "First of all, I am Russian, and I ardently wish the greatness of Russia in the European sense …".
Dmitry Andreevich Tolstoy has always been an energetic fighter for the Russian state principles, to which he attributed Orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality. The bureaucratic style was alien to him, he defended his goals and opinions directly, without masking them.
Biography
Count Dmitry Andreevich Tolstoy was born in 1823 and was a representative of the Volga branch of the Tolstoy dynasty. His father died when Dmitry was still a child. The mother later married Vasily Vekstern.
The boy was brought up by his uncle, who was distinguished by an excellent education and religiosity. This circumstance formed persistence and independence in Dmitry. From an early age, the count was used to relying only on himself. The young count was especially fond of history, archeology, and literature. Early enough he began to publish historical essays and materials in magazines.
Dmitry's primary education took place at a boarding school at Moscow University, and then he studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. In 1842 he graduated with a gold medal and in 1843 began his career as a civil servant.
Dmitry Tolstoy served as Minister of Public Education (since 1866) and at the same time served as Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod. Later he became a member of the State Council, was a senator. Under Tsar Alexander II, he was mainly engaged in reforms, and under Alexander III he supported the policy of counterreforms.
Since 1882, Tolstoy served as president of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
Dmitry Andreevich died at the age of 66 (in 1889) and was buried in the Ryazan province, where his family estate was located. Alexander III and members of the imperial family attended the funeral service for the dignitary.
Career
According to his worldview, Tolstoy has always been an opponent of reforms: he did not support the abolition of serfdom, opposed the judicial, zemstvo and other reforms. These transformations, in his opinion, carried only a threat to the autocracy. After his appointment as Minister of Internal Affairs, Tolstoy wrote to Alexander III: "… I am convinced that the reforms of the previous reign were a mistake …".
Against this background, the educational reform that took place under his leadership looks a little contradictory. In 1871, Tolstoy began transformations and subsequently always advocated state control over public education. In secondary education, Dmitry Andreevich saw the main goal as the destruction of any independence in the educational process. There is much more mathematics and linguistics in the curriculum. Real gymnasiums were transformed into schools.
Tolstoy opposed higher education for women, and in general he translated education into the class principle. In real schools, merchants and industrialists were brought up, in parish schools - the common people, and the nobles could afford a higher education.
On the whole, Tolstoy's educational reform was assessed as reactionary. Although the number of higher and secondary educational institutions under him has almost tripled, and the number of lower ones has grown twenty times. In addition, Tolstoy was engaged in the dissemination of education among non-Orthodox.
Occupying the post of chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod since 1865, Count Tolstoy carried out a number of transformations in the church environment. For example, he increased the salary of clergy. Children of priests were given the opportunity to study in gymnasiums and cadet schools.
Creativity and awards
DA Tolstoy is the author of "The History of Financial Institutions in Russia", published a study on the history of the development of Catholicism in Russia and many other works. But not all of his articles were accepted by the society. For example, the essay "Roman Catholicism in Russia" was included in the "Index of Forbidden Books" with the mark "a work of a terrible heretic."
Tolstoy has a huge number of awards and titles:
Personal life
In his youth, Dmitry Tolstoy proposed to Maria Yazykova and was even considered her fiancé for some time. But his uncle convinced him that marriage with a girl without a fortune would not do him any good.
In 1853 he married Sofya Dmitrievna Bibikova, daughter of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Contemporaries characterized her as kind and complacent, but not distinguished by a special mind. But his wife brought Tolstoy a significant fortune. This circumstance did not prevent him from feuding with her relatives. He was in a disgusting relationship with his father-in-law, but he openly hated his mother-in-law and did not want to see her.
The Tolstoys had about eight estates in the Ryazan province, but they rarely appeared there. In the summer they almost always lived in St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, the count closely followed the order in his estates, demanded detailed reporting from the managers and was extremely strict with the guilty.
Sofya Dmitrievna was a lady of state and held high court positions. She was awarded the Order of St. Catherine of the Small Cross.
Dmitry Tolstoy and Sophia had two children. The eldest daughter Sofia was known for her charitable activities. Wrote a book on Freemasonry.
His son Gleb served as a titular adviser and then as a zemstvo chief in the Ryazan province. Dmitry Andreevich and his son Gleb were best friends. The count trusted him with his feelings, called him his favorite interlocutor.
On the whole, Tolstoy is described as a decisive reformer in the sphere of Russian education. He implemented the reform that Alexander II considered necessary and expedient. Under Tolstoy, a general class of education was formed: state funding for educational institutions was constantly growing, new classes and educational institutions were opened, and primary education was improved.
