The care of orphan children in pre-revolutionary Russia: the examples of the activities of the empress Maria's department of institutions and the imperial philanthropic society)

The article examines the practice of orphan children's placement in pre-revolutionary Russia. It considers the activities of major organizations such as the Department of Institutions of Empress Maria and the Imperial Philanthropic Society. The article compares the methods and results of the work of these institutions. The placement and care of orphans has been one of the key issues in social policy in the Russian state for almost three hundred years. But today the problem is still acute. Some of the causes of orphanhood have persisted independently of socioeconomic, political, and ethical eras. The article discusses the evolution of the practices of the placement of orphans in pre-revolutionary Russia by two major pro-government charitable institutions - the Department of Institutions of Empress Maria and the Imperial Philanthropic Society. In pre-revolutionary Russia, there was a wide range of methods for the placement of orphans, from adoption and guardianship to training for any profession and assignment to a specific class (based on the child's knowledge, abilities and skills). The use of marriage as a form of placement is also considered. The article points out the problems that occurred during the development of the institution of orphans' placement. These represented in most cases the elementary shortage of funds and the neglect of duties by some officials. They were associated with the weakening of the control of the central oversight authorities in the institutions concerned. The application of supervisory measures fluctuated: it weakened, then sharply increased (in the opinion of analysts of the time). Thus, the article examines the main forms of orphans' placement and care practiced in the Department of Institutions of Empress Maria and by the Imperial Philanthropic Society.

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