Questions: 1. Military-patriotic ideas of M. I. Dragomirov.

2. M. I. Dragomirov's views on military education.

The development of the Russian military pedagogical school in the second half of the 19th century is closely associated with the name of Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov (1830-1905), a prominent military scientist, combat officer who rose from sergeant Major to General of Infantry, who once headed the Academy of the General Staff and commanded the troops of the Kiev Military District.

His main merit is that he not only revived the traditions of Suvorov military art in the Russian army, but also enriched them with new content in accordance with the needs of his time.

Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov created an integral and harmonious system of military training and education, which dominated the Russian army for decades and was rightfully named after him. It had a certain logic and consisted of the following provisions:

1. Man is the most important military element.

Dragomirov believed that a person in war is the main and permanent actor. With the development of technology, its role does not fade into the background. On the contrary, the application of improved methods of warfare and resistance to them will require even greater skill and moral tension from a person.

2. Moral energy is a necessary attribute of a warrior.

A prominent military scientist, not without reason, believed that a person's strength in battle depends not so much on the weapons he owns, but on the belief in his own invincibility. If your troops have such a belief or for some reason the enemy does not have it, then you can decide on the most desperate actions without risking failure.

3. The purpose of training a soldier is to prepare him for battle.

Dragomirov attached great importance to properly organized and purposeful training of troops for war. The problem was to find the best approach to training and educating the Russian soldier in the conditions of post-reform Russia, when "the soot of barracks and the dust of parade grounds" formed completely different views and moods that are necessary in battle.

4. A soldier should be educated and trained in accordance with his human qualities.

The combat general proposed to introduce a recruit into the ranks in such a way that, relying on his strength and abilities given by nature, to professionalize him into a soldier, without breaking morally. "Everyone knows," Dragomirov wrote, " that to make iron crafts, you need to know the properties of iron, but very few people think that in order to make something out of a person, you must first know the properties of a person and conform to them."

Mikhail Ivanovich formulated and justified a number of principles of teaching in his works: what is useless in war is harmful to introduce into peaceful training; to develop people's attention in a military direction; to move from analysis to synthesis; to teach in an accessible way.

Each of these principles had a clear internal logic, based on extensive practical experience and a deep knowledge of the psychology of the soldier. For example, revealing the content of the first principle, Dragomirov argues as follows:"...a person is a slave to habit, so it is necessary to make a habit of what a soldier does in war. There is only one way to learn a habit - by long and persistent practice." As proof of the effectiveness of this approach, Dragomirov cites the memoirs of Suvorov's contemporaries, who noted that the troops trained and brought up in this way, entering the battle, did not encounter anything new and attacked with cold weapons as they did during maneuvers.

Justifying the principle of developing people's attention in the military direction, which is now formulated as the principle of consciousness in training, the outstanding military teacher emphasized that attention can be "only the result of understanding: it is impossible to be attentive to what you do not understand." It and the growing interest in studying should, according to Dragomirov, be based on the personal interest of the soldier.

Revealing the essence of the principle of transition from analysis to synthesis, Dragomirov insisted on strict consistency and systematic training of soldiers. "In the current conditions of reduced service life," he wrote, " success is possible only if there is a strict hierarchy of classes, a clear distribution of time, and a rational training method."

Given the fact that mostly illiterate peasants were recruited into the army, Dragomirov saw one of the main tasks of military pedagogy in ensuring the availability of training.

Mikhail Ivanovich gave a special place in the process of training a soldier to methods and forms of training. Without detracting from the importance of oral explanations, he put demonstration, exercise and practical work first. Dragomirov believed that the training material should be presented in a simple and understandable language to the soldier, accompanied, if possible, by practical examples.

The practical method of teaching is important, Dragomirov said, because no matter how developed a person is, all his actions precede the question "why". The more often he receives a direct and clear answer to it from reality itself, the more his consciousness becomes stronger and develops. Here, the logic of actions is clearer than the logic of words, especially for a soldier who. as a rule, it fulfills the will of others. "Don't tell me what to do, but show me how to do it, and one such demonstration will cost 100 explanations."

He recommended that the methods of exercise and practical work be used more widely in the training of soldiers, organizing them in the spirit of the Suvorov tradition.

As its development, Dragomirov proposed a number of his own methods of training a soldier. These included:

1. Bombardment. It was considered as a kind of rite of passage for a recruit to become a soldier. Shooting was carried out by an excellent marksman on a target set next to the recruit, from a distance of 50 steps. The rigid attachment of the weapon in the machine excluded the possibility of an accident, but such shooting accustomed the soldier to the whistle of bullets and a sense of danger.

2. Exercise in the space between targets and artillery while firing live charges.

3. Firing artillery on top of infantry on exercises with live charges and ammunition. (It was carried out with the mandatory designation of the cordon line of safe removal).

Motivating the need to introduce such techniques into the practice of training, the combat general rightly noted that due to the powerful influence of habit on a person, it was always not the degree of danger, but the degree of habit to it, which was achieved by such training. Dragomirov also suggested combining infantry maneuvering on the ground with live firing.

Mikhail Ivanovich thoroughly discussed the methodology of conducting classes. He gave a number of specific instructions in this regard. For example, teaching should be conducted in such a way that, after explaining a certain property, it requires conclusions from the students themselves, since only in this way can they be taught to think independently. At the same time, the manager should not exert pressure with his authority. This condition, according to Dragomirov, is extremely important. If it is not followed, then the soldier will think not about how to learn the training material, but about how to earn the approval of the leader, which is not the same thing. Taking into account the extremely low educational level of soldiers, as well as the peculiarities of their perception and thinking, Dragomirov suggested that class leaders bring information to the soldiers little by little, emphasizing one or two thoughts at a time; avoid complex book words; if possible, illustrate what was said by example, comparison, or even better by showing it in practice.

In order to turn the theory of the charter into a practical guide for a soldier, Dragomirov recommended the following procedure:: instruct an experienced officer to make a selection of the most necessary things for a soldier and go no further, remembering that real knowledge is acquired when you teach a little, but a lot. Then carefully study the selected material with the soldier, illustrating it with concrete examples from practice, "giving every thought with all its ramifications, teaching the soldier not to retell the duties, but to fulfill them." And finally, to consolidate the acquired knowledge and skills in the process of real service, training in the field, etc.

"In this way," Dragomirov pointed out, " it is really achieved that a peasant taken from the plough becomes a soldier in two, at most three months. There is no other way to achieve this goal in the shortest possible time; and only a person who is experienced in service experience can lead along this path."

The innovative teacher made the highest demands on teachers, emphasizing that the main thing in a leader is to know your subject perfectly, as well as patience, respect for other people's opinions, the ability to enjoy the slightest glimpses of an original idea, the ability to develop and maintain it. Dragomirov himself was a supporter of well-organized and well-planned work, he was never in a hurry and was not late for anything, he could not stand the fuss, endless checks and inspections, believing that first you need to give time to do it, and only then see what was done. "What happens if we sow and tear up the ground every day to see if it has sprouted?"

Many of Dragomirov's cutting-edge ideas were supported by the leadership of the Russian Ministry of War and were reflected in instructions and charters, and his main work "Textbook of Tactics" for 20 years served as the main manual for training officers of the Russian army.

2

Without belittling the role of training in the training of a soldier, Dragomirov paid primary attention to properly delivered education. He justified his views on it through the formation of moral principles in a soldier, the highest degree of development of which he called "moral elasticity". In his view, it is a complex formation that includes the integral character of a military man with such features as composure, a sober assessment of the situation in the most critical circumstances, determination and perseverance in achieving victory, resourcefulness and initiative, etc.

A practical expression of moral resilience is a soldier's willingness to give his life for the Motherland. Dragomirov always emphasized the conscious nature of such an act, readiness for it should be formed by the process of educational work with the soldier.

A great merit of Mikhail Ivanovich is that, relying on the Suvorov experience, he developed and tested in practice the program of moral education of a soldier, achieving excellent results.

Dragomirov put the education of patriotism and a sense of love for the Motherland in the foreground. As a means of solving this problem, he considered:

taking the oath of office, explaining its meaning and meaning, systematic conversations with soldiers of a military-historical and general nature. No less important was the education of discipline among soldiers, which implied that everyone knew their duties and an inner desire to perform them honestly, "even to death, in all positions, regardless of whether the senior commander was nearby or not."

Dragomirov considered the means of strengthening discipline to be: the normal attitude of superiors to soldiers, the uniformity of requirements for service, a strict distinction between misdemeanors and omissions, and the imposition of penalties in accordance with the degree of guilt.

A prominent military teacher assigned a special role in military discipline to subordination. He called it the nervous system of a warrior's body. It requires constant care and attention, strengthening and improvement. According to Dragomirov, subordination includes: on the one hand, reverence, that is, the obligation of all military personnel to mutually observe the external forms of military courtesy established in a given army, on the other-the obligation of any military rank to address from the bottom up-with reports and from the top down-with orders, not otherwise than to the step immediately following it up or down. He attached special importance to this second aspect of subordination, rightly pointing out its important role in the combat situation.

The correct solution of the whole complex of issues related to military discipline leads to the formation of not only a conscious attitude to discipline, but also army patriotism - a feeling that encourages a soldier to worry about the success of the cause and develops in him the desire to sacrifice himself to achieve victory.

However, Dragomirov's program of moral training of a soldier is not limited only to the education of patriotism and discipline. These categories contribute to the development of soldiers ' courage, determination and fearlessness.

No less important, Mikhail Ivanovich considered the education of perseverance and perseverance, readiness to endure fear, hunger, cold and other hardships of hard military service.

In the practical implementation of his program, Dragomirov relied on a number of principles and methods of education. Thus, he justified such principles of education as: the principle of individual work; instilling self-confidence in a soldier; relying on the educational capabilities of the team; combining high demands with caring for people.

Revealing the essence of the principle of individual work, Dragomirov noted that one of the four main commandments of a commander is to know his people through and through-who, where, to what extent is reliable, what is capable of. To successfully complete this task, the officer needs to work in two directions.

First, from the first steps of the service, you should carefully monitor each soldier, control him. After a while, it will be clear who you can rely on, and who, due to weakness of character, needs support. This way, each commander will have an idea of who can be assigned and where, and, in addition, know which of his subordinates are capable of what.

Secondly, communicate more with the soldiers. "It is too late to learn to talk to a soldier," Dragomirov wrote, " when you need to be able to send him to his death with a word. This is a great and difficult art that most people learn only through practice."

Justifying the principle of educating a soldier's self-confidence, which is now formulated as the principle of relying on the positive in education, Dragomirov noted that since in war common sense, will and perseverance in achieving goals play a greater role than theoretical knowledge, it is important to prepare a person for battle without breaking him morally. The spiritual forces of a soldier should be developed and strengthened in every possible way, eliminating any possibility of fear and self-doubt.

A special place among the principles of education was occupied by the principle of relying on the educational capabilities of the team. This was due to the appearance of new, more advanced weapons, the subsequent changes in tactics, and especially the sharp reduction in the service life of soldiers. Dragomirov pointed out that the combat coordination of units, which was previously carried out mechanically by long-term practice for 10-15 years of service, in the new conditions turned into one of the main tasks of military education and required intensive, continuous and strictly consistent work.

Mikhail Ivanovich emphasized that it is easy to recruit people, it is much more difficult to ensure that they grow together into a single whole. Since this task cannot be solved purely mechanically with short service periods, it becomes necessary to resort to educational work for this purpose, on the one hand; on the other, to the help of a military team, in which the potential capabilities of a person would be more fully revealed.

"If camaraderie is the main strength of a military collective," Dragomirov reasoned, " then first of all, it is necessary to use it as a weapon.

we just need to think about how to strengthen it." He developed rules for "making up the formation", which, in his opinion, greatly facilitated "the process of organic cohesion between the people who make up the part". Here are some of them; the internal, moral ranking in the team should be preferable to the external one;

- the heads of dozens should be elected to office according to their character, knowledge of the matter, and according to the degree of respect among their comrades and superiors;

- the composition of parts should be changed as little as possible;

- there are no minor translations, either for the series equation or for other external reasons.

Explaining the last rule, Mikhail Ivanovich wrote:: "To take from the commander people whom he brought up and educated, with whom he worked, whom he knows and who know him, does not mean... to move some particles to the place of others, but it means to tear off a part of a living body and attach it to another body: you have to wait for it to grow, and will it grow again?"

He also profoundly revealed such a side of collective education as the formation of a sense of military camaraderie among soldiers, readiness for self-sacrifice for the success of a common cause. Its development in peacetime, according to Dragomirov, is promoted by a sense of belonging to this military unit, memories of former joint participation in battles and campaigns, a sense of community, etc.

Explaining the essence of the principle of combining high demands with caring for people, Dragomirov reminded that a person is a living, subtle organism, created not from iron. Therefore, a soldier should be required to make efforts, even the most difficult ones, but only in the name of the cause. And outside of the case, the main concern of the officer should be to save people and provide them with everything they need.

These are the principles of soldier education formulated and justified by Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov. He paid no less attention to the methods of education, especially highlighting the methods of exercise, persuasion and example.

Explaining the role and significance of the method of exercise in education, the outstanding military theorist said that improvements in military affairs will require in turn the improvement of the person himself, and the development of all his aspects:

mind, will and physical qualities. As for the sequence of this work, Dragomirov considered it necessary first of all to train the soldier's spirit, will and character by overcoming various difficulties, especially paralyzing surprises. Since, he pointed out, even the most resourceful mind can't tell you anything useful to a person who is confused in a moment of danger, then first of all and above all for a military man, soldier and officer, self - control should be, and then-the activity of the mind.

Along with the exercise in education, Dragomirov considered it necessary to make extensive use of methods of persuasion and example. The importance of the method of persuasion came from the very task of training a soldier, because he had to be trained and educated without breaking morally. As for the example, Dragomirov was sure that an officer who strictly and honestly performs his duties, and the soldier will be the same.

Even a brief acquaintance with the military-pedagogical heritage of M. I. Dragomirov is enough to make sure that his ideas and practical recommendations in a significant part have not lost their relevance. At the present stage of reforming the Armed Forces, they urgently require in-depth study and rethinking in order to successfully serve the cause of further development and improvement of military pedagogical theory and practice.