Nadezhda Krupskaya - Early Life

Early Life

She was born to an upper-class, but impoverished, family. Her father was a Russian military officer, a nobleman of the Russian Empire. Nadya’s father, Konstantin Ignat’evich Krupski, was orphaned in 1847 at nine years of age. He was educated and given a commission as an infantry officer in the Russian Army. Just before leaving for his assignment in Poland he married Nadya’s mother. After six years of service, Krupski lost favor with his supervisors and was charged with “un-Russian activities.” He may have been suspected of being involved with revolutionaries. Following this time, he worked in factories or wherever he could find work until later in life when he was recommissioned just before his death.

Her mother, Elizaveta Vasilyevna Tistrova was the daughter of landless Russian nobles. Elizaveta’s parents died when she was young and she was enrolled in the Bestuzhev Courses, which happened to be the highest formal education available to women in Russia during this time. After earning her degree Elizaveta went on to work as a governess for noble families until she married Krupski.

Having parents who were well educated, and of aristocratic descent, combined with firsthand experience with lower class working conditions probably led to the formation of many of Nadya’s ideological beliefs. “From her very childhood Krupskaya was inspired with the spirit of protest against the ugly life around her.”

One of Nadya’s friends from gymnasium, Ariadne Tyrkova, described Krupskaya as “a tall, quiet girl, who did not flirt with the boys, moved and thought with deliberation, and had already formed strong convictions… She was one of those who are forever committed, once they have been possessed by their thoughts and feelings….” Nadya briefly attended two different secondary schools before finding the perfect fit with Prince A.A. Obolensky's Female Gymnasium, “a distinguished private girls’ secondary school in Petersburg.” This education was probably more liberal than most other gymnasiums since it was noted that some of the staff were former revolutionaries.

After her father’s death, Krupskaya and her mother gave lessons as a source of income. Krupskaya had expressed an interest in entering the education field from a young age. She was particularly drawn to Tolstoy’s theories on education, which were fluid instead of structured. They focused on the personal development of each individual student and centered on the importance of the teacher-student relationship.

This led Krupskaya to study many of Tolstoy’s works, including his theories of reformation. These were peaceful, law abiding ideas, which focused on people abstaining from unneeded luxuries and being self-dependent instead of hiring someone else to tend their house, etc. Tolstoy made a lasting impression on Krupskaya; it was said that she had “a special contempt for stylish clothes and comfort.” She was always modest in dress, as were her furnishings in her home and office.

As a devoted, lifelong student, Krupskaya began to participate in several discussion circles. These groups got together to study and discuss particular topics for the benefit of everyone involved. It was later, in one of these circles, that Krupskaya was first introduced to the theories of Marx. This piqued her interest as a potential way of making life better for her people. Krupskaya began an in-depth study of the subject. This was difficult since such books had been banned by the Russian government. Consequently, revolutionaries had been collecting such books and keeping them in underground libraries.