Intelligentsia

Categories / Population/Professional Groups
INTELLIGENTSIA, a social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population, individuals engaged in intellectual work and possessing high educational qualifications (subdivided into creative work, science, and manufacturing). Until 1917, representatives of the intelligentsia belonged to different classes (both aristocratic and common), in the Soviet census they included workers. Researchers estimate that in 1869 the number of intellectuals in St. Petersburg was 50,000-55,000 (8-9% of the population), in 1900 - 130,000-135,000 (approximately 11% of the population). Intellectuals received varying degrees of pay: the higher paid were engineers, business managers, professors, and some doctors. More poorly paid were lowly servants, lowly medical personnel and some individuals of "free professions". A particularity of the St. Petersburg intelligentsia in the 19th century was the low proportion of Russians in manufacturing: in 1869 only 37% of business managers were Russian, while Germans made up 37.8%, British 9.1%; among engineers 42.3% were Russian (Germans - 30.8%, British - 11.2%). In the 20th century, with the development of science and technology the numbers of intellectuals steadily rose. In 1959, 236,700 inhabitants in Leningrad possessed a higher education, 93,600 had incomplete higher education, and 244,000 specialists. In 1975, there were 211,100 people working and involved in scientific foundations. In Leningrad 32,400 doctors were working. Connected with the industrial collapse in the 1990s the number of intellectuals involved in the scientific and technical spheres reduced from 121,000 (1993) to 90,600(1995).

A. Y. Chistyakov. Nobles
Raznochintsy
Russians
Germans
British