Private Charity as a Factor in the Quality of Life of Moscow University Students in the second half of the 19th century

The article is devoted to the study of the daily life of students at Moscow University in the context of analyzing the phenomenon of private charity, which was actively developing in the second half of the 19th century in order to support students and education in general.Various ways of earning money for students are shown, which, although they do not give a complete picture of the student's standard of living, can be indicators with the help of which it becomes possible to reconstruct the daily life of Moscow students, which was formed differently due to the different social and geographical origin of students, as well as directly dependent on their academic performance, receipt of scholarships and loyalty to the existing government.It is concluded that state inertia in Russia in the second half of the 19th century created an opportunity for the development of private charity and thereby contributed to the construction of Russian civil society.Charities provided a public "space" where concerned Russians could meet and discuss ways to distribute their charitable donations.Based on an in-depth analysis of historical sources and literature, the author comes to the conclusion that private charitable activities made it possible to actively participate in the development of an autonomous civil society, which indirectly challenged the monopoly of the Russian autocracy and determined the future of the country.An attempt is made to explore the concept of "quality of life" by focusing on various factors, including basic human needs, subjective well-being, hopes for the future, as well as other phenomenological considerations.As part of the study of the everyday life of students, the author focused on considering the financial and legal status, living and working conditions, and professional opportunities provided to students.In addition, the reasons for frequent expulsions from Moscow University were studied.