Knowledge is Power
One of the central keys to the reinvention of the Russian and Moscow image was the high emphasis on the education of the youth. This is particularly important because the reinvigorated educational focus kick started the country’s journey to space and eventual standoff with the United States in the Cold War. The absolutely monstrous creation of a building, opened in 1953, remains the tallest educational building in the world (1). With an educational building included in the Sisters group, Russia made a bold statement that their growth and expansion of geopolitical power would be rooted in the education provided to its young students. Indeed, the building not only was impressive in size, but the drastic fivefold increase of state funding refurbished lecture halls and laboratories with modern technology (2).
What is unique about the university when compared to its sister building is its autonomy and significant identity contrast from that of Russia, or at least the post-war Russia. Moscow State University's 1998 charter established "democracy, openness and self-government to be the main principles in the life of Moscow University; the main goal is freedom to teach and to study as well as to develop oneself as a personality." This reflects the long standing tradition of Moscow State as being the most prominent higher education institution in Russia (3).
The fundamental governing principle of the university contrasts with the more socially conservative state that houses it, a superimposition that sees the more international political left-wing ideologies overtaking younger minds and the traditional stalwarts that many older generations remember as the philosophies that led to a range of successes in technology and geopolitical strategy. With the university retaining the main building and changing its teaching ideology, the university seems to display as an appropriate microcosm of Moscow in general: a powerful body that retains physically imposing attributes but with the wisdom of changing political winds that ensures progress comes before subpar traditional methods. The university serves as the most appropriate comparison to the culture of Moscow and Russia in general seeing as it updates its principles in order to maintain contention with other governing bodies. In the 1950s and today, education remains as perhaps the most influential factor in the growth of a society. Moscow’s ardent commitment to the education of its citizens reveals a core appreciation of the wonders brought about by educating a citizenry. However, the university almost stands as a lone structure that exhibited a large bandwidth of influence available to all citizens. The other sister building almost always were catered to a specific category of people, often times the elite or esteemed guests to the country’s capital. Perhaps the country as a whole can witness the progress made with the university’s governance and approach a more equitable solution to the growth of the country.
1) http://www.bestvalueschools.com/10-tallest-university-buildings-in-the-world/
awe-inspiring aerial video of MSU's main building, the largest Sister of the seven to be built