Education in the Weimar Republic

Question 1

What was the aim of post war education under the socialists?

Answer 1

• Wanted a newer and fairer education system
• A mixture of state schools, a non-confessional intake and no religious education

Question 2

What was the compulsory Grundschule set up for kids aged 6-10, who approved and who disapproved?

Answer 2

• School without clerical inspection and where parents could remove kids from religious education
• Northern Länder approved
• Southern Länder disapproved

Question 3

What party caused lots of disagreements surrounding education?

Answer 3

• The Centre Party
• They wished to retain religious education and others did not
• Länder allowed them to run it locally

Question 4

What bill was proposed in 1927 and who opposed and who supported it?

Answer 4

• A bill proposed that confessional, common and secular schools should be set up on equal footing if requested by at least 40 parents
• Had support from the Reichs parents league
• Opposition from the Volkskirche association for evangelical freedom
• Bill was never passed

Question 5

How did compulsory education remain diverse in Weimar? GIVE STATS

Answer 5

1931
- 29,000 professional schools
- Over 15,000 Catholic Schools
- 97 Jewish Schools
- 8921 Common schools
- 295 Secular Schools

Question 6

Beyond the age of 10 children had to in paid education, what is a Haptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium?

Answer 6

• Haptschule, 5 years schooling followed by entering a trade/apprenticeship
• Realschule, 6 years schooling followed by entering business/technical training
• Gymnasium, 9 years schooling, followed by university
  CAREER DECIDED AT AGE 10

Question 7

What did the 1928 survey of the fathers of uni students reveal?

Answer 7

• 45% were civil servants, 21% of whom were university educated
• Only 2.3% were working class
• ONLY the rich could access university

Question 8

What did Weimar’s constitutional principle of freedom result in universities having?

Answer 8

• ‘Corporations’ which formed nationwide associations

Question 9

What university corporation was popular amongst the wealthy?

Answer 9

• ‘Duelling’ Corporations where differences were settled by a sword fight and were popular w sons of wealthy landowners
• Non-duelling corporations were seen as inferior

Question 10

How many university students were a part of a corporation and why?

Answer 10

• 1928, 56% of students were a part of a corporation
• Membership was important as this could affect career prospects

Question 11

What was the name of a racial exclusive corporation?

Answer 11

• the German-Aryan Chambers
• Some were exclusive cause of race and social class