Weimar Germany - Education Flashcards
What were secular schools?
Non-religious schools.
What were common schools?
A school that took children of all religious faiths and taught their separate religion in separate classes.
What was a confessional school?
A public school committed to a particular religious faith which could run privately in Weimar Germany. There were different confessional schools for different religions but mainly Protestant, Catholic and Jewish.
What were the Weimar Constitutionโs goals for education?
- moral education
- personal development
- vocational training
- a common, fair and integrated educational system that served all children regardless of their background
Why was there a move towards removing church control over schools?
Religious schools tended to privilege some students. At primary level, schools were not allowed to select according to ability or religious affiliation but at secondary level some religious private schools remained.
What were the two types of school?
Elementary (6-9 years)
Secondary (9-14 years)
Education was compulsory until 14.
How did the Weimar government phase out religious education?
Put a stop to clerical inspections of schools, school prayer and allowed parents to remove their children from religious education.
How did the Weimar introduce compulsory and free education?
By setting up the ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฆ for children aged 6-9 years.
What did the ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฆ do?
Prepared all students for future secondary education and gave all students the opportunity for higher education at university level.
Fee-paying preparatory schools were abolished.
Who remained in control of education?
The Lรคnder
How did the Weimar government try to set up a national system?
In 1927, a bill put forward to the Reichstag proposed that confessional, common and secular schools be set up on an equal footing and allow churches to play a greater tole in education. However, the bill did not pass as its contents could not be agreed.
By the end of the Weimar Republic, how many schools were faith based?
Around 80% of schools, so the government didnโt really end up phasing out religious schools (primary)
Despite the Weimar government trying to introduce a federal school law in 1921 and 1925, what happened?
The Reichstag couldnโt agree on its principles and the education system remained diverse under the direction of the Lรคnder, providing a wide variety of education.
How did the government attempt to make education fairer in secondary schools?
Introduced Aufbauschule to offer a gymnasium type education to poor children who couldnโt pay.
In secondary schools, what could churches do?
Could continue running private schools (no longer had the right to run state schools)
As a result of the government try to phase out religious schools, how did Catholics and Protestants start to feel?
Started to feel that democracy was essentially anti-christian and this feeling contributed to the growing disillusionment with the WR.
What school system did the WR introduce?
A three part secondary school system (Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium) that determined career.
What was a Hauptschule?
A school that students attended for 5 years in order to go on to do apprenticeships or trade, preparing students for vocational school.
What was a Realschule?
A school that students attended for 6 years in order to go into business or technical training.
What was a Gymnasium?
A school that students attended for 9 years to secure the qualifications to go to university (so if you were clever)
What did the Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium system mean for a childโs career?
That a childโs career was decided from the age of 9.
What did all students have to do if they wanted to go to university?
Pass the Arbitur exam. These were often fee paying.
Radical Education: Who was Rudolf Steiner?
One of the most famous educational reformers of the period.
Radical Education: What did Rudolf Steiner argue?
That schools should be independent of government or the church. Schools should simply serve the interests of the students and should fulfil people as human beings rather than be servants of the state.
Radical Education: How many schools did Rudolf Steiner open between 1919 - 1925?
4 schools. They all rejected hierarchy and emphasised whole body learning.
Despite wanting a fairer system, in 1928, what percentage of the working class attended university teacher training programmes?
2.3%
Shows not many w/c went to university.
What did universities have that were seen to assist a student in pursuing a career path?
Corporations, which formed nationwide corporations.
In 1928. what percentage of students were members of a university corporation?
65% of students.
What are the two types of primary school that remained fee paying?
Confessional and common. Both religious schools.
Lots of confessional schools remained fee-paying.
What did the WR try to do with confessional and common schools?
Phase them out.
To summarise, what were the Weimar governmentโs aims for primary education?
- to make education fair/equal and more accessible to w/c children
- make schools less religious based
- make them less based on ability
What was the Grandschule? (primary level)
The compulsory and free education system set up for children aged 6-10 years.
How did the education system contribute to growing disillusionment with the WR?
Religious education was seen as being sidelined, so Christians viewed WR as anti-christian.
What does the evidence about universities in the WR suggest about German society at the time?
There was still a sense of exclusivity of higher classes at the time, as universities were still quite inaccessive to lower classes (it cost money to attend gymnasium until 18)
What were debates over education a part of?
Debates over education were part of the wider debate over democracy and whether it worked or not.
Why were many wealthy families worries over education?
They thought their children were losing their traditional privileges and that educational standards were falling.
Summarise primary level education.
Primary was compulsory aged 6 to 9 years.
Education system was diverse, could have secular, confessional (faith) or common schools.
Confessional + common โก religious (WR tried to phase these out)
Confessional โก fee paying
Summarise secondary level education.
Could have secular, confessional or common schools.
Secular + common โก state schools
Confessional + common โก religious
Confessional โก fee paying
Summarise Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium.
Hauptschule โก vocational
Realschule โก business
Gymnasium โก prepare for university
What happened to most secondary education after 10 years old?
Had to be paid for (this was affordable)
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ: What were the WRโs aims regarding the structure of the education system?
Common, integrated education system. No religious education, greater social mobility, more unified.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ: Who controlled education?
The Lรคnder. Led to a diverse range of education and schools.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ: Was education compulsory?
Yes, aged 6-14 years.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ: Were all aims of the WR met?
Not all aims - lack of social mobility due to tiered secondary schools and Centre Party fought to retain Church schools.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Was the teaching profession a left or right wing profession?
Right wing profession.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: In 1933, how many university professors signed an appeal to the German people to vote Nazi?
300 university professors.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Were teacher paid well?
Teacher were not paid very well, especially after 1929.
This increased the support for the Nazi party who promised to make education the foundation of the new Reich.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: What was the training of teachers elevated to?
University programmes.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐บ: How did secondary education differ depending on school attended?
Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐บ: Were students mainly left or right wing based?
Right wing based. In 1931 there were anti-semitic riots in universities.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐บ: What percentage of students were members of the Nazi Studentsโ League?
60% of students.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐บ: What type of students went to university?
Majority were middle or upper class.
๐ข๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น: Did German children join youth organisations?
Yes, Germany children joined large numbers of youth organisations e.g Church youth clubs organised by adults.
๐ข๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น: What did the free youth movement, organised by youths, consist of?
Hiking, camping, community singalongs, strong dislike of contemporary politics.
Who supported the ideas proposed in the Federal School Law of having both secular and faith schools?
Reich Parents League.
Who opposed the ideas proposed in the Federal School Law of having both secular and faith schools?
The Volkskirche Association for evangelical freedom.
How many Protestant schools were there in 1931?
29,000
How many Catholic schools were there in 1931?
15,200
How many Jewish schools were there in 1931?
97
How many common schools were there in 1931?
8,900
How many secular schools were there in 1931?
295
What did the variety of education e.g Protestant, Catholic, common, secular suggest?
Education remained diverse.
What corporations existed in universities?
- duelling corporations - where differences were settled by swordfight
- non-duelling corporations - seen as socially inferior
