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German History: 4 Education - Weimar Germany - Coggle Diagram
German History: 4 Education - Weimar Germany
Problems in Education
There was no uniformity in the education system
Different types of schools
Catholic and protestant
Public and fee paying school
Different states had different systems
Quality of education varied greatly
School reform
Advocated greatly by the social democrats
Wanted to eradicate social and religious divisions
Believed all German children should have equal oppotunity
Wanted a unified school system 'Einheitschule'
Reforms in Education
Creating a unified education system
Article 145 of the Weimar Constitution states "attendance at school is universally obligatory ... at least eight school years"
1920 School Law established elementary schools ('Grundschule") and introduced 8 years of compulsory education for this age group
After elementary school they would go on to do 4 years of lower secondary school
Stopped separation of students based on social class in the first years of schooling
The system for secondary age children remained fragmented (post 14)
Children with professional parents attended the Gymnasium whereas children from working class backgrounds attended less academic schools like the Realschule
Raising Standards
Pre-war German schools were dominated y formal instructions and authoritarian discipline
Advocates condemned the rote learning of facts as it was the "killing of children's souls
Efforts were made to make it more child centred with more creativity
Teachers at activity oriented schools eliminated physical punishment and supported friendships with the students
Training for teachers was improved and was only accessible to those who had gained their Abitur (school leaving certificate
Religion and schools
With the revolution of 1918 the anticlerical forces of the left sought to create secular schools
Secular schools involved children attending with all different backgrounds and beliefs
The Protestant and Catholic church believed that Germany could only remain a christian country if there was traditional religious instruction in schools
The constitution was vague about German schools because of this issue
Denominational school (Secular schools and Catholic/ Protestant schools) were both granted recognition (favoured by the SPD) but this law never passed
In some states confessional schools and religious instruction came under constant attack
In Saxony the Government announced its intention to end religious instruction in the schools in 1920 but many other states continued as before
Citizenship Education
Article 148 of the Constitution insisted the importance of education in citizenship
The Weimar Republic were the first government to make civic education (compulsery)
All schools were expected to teach about the League of Nations and to celebrate Constitution Day
Citizenship education was promoted in subjects like Customs and Culture, History and Geography
The Impact of education policy in Weimar Germany
The idea of 'Einheitsschule' was the precursor of the comprehensive schools in countries like England, France and Sweden
The School Law and the belief that schools should overcome social distinctions was not implemented in other European nations until the 1970s
the reformers were unable to win over the bulk of the populations with their ideas of education reform as it was heavily condemned in the Reichstag
Many school teachers were conservative and became disillusioned with the Weimar Republic due to the impacts on their fixed pay from hyperinflation and the Depression
Many teachers supported the Nazis in the early 1930s
Waldorf Schools
Some experimental schools were opened in Weimar Germany
Inspired ideas of Rudolf Steiner who was an Austrian philosopher and educationist
Their philosophy was the cultivate children's imagination through creative activities
Competition took priority over competition
Only reached very small numbers
Overall reformers frustrated as the system still lacked central control and there was a lack of appetite for reform