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History of Education
Journal of the History of Education Society
Volume 4, 1975 - Issue 2
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Original Articles

Political and Religious Constraints on Educational Policy in the Weimar Republic

Pages 49-65 | Published online: 28 Jul 2006

References

  • Führ , C. 1970 . Zur Schulpolitik der Weimarer Republik , Weinheim : Verlag Julius Beltz . The work of Gay and of Führ has stimulated interest once again in the cultural achievements of Weimar as opposed to the usual emphasis on its political and economic failures. Both authors have contributed considerably by their writings to my own modest efforts in this field. I have tried, however, notwithstanding this debt to base the present paper on contemporary documentation from the 1920s as much as possible, though clearly obtaining such documentation in England is extremely difficult. I hope that one service of the present paper may be to indicate some of the more readily available material to English students of the field. See P. Gay, Weimar Culture (London: Secker and Warburg, 1969), and
  • Neumann , S. 1956 . Modern Political Parties—Approaches to Comparative Politics , 354 Chicago : University of Chicago Press . Certainly the ideological social and cultural foundations for action had been set down before the Republic came into being. See R. König, ‘Zur Soziologie der Zwanziger Jahre’ in L. Rhemisch, Die Zeit ohne Eigenschaften (Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer Verlag, 1961), 82–118
  • Neumann , S. 1965 . Die Parteien der Weimarer Republik , 30 – 31 . Stuttgart : W. Kohlhammer Verlag . Sontheimer has traced through this dissatisfaction into the anti‐democratic facets of the predominant ideological groupings in Weimar. See K. Sontheimer, Antidemokratisches Denken in der Weimarer Republik (Munich: Nymphenburger Verlagshandlung, 1962)
  • Grebing , H. 1962 . Geschichte der deutschen Parteien , 149 – 151 . Wiesbaden : Franz Steiner Verlag .
  • Saupe , E. 1932 . Die Politischen Parteien und die Schule , 27 Osterwieck, Harz : A. W. Zickfeldt Verlag .
  • Wulff , H. 1962 . “ ‘Heinrich Schulz 1872–1932’ ” . In Bremisches Jahrbuch 319 – 374 . See
  • Neumann , S. 1965 . 44ff op. cit.
  • Details of the Party Programme are given in E. Saupe, op. cit., 17–20
  • Ibid., 19
  • Ibid., 20
  • Hohfeld , J. 1954 . Dokumente der deutschen Politik und Geschichte von 1848 bis zur Gegenwart , Vol. iii , Berlin : Dokumenten‐Verlag Dr. Herbert Wendler and Co. . “Die Weimarer Republik”, 1919–33, Iff
  • Saupe . 21 – 26 . op. cit
  • Rosin , H. 1926 . “ ‘Das Verhaltnis des Staates zur Kirche und Erziehung in den Programmen der politischen Parteien’ ” . In Schulpolitisches Jahrbuch 99 – 104 . Ibid., 99. See also
  • Eyck , E. 1962 . A History of the Weimar Republic , Vol. i , 55 – 56 . Cambridge, Mass : Harvard University Press .
  • Landé” , W. 1929 . Die Schule in der Reichsverfassung , 28 – 30 . Berlin : Verlag von Reimar Hobbing .
  • Rosin , H. 1920 . Das Schulkompromiss (Schulfragen in der Reichsverfassung—Schriftenreihe des deutschen Lehrervereins) , 5 – 6 . Berlin : Verlag von Leonhard Simion .
  • Menzel , G. 1920 . “ ‘Die gegenwärtige Lage des Volksschulwesens in Deutschland’, in Zentralinstitut für Erziehung und Unterricht ” . In Jahrbuch 1920 , 149 – 170 . Berlin : Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn . Antagonisms were particularly acute in Lower Saxony where Catholic schools were closed by the provincial government and where teachers in general tended to be labelled socialist See W. Offenstein, Die Schulpolitik der Sozialdemokratie (Heft 26 der Reihe: Schulpolitik und Erziehung—Zeitfragen) (Düsseldorf: Zentralstelle der Katholischen Schulorganization, no date), 93–94. A helpful resume1 of these and other early measures up to November 1919 is contained in the report of the Central Institute for Education and Instruction for 1920. See
  • Schwarz , A. 1958 . Die Weimarer Republik , 52 Konstanz : Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Athenaion .
  • Giesecke , H. 1965 . ‘Zur Schulpolitik der Sozialdemokraten in Preussen und im Reich 1918/19’ . Vierteliahreshefte für Zeitgeschichte , XIII : 163
  • Tews , J. 1919 . Sozialdemokratie und öffentliches Bildungswesen , 68ff Langensalza : Hermann Beyer & Söhne [Beyer und Mann] . The more important ordinances are reproduced in G. Giese, Quellen zur deutschen Schulgeschichte seit 1800 (Gottingen: Musterschmidt—Verlag., 1961), 231–240. A contemporary report on them is to be found in
  • The questions and replies were published as:— Evangelischer Presseverband . 1919 . Die Stellung der Parteien zu den Kirchen—und Schulfragen , Berlin Steglitz : Verlag des Evangelischen Presseverbandes .
  • Mehnert , G. 1959 . Evangelische Kirche und Politik 1917–1919 , 177 – 178 . DUsseldorf : Droste Verlag .
  • Tews , J. 1913 . Grundzüge der deutschen Schulgesetzebung , 158 – 159 . Leipzig : R. Voigtländers Verlag . This right of clerics had been set down in the Prussian Law of 28 July 1906. See
  • Wende , F. 1959 . C. H. Becker, Mensch and Politiker: Ein biographischer Beitrag zur Kulturgeschichte der Weimarer Republik , Stuttgart : Deutsche Verlagsanstalt . I am grateful to Rolf Gardiner of Springhead, Fontmell Magna, who was a personal friend of Becker up to the time of the latter's death for access to personal correspondence and invaluable personal recollections of this very great Prussian. An extensive biography of Becker has been written by Erich Wende, a former colleague of his in the Prussian Ministry. See
  • Gardiner , R. Midwinter 1946 . “ ‘Carl Henrich Becker’ ” . In Wessex—Letters from Springhead , Second Series, No. 2 This was later expanded into a pamphlet See C. H. Becker, Kulturpolitische Aufgaben des Reiches (Leipzig: Quelle und Meyer, 1930). An excellent ‘thumb‐nail’ sketch of Becker is contained in
  • Kittel , H. 1957 . Die Entwicklung der padagogis‐chen Hochschulen 1926–32 , Hanover : Hermann Schroedel Verlag . A contemporary account of the measures taken up to November 1923 is contained in a book by Otto Boelitz, Minister of Education in Prussia from November 1921 to January 1925 in the Prussian Government of Braun. He confirms the central importance which was given to this reform by both himself and Becker. See O. Boeltiz, Preussisches Bildungswesen (Leipzig: Verlag Quelle und Meyer, 1924), 53ff and especially, 54. An up‐to‐date account of the reforms is contained in
  • Preller , L. 1949 . Sozialpolitik der Weimarer Republik , 529ff Stuttgart : Franz Mittelbach Verlag . Details taken from
  • Epstein , K. 1959 . Matthias Erzberger and the Dilemma of German Democracy , 287 Princeton : University Press .
  • Eyck , E. 1964 . A History of the Weimar Republik , Vol. ii , 150 Cambridge, Mass : Harvard University Press .
  • Hoffmann , J. 1921 . Schule und Lehrer in der Reichsverfassung , 16 – 17 . Stuttgart : Dietz .
  • Tews , J. 1926 . Zum deutschen Schulkampf , 77 Frankfurt am Main : Neuer Frankfurter Verlag . Tews considers that there were three compromises. See
  • Landé , W. 44 op. tit
  • Führ , C. 1970 . op. cit
  • Bracher , K. D. 1963 . Die Entstehung der Weimarer Verfassung , Hanover : Niedersachsische Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung . Details of The Articles are taken from
  • Bäumer , G. 1928 . Deutsche Schulpolitik , 54 Karlsruhe : Verlag G. Braun . The latter interpretation is of very doubtful legality. See
  • Dr Mausbach . 1922 . Religionsunterricht und Kirche (Heft 3 der Schriften zur deutschen Politik) , 32ff Freiburg : Herder and Co. . See
  • Wolf , G. 1923 . Grundschulfragen und Grundschulgegner (Heft 9 Schulpolitik und Volksbilding‐Schriftenreihe des Preussischen Lehrervereins) , 13 – 25 . Osterwieck—Harz : Verlag von A. W. Zickfeldt .
  • Kandel , I. L. and Alexander , T. 1927 . The Reorganization of Education in Prussia , 22ff. New York : Teachers College, Columbia University . This led to some strange and complex compromises. See O. Boelitz, (1924), op. cit., 22ff and the English translation of this, contained in
  • Tormin , W. 1963 . Geschichte der deutschen Parteien , 286 Stuttgart : W. Kohlhammer Verlag . The number of seats which they gained fell from 91 to 64, 75 to 39 and 163 to 102 for the Centre, Democratic and Socialist Parties respectively. See
  • Heckel , H. and Seipp , P. 1960 . Schulrechtskunde , 47 48 282 Berlin : Hermann Luchterhand Verlag . For the legal position with regard to religious education in West Germany and the continuing effect of the 1921 Law, see Part of this Law is reproduced in Kandel and Alexander, op. cit, 185–86
  • Helmreich , E. C. 1959X . Religions Education in German Schools: An Historical Approach , 122 Cambridge, Mass : Harvard University Press .
  • Schorb , A. O. and Fritzsche , V. 1966 . Schulerneuerung in der Demokratie , Stuttgart : Emst Klett Verlag . An interesting view of the Conference from a present day East German point of view is to be found in G. Hohendorf, Die pädagogische Bewegung in den ersten Jahren der Weimarer Republik (Berlin: VEB Volk und Wissen, 1954). A comparison with the German Committee of 1953–65 is contained in
  • the recommendations of the National School Conference on teacher training. 1920 . “ Zentralinstitut für Erziehung und Unterricht ” . In Die Reichsschulkonferenz in ihren Ergebnissen , 164 165 Leipzig : Verlag von Quelle und Meyer . See for example
  • Tews , J. 1926 . Zum deutschen Schulkampf , 37 Frankfurt am Main : Neuer Frankfurter Verlag .
  • Offenstein , W. 1925 . Der Kampf um das Reichsschulgesetz , especially 86ff. Düsseldorf : Verlag der Katholischen Schulorganization . For a detailed account by a member of the Catholic clergy of this first phase of the negotiations, but one which is strongly biased in its presentation towards the Catholic point of view. See
  • Preller , L. 1949 . Sozialpolitik in der Weimarer Republik , 189 Stuttgart : Franz Mittelbach Verlag .
  • Tews . 1926 . 16 op. cit
  • Schwarz . 114 op. cit.
  • Offenstein , W. 1928 . Der Kampf um das Reichsschulgesetz , especially 14ff. Diisseldorf : Verlag der Katholischen Schulorganization . Details of this second phase are taken from
  • Schulz , H. 1926 . Der Leidensweg des Reichsschulgesetzes , See 136ff. Berlin : Verlag von J. H. W. Dietz Nachf. . An extensive account, though one written from a Social Democratic point of view, of the negotiations and progress of these first two drafts for a National School Law is contained in, He describes the fate of the Schiele draft as a tragic‐comedy
  • Eyck , E. op. cit 336 See
  • Offenstein . 1928 . op. cit 30 (But see also Hohlfeld, op. cit, 169.)
  • Rosin , H. 1927 . Das Reichschulgesetz , For the final draft see especially 82ff. Berlin : Selbstverlag des deutschen Lehrervereins . The texts of all three drafts with details of the development and an extensive commentary from the point of view of the German Teachers’ Association culminating in a vigorous uncompromising and outright call for the rejection of the Law are contained in
  • Führ . op. cit 72
  • XI , Pius . 1963 . Die Christliche Erziehung der Jugend: Enzyklika ‘Divini illius magistri’ , Freiburg : Herder . The text of this Encyclical with a German translation and introduction can be found in (Annotated text with an introduction by Rudolf Pfeil)

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