Education and nation in French and German Lorraine, 1870 - 1918

McCrea, Sophia Catherine (2014) Education and nation in French and German Lorraine, 1870 - 1918. MRes thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis deals with the subject of primary education as a means of nation building in the region of Lorraine, which was divided between the nations of France and Germany between 1870 and 1918. Compulsory education was an important device in both countries during this period for the encouragement of nationalist and patriotic sentiment amongst their citizens, to the extent where both countries found themselves embroiled in a sort of ‘educational arms race’ with each other in the quest for European political and cultural dominance. The development of nationalist thought was considered to be particularly important in border regions such as Lorraine, where national loyalties could be questioned.

This thesis examines some of the methods employed by both France and Germany in order to encourage nationalist sentiment within the sphere of primary education, studying textbooks from each country used during the period, but remaining focused on the application of these educational systems on both sides of the Franco-German border in the region of Lorraine. No scholarly work has yet examined primary education in both French and German Lorraine, preferring either to focus on one side of the border or the other. This thesis demonstrates how each nation employed surprisingly similar tactics to pursue very different nationalist ends.

• Item Type: Thesis (MRes)
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: Lorraine, Nationalism, Nation, Nation Building, Primary Education, Patriotism
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DC France; D History General and Old World > DD Germany; L Education > LA History of education
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > French
• Supervisor's Name: Clarke, Dr. Jackie and Schonfield, Dr. Ernest
• Date of Award: 2014
• Depositing User: Miss Sophia McCrea
• Unique ID: glathesis:2014-5695
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 07 Nov 2014 12:37
• Last Modified: 07 Nov 2014 12:49
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/5695