Education and Nation in French and German Lorraine, 1870 - 1918
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McCrea, Sophia Catherine (2014) Education and nation in French and German Lorraine, 1870 - 1918. MRes thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5695 Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Education and Nation in French and German Lorraine, 1870 – 1918 Sophia Catherine McCrea BA (Hons) Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Research in Modern Languages School of Modern Languages and Cultures College of Arts University of Glasgow August 2014 2 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. 3 Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………………………………………5 Author’s Declaration ………………………………………………………………………………………………7 Abbreviations …………………………………………………………………………………………………………8 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………9 Chapter One – Nationalism and Nations ………………………………………………………………24 Chapter Two – Education, History and Nation in French Lorraine ………………………38 Chapter Three – Education, History and Nation in German Lorraine …………………56 Chapter Four – The Literary and the Visual …………………………………………………………73 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………89 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………………………………………92 4 List of Figures Figure 1 Linguistic map of Alsace-Lorraine …………………………………………………………11 Figure 2 Les Quatres Races d’Hommes ……………………………………………………………….54 5 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr Jackie Clarke of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Glasgow, who supervised this thesis and provided me with invaluable support, advice and guidance. I am very grateful for Jackie having been available whenever I needed her, no matter how small the question or how big the problem. Second, I wish to thank my other supervisor Dr Ernest Schonfield, also of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Glasgow, whose guidance and input were no less significant. Thanks to Ernest, I am glad to say that I now have a healthy respect for German literature, and that I am a lot less wary of it! I have greatly benefited from both Jackie and Ernest’s advice and reassurance. Their calmness and clarity of thinking under great pressure and in adverse circumstances did much to encourage me through difficult times. Without their persistent help and supervision this dissertation would not have been possible. In addition, I would like to thank Dr Mike Rapport of the History department in the School of Humanities at the University of Glasgow for giving up his time to talk through ideas with me at the early stages of this thesis, some of which turned out to be very inspiring. I am in debt to many friends for their emotional help and support, as well as to my family. Special thanks go to Holly Greggan, Siobhán Hoy and Kirsty MacAulay for welcoming me to Glasgow so warmly and for making this year such a happy one. Thank you for letting me alternately laugh, cry, and bore you to tears about the finer details of nineteenth century European history. I hope you learnt a lot! Thank you as well to Emma Sutton and Naomi Waite (née Ashby) for always being there at the end of the phone, and for being such faithful and regular visitors. Most of all, I would like to thank my mother Josephine and my boyfriend Christopher West for their unconditional love and belief in my ability. My academic career could have been very different had it not been for the unquestioned support of my parents, both financially and emotionally. It might also have been very different if I had not had Chris beside me every step of the way, encouraging me in everything I have done. I cannot even begin to express the depths of my love and gratitude for you both. 6 Last, but certainly not least, this thesis is dedicated to my late father, John. Although the pain of losing him so suddenly this year seemed to be unbearable at times, it has also strengthened me and made me determined to continue to make him proud. I can only hope that I have inherited a fraction of his fierce determination and lust for life. 7 Author’s Declaration I declare that, except where explicit reference is made to the contribution of others, that this thesis is the result of my own work and has not been submitted for any other degree at the University of Glasgow or any other institution. 8 Abbreviations The three German schoolbooks to be studied in this thesis are abbreviated as follows: ! L1 = (Lesebuch 1) für die Oberklassen der Volkschulen in Elsass- Lothringen; new editions for mixed religious schooling; 10th edition; no author; published 1906 ! L2 = (Lesebuch 2) für die Oberklassen katholischer Volkschulen in Elsass- Lothringen; no author or publication date; 31st edition ! L3 = (Lesebuch 3) für die Mittelklassen der Elementarschulen in Elsass- Lothringen; written by Eduard Förster; dated 1898; 29th edition Wherever possible, I have used modern French and German spelling conventions when quoting from primary sources. 9 Introduction As a consequence of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, the French regions of Alsace and the part of Lorraine which nowadays forms the département of Moselle were conceded to the newly formed German Empire as part of the Treaty of Frankfurt on the 10th May 1871. The new Imperial territory (Reichsland), commonly referred to in English as Alsace-Lorraine, or Elsass- Lothringen in German, was to be governed from Berlin under Prussian jurisdiction, although it was not to be officially amalgamated with the state of Prussia. As a result, the formerly French inhabitants of the territory were given until the 1st October 1872 to decide whether they wished to emigrate to France and remain French citizens or to stay in Elsass-Lothringen and become German citizens. This jurisdiction lasted until the defeat of Germany in the First World War in 1918, and the territory was formally restored to France under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles on 28th June 1919. This was not the first episode of Franco-German conflict. Robert Gildea reminds us that in 1871 Prussia had been “smarting from humiliation by France since Jena, if not since the treaty of Westphalia (1648)”1. The latter refers to the annexation of Alsace from the Holy Roman Empire to the Kingdom of France, while “Jena” is a reference to Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat of the Prussian army in 1806, the consequence of which was the subjugation of Prussia to the French Empire. Napoleon had already succeeded in dissolving the Holy Roman Empire, turning most of the former Empire into the Confederation of the Rhine, which served as a French satellite. Following this humiliation, Prussia focused its efforts on rebuilding and strengthening its nation, placing particular emphasis on educational reform as an attempt to reform society “from above”. By 1815, much of the newly formed German Confederation looked to Prussia as the leader in comprehensive primary education, and Prussia was well on its way to regaining prominence on the European stage.2 This history of Franco-German animosity dominated European politics for the best part of the nineteenth century, helping to shape the paths of both France and Germany, particularly in terms of developing theories of nationhood and nationalism. 1 Gildea 1994:118 2 Harp 1998:8 10 This Franco-German animosity was played out most prominently in border regions, such as Lorraine, where an ‘educational arms race’ was gathering momentum. While the well-established Prussian education system was being established in German Lorraine, the French government was fighting to catch up with its own nation building project by means of educational reforms across France, including in French Lorraine. It is this dichotomy which makes the study of education and nation in French and German Lorraine during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century particularly fascinating. This thesis charts the development of nationalist thought in both France and Germany, and how this translated into emphasis on nation building in schools, before focusing more specifically on how this project was transmitted to schoolchildren in both parts of the province. This will be achieved by looking at the study of history, literature, geography and the use of the visual.