The German education system has long been admired and, at times, envied by the rest of Europe, but the history of German educational development is a turbulent one. Concentrating on the post-war German scene, this timely book examines the interrelationship of educational and social developments in Germany from 1810 to the present day.
Providing new insights into German history and challenging traditionally-held opinions about Germany, education and society, the author questions, for example, whether Germany's rapid industrial growth and economic success in the late nineteenth century were based upon its academic development, or the country's much less acclaimed training in crafts and vocational subjects. The rise of a new academic elite and its possible contribution both to the collapse of Germany's first democratic government and to the emergence of National Socialism are examined, as are the stagnation of the educational system in West Germany, which led to the student unrest of 1968, and the modern system introduced in East Germany under Soviet influence, which failed to be implemented in an open and democratic fashion.
In considering the opportunities offered by re-unification and the effects of emerging reform movements, the author argues that Germany now seems to have reached a new impasse with overcrowded, under-resourced universities, a socially divisive school system and uncertainty as to how to meet the challenges of the next century.
The interdisciplinary nature of this volume will make it essential reading for all those interested in German history and politics, comparative education and sociology and a core text for students.

In 1848 the continent of Europe was rocked by revolutions: only Great Britain and Russia remained relatively immune to the upheaval. Most spectacularly, the Revolutions swept across the German-speaking lands of central Europe, with the newly-released forces of nationalism and mass popular protest smashing the reactionary Metternich regimes which had held sway since the defeat of Napoleon. The Metternich system was dead: nationalism and national self-determination asserted themselves as the dominant dynamic forces of continental Europe in the later nineteenth century. This impressive history examines the political and social implications of the 1848 Revolutions for the future destiny and shape of Europe as a whole, and explores the wider forces at play in the German lands of nineteenth-century Europe.

This is an up-to-date reassessment of the 1848 revolutions, crucial events whose impact was felt far beyond the borders of Central Europe.

This impressive history examines the political and social implications of the 1848 Revolutions for the future destiny and shape of Europe as a whole, and explores the wider forces at play in the German lands of nineteenth-century Europe.

The German education system has long been admired and, at times, envied by the rest of Europe, but the history of German educational development is a turbulent one. Concentrating on the post-war German scene, this timely book examines the interrelationship of educational and social developments in Germany from 1810 to the present day.
Providing new insights into German history and challenging traditionally-held opinions about Germany, education and society, the author questions, for example, whether Germany's rapid industrial growth and economic success in the late nineteenth century were based upon its academic development, or the country's much less acclaimed training in crafts and vocational subjects. The rise of a new academic elite and its possible contribution both to the collapse of Germany's first democratic government and to the emergence of National Socialism are examined, as are the stagnation of the educational system in West Germany, which led to the student unrest of 1968, and the modern system introduced in East Germany under Soviet influence, which failed to be implemented in an open and democratic fashion.
In considering the opportunities offered by re-unification and the effects of emerging reform movements, the author argues that Germany now seems to have reached a new impasse with overcrowded, under-resourced universities, a socially divisive school system and uncertainty as to how to meet the challenges of the next century.
The interdisciplinary nature of this volume will make it essential reading for all those interested in German history and politics, comparative education and sociology and a core text for students.