Research Project
In post-First World War Germany, with the country’s transition from an empire to a democratic republic, manifold opportunities to reshape and reform society emerged. My doctoral research seeks to analyse the role assigned to schools in this context and the part they played in the reform process as it took place. My objectives here include identifying whether the foundation of the Weimar Republic was associated with the vision of a new homo democraticus, who in his or her child state required education and formation, and pinpointing the conceptions of democratic thinking that were prevalent among the political authorities, teachers, parents and pupils of the time. I will further attempt to explore and explain the practical influence of emergent democratic structures on schools and society in the Weimar period.