Explain the emergence of compulsory mass education in England during the second half of the 19th Century.

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Matt Eagles

Explain the emergence of compulsory mass education in England during the second

half of the 19th Century.

At the height of its days of Empire, Britain was the core of manufacturing and

productivity and classed as the worlds largest and most powerful force.  A Royal

Commission stated in 1882 “The Englishman has yet to learn that an extended and

systematic education is now a necessary preliminary to the fullest development of

industry.”  During the last 150 years Britain has slipped from its station as “the worlds

workshop” a place where 54% of the worlds exports were produced in 1860 to less

than 4% in 1994.  Other European nations had already established concrete education

systems, even the “troublesome” France.  These nations were also enjoying a period

of relative economic prosperity.  The ranging blame for this cast a spotlight onto the

education of Britain and its links with production.  

During the period 1780 to 1870 British education was presided over by the

“voluntary” system, where being the schools in operation were maintained by affluent

individuals, charities or more commonly the church.  This laissez faire treatment of

education was commonplace for the teaching of the working classes of England.  

Grants and donations were paid to “honourable” men who were willing to build

schools and maintain them.  These church schools had little focus on the properties of

education and instead were geared to produce God fearing obedient servants of the

state.  Often the children attending these schools couldn’t understand writings but

were taught how to recite large passages of the Bible.  From 1833 there was increased

subsidy from the government to support these schools.  £20,000 was allocated per

year to aid schooling this rose to £30,000 in 1839.  To explain this increased interest

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in state intervention there are two avenues of option.  The liberal historian explanation

would be to recognise the good intentions of the government in trying to educate the

great unwashed for their own benefits and greater freedom of choice, also as

commented before their was an apparent link between education and industry and

Britain’s productivity could increase making all parties satisfied.  However when

examining it from a Marxist perception and to take into consideration the current

social and political climate that the British government was facing it ...

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