Social equality in education: France and England 1789–1939

Abstract

In "Social Equality in Education: France and England 1789-1939," Ann Margaret Doyle examines the evolution of the French and English education systems from the French Revolution to the beginning of World War II. She argues that the two countries took different approaches to implementing a nation-wide education system, with France attempting to develop education as a means to reduce social inequality to a greater extent than England. The book explores how three major factors contributed to these diverging historical developments - notably idiosyncratic ideologies, differences in social class alliances, and unequal forms of state organisation. Using these three factors as the basis of her analysis, Doyle argues that the emphasis on equality in France originated in the French Revolution (1789-1799), and was corroborated by progressive social class alliances and a centralised state, which sought to implement universal education and standardised assessments. By contrast, liberalism - emphasizing a laissez-faire doctrine as well as voluntarism and self-help - prevented a discourse of egalitarianism and had an enduring influence on the evolution of educational policies and institutions in England.