British Educational Theory in the Nineteenth Century

The second collection in this series presents seven highly original and personal responses to the social problems highlighted in the newly urbanized 19th century. In the shadow of the French Revolution and with growing squalor in the cities, a new vociferous working class were emerging. When Disraeli said now we must educate our masters , it was only the beginning - no-one had even begun to understand the problem. Education was suddenly forced to move from a gentle pursuit for the aristocracy to shaping the foundations of the masses. Since there were no real precedents to follow, solutions were forced to evolve with radical implications for social change. The writings here come from men who knew that they had to make these great educational experiments work. The fact that only anarchy would greet failure makes these books immensely important as a record of the thinking behind such revolutionary ideals.