Reports Part of series: Education and democracy & History of education: BERA Brian Simon Fund research reports
Student life in Central and Eastern Europe, 1919–1923
According to Brian Simon, the British student movement became explicitly concerned with political issues during the 1930s, when it was faced with the rise of fascism. In this context, Simon pointed to the relationship between student activism and the defence of democracy. Undoubtedly, the ideological polarisation and high political stakes of that time invested the political debates among university students with particular urgency. Yet a broader European perspective indicates the crucial nature of developments in the preceding decade: across many countries, the reshaping of national and international politics after 1918 profoundly affected student life and its potential role in fostering – or hampering – the development of a democratic culture.
This research project focused on Central and Eastern Europe, whose interwar history exemplifies this ambivalence. Funded by the Brian Simon fellowship grant and on the topic ‘history of education’, the project pursued three overarching objectives:
Supported by a Brian Simon grant from BERA, our project investigates the social and political dimensions of student life in the aftermath of the First World War. In doing so, it explores the possibilities for, and obstacles to, forging a democratic culture within university settings. This report focuses on a case study of interwar Poland. The history of the Second Polish Republic exemplifies the transformation of the international order after 1918, yet it also illustrates the challenges that resulted from these changes. In particular, the report highlights the intense antagonisms that shaped Polish student activism in the early 1920s. Our initial work demonstrates the potential for further research along comparative and transnational lines.
Associate Professor of European History at University of Northumbria
Daniel Laqua is Associate Professor of European History at Northumbria University. He has published widely on the history of international movements and organisations, as reflected in articles for periodicals such as The Historical Journal and...
Professor of Social History at University College London
Georgina Brewis is Professor of Social History at IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society. She is a historian of higher education, voluntary action and humanitarianism in Britain and the wider world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her current...