Open AccessThe Relationship between the State and Universities in the Czech Lands 1849–1939
Author(s) -
Lukáš Fasora
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acta poloniae historica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.101
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 2450-8462
pISSN - 0001-6829
DOI - 10.12775/aph.2021.124.07
Subject(s) - czech , state (computer science) , legislation , politics , political science , democracy , public administration , position (finance) , interpretation (philosophy) , law , economics , philosophy , linguistics , finance , algorithm , computer science , programming language
This text summarises the results of extensive research into the relationship between the state and universities in 1849–1939, i.e. between the so-called ‘Thun reform’ and the closure of Czech universities by the Nazis. The focus is on the state’s respect for the privileged position of universities and the monitoring of tensions arising from the clash between legislation and the universities’ day-to-day operations, resulting mainly from satisfying the economic needs of universities on the one hand, and the interpretation of the responsibility and discipline of their academic staff towards the state and society on the other. The research shows the advancing erosion of the so-called Prussian (Humboldt’s) concept of an autonomous national-oriented university and the difficult search for a democratic alternative in interwar Central Europe’s unstable political and economic conditions.