** Czech school history independent Czechoslovakia






Czech Schools (1918-39)



Figure 1.--This is the Smiricích School in 1922. Smiricích is a Czech village about 120 kilometers east from Prague. It seems a typical Czech village school. The boys seemed dressed similarly to German children.

Czechoslovakia had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the end of Workd War I, Czechoslovakia declared its indepndence (1918). It was new nation with both Czechs and Slovaks as well as other nationalities. The Czech school system had been essentially the same as the Austrian system. After indepence and split with Austria, the Czech system was was joined with the Slovak ststem. Schools and the language of instruction was one of the difficulties that had to be confronted in this multi-national state. Perhaps even more of a challenge was the different developmental status of the territories joied with Bohemia to create Czechoslovakia. A range of new laws were introduced affecting school life, curiculum, unified secondary schools, and developmebt of a 'balanced approach' between comprehensive and vocational education. New universities were founded such as Masaryk University in Brno (1919). The Czech education was seen to be in the top ten in the world. Less develped Slovakia and Transcarpathia proved a continued challenge to education authorities. The Slovaks in eastern Czechoslovakia were also unhappy. This is a topic that needs to be addressed nd of course after the fall of Communism they created their own independent country. The nationalities issue of course was used by Hitler in his efforts to obain the Sudentenland at the Munich Conference. The NAZIs claimed that the German minority was being abused. This was largely a NAZI-fabrication. The NAZIs did their best to magnify such issus and stir up trouble. The limited number of Czech images we have suggest that Czech boys dressed very similarly to German boys. Ethnic German children for the most part were taught in German-language schools.

New Independent Country

Czechoslovakia had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the end of World War I, Czechoslovakia declared its indepndence (1918). Bohemia had beem indepedent before, but had been under Hapsbueg rule for about 400 years. Austrian Germnization policies had become a major issue by the 19th century became a major issue resulting in the National Renaissance. As far as we can tell, however, Czech children for the most part attended Czech-language schools. The Allies after the War were intent on creating a viable new Czech srate. They addeded on bits of territory to create a viable nation. This included the Transcarpatian area in the far east, Slovakia, and the German-majority Sudetenland. Thus the new nation had a core Czech majority in Bohemia, but many importnt minoity groups almost equaling the Czech majority. Thus the Czech Republic was one of the most ethically diverse states in Europe. The Allies, in part because of Presudent Wilson's Fourteen Points were committed to creating nation states. A thirds of the Fourteen Poinys deal with the natioanlitioes issue. . The Allies did not, however, want to create micro states to accomodate each of the differebt ethnicities involved. Or to expand Gernman territoyy. Thus Czech education authorities faced te same language issues tthat the Austrians had faced. The Czech school system had been essentially the same as the Austrian system. After indepence and split with Austria, the Czech system was was joined with the Slovak system. The Czechgs in Bohenia already has a well developoed school system. As a result, there were no immediate chanhes. Further east there were huge changes that were needed to exoand the school system. yare

Language Issue

Schools and the language of instruction was one of the difficulties that had to be confronted in this multi-national state. This was just part of the larger language issue in a country with substantial minorities. Here we do not yet have information on the Czech education system and language policies. We do know that the new Czechoslovakian state faced a huge problem after World War I. Most of the schools inherited from the Austro-Hungarian Empire were either German-language schools in the Czech areas and Hungarian-language schools in the Slovak areas. The new Czech Constitution guaranted the population the rights to school instruction in their own language and the eqyitable destribution of public funds.

School System

Being formed out of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, there was a strong Austrian influence in the school system. We are unsure at this time as to changes made to the school system with the formation of Czechoslovakia. After indepence and split with Austria, the Czech system was was joined with the Slovak ststem. Schools and the language of instruction was one of the difficulties that had to be confronted in this multi-national state. Perhaps even more of a challenge was the different developmental status of the territories joied with Bohemia to create Czechoslovakia. A range of new laws were introduced affecting school life, curiculum, unified secondary schools, and developmebt of a 'balanced approach' between comprehensive and vocational education. New universities were founded such as Masaryk University in Brno (1919). The Czech education was seen to be in the top ten in the world. Less develped Slovakia and Transcarpathia proved a continued challenge to education authorities.

Minorities

Less develped Slovakia and Transcarpathia proved a continued challenge to education authorities. The Slovaks in eastern Czechoslovakia were also unhappy. This is a topic that needs to be addressed nd of course fter the fall of Communism yhey created their on independent country. The nationalities issue of course was used by Hitler in his efforts to obtain the Sudentenland at the Munich Conference. The NAZIs claimed that the German minority was being abused. Of course the NAZIs did their best to stir up problems. We are unsure if the Germand indeed had legitimate complaints on how they were treated by the Czechs who dominated Czechoslovakia. The Slovaks in eastern Czechoslovakia were also unhappy. This is a topic that needs to be addressed.

Activities

We do not have a lot of information about activities in Czech schools beyound the purely academic. We think such activiites were very limited. We do note boys doing various form of calesthetics, although we do not note sports competitions. This was the general pattern in German and Austrian schools which heavily influenced the Czech system. A reader writes, "An interesting photo of Czech boys doing calisthenic exercises in their school room using sticks or rods. The photograph was taken in the early 1920s according to the source. Most of the boys wear short trousers with long stockings, but at least two of the boys wear long trousers and one wears shorts with knee socks. Most of the stockings are black or dark brown (the common school color in the early 1920s), but one boy wears beige or light tan long stockings and strap shoes. The boy doing a deep-knee bend in the foreground has removed his shoes (you can see holes at the toes of his stockings) and appears to have outgrown his stockings which barely cover his knees when he is flexing his knees. He is obviously wearing supporters since the stockijngs don't wrinkle or fall down while he is exerting himself. The class seems to include both younger and older boys--from about 8 to 11 or 12 years of age. Czech school clothes in the 1920s were very much like those worn in Germany. I'm not sure what the function of the sticks is unless it is help the boys keep their balance while they are exercising. They raise the sticks above their heads in the erect position but hold them at chest level in the deep-knee bends. The school room seems to have curtained off to make a space for the exercises. Perhaps the girls used the space on the other side of the curtain if the school was coeducational."

Religion

We are not sure just how religion was handeled in Czechoslovakian schools. Public schools in many European countries are different than American schools in that there was not strict separation of church and state. The population in both the Czech and Slovak areas as well as the German areas was overwealmingly Catholic with small minority groups including various Protestant sects and Jews. A complication concerning religion is that many Czechoslovakians were socialists with a range of religious views afecting their attitude toward the schools. The Treaty of Peace guaranteed all citizens the right to freely exercize their religioncas long as it was consistent with public order and morals. The Socialists dominated the first election (1920). We are not sure such what this meant in terms of religion in the public schools. We think religious instruction was permitted. We are not sure, however, just hoe this was organized, especially for the non-Catholics. Hopefully readers will be able to provide details here. We do note First Communions that seem to be organized in a school.

School Clothing

The limited number of Czech images we have suggest that Czech boys dressed very similarly to German boys.

Individual Schools

We have very limited information on individual Czech schools at this time. These individual school portraits provide a great deal of information about both fashion and education trends over time. We have not found many named schools, but we have found seberal sgool images that are dated. This is the Smiricích School pictured here in 1922 (figure 1). Smiricích is a Czech village about 120 kilometers east from Prague. It seems a typical Czech village school. The boys seemed dressed similarly to German children. We notice an unidentified Prague primary school in 1931. We note an unidentified secondary school in 1934.






HBC-SU






Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s] [The 1890s]
[The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s]
[The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]



Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers] [Blazer]
[School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Return to the Main Czech school page]
[Return to the Main Czechoslovakian page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]




Created: 11:39 PM 4/25/2005
Last updated: 11:50 PM 6/21/2021