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The Fatal Conceit: Swedish Education after Nazism

Author

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  • Heller Sahlgren, Gabriel

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))

  • Wennström, Johan

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sweden dismantled an education system that was strongly influenced by German, Neo-Humanist pedagogical principles in favor of a progressive, student-centered system. This article suggests this was in large part due to a fatal misinterpretation of the education policy on which Nazism was predicated. Contrary to scholarly and popular belief, Nazi schools were not characterized by discipline and run top-down by teachers. In fact, the Nazis encouraged a nationwide youth rebellion in schools. Many Nazi leaders had themselves experienced the belligerent, child-centered war pedagogy of 1914–1918 rather than a traditional German education. Yet, Swedish school reformers came to regard Neo-Humanism as a fulcrum of the Third Reich. The article suggests this mistake paved the way for a school system that inadvertently came to share certain traits with the true educational credo of Nazism and likely contributed to Sweden’s recent educational decline.

Suggested Citation

  • Heller Sahlgren, Gabriel & Wennström, Johan, 2020. "The Fatal Conceit: Swedish Education after Nazism," Working Paper Series 1338, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1338
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    National Socialism; Neo-Humanism; Progressivism; Sweden; War pedagogy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
    • E65 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Studies of Particular Policy Episodes
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • N44 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: 1913-

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