Estranged Twins: Education and Society in the Two Germanys

by Sterling Fishman, Lathar Martin

Overview

This book, a fascinating comparison of the educational systems of East and West Germany, demonstrates how, since 1949, education has been used to create different and competing societies: East Germany has tried to create an ideal socialist state, while West Germany has sought to be a model of Western democracy. The authors argue that the German tradition of using education to attain social and political goals continues in the two Germanys of the postwar period. The authors draw a complete portrait of the constitutional and institutional differences between the systems and of the tensions that exist between theory and practice, providing a clear understanding of the general educational problems in Western democracies and Eastern communist states.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275924607
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/19/1987
Series:	Praeger Special Studies in Comparative Education Series
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	1430L (what's this?)

About the Author

STERLING FISHMAN is Professor of History and Educational Policy Studies and Director of the Western European Area Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

LOTHAR R. MARTIN is Professor at the University of Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures
List of Abbreviations
Preface
Acknowledgments
A Twin Study of a Different Kind
The Two Germanys
Public and Private Values in the German Democratic Republic
Education Values and the Law in the Federal Republic of Germany
Goals of Education in East and West
Who Runs the Schools?
Different Schools for Different Twins
The Curriculum: Free Choice and Diversity versus No Choice and Requirements
Teaching and Learning in the Schools of East and West
Conclusion: Alternative Schools-Hospitals or Laboratories?
Bibliography
Index