Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
SECONDARY SCHOOL AND COLLEGE-THE COLLEGE AND THE DEVELOPING, MODERN EDUCATION SYSTEM - Environmental conditions - The evolution of state-governed education policy and the development of the education system
126 SECONDARY SCHOOL AND COLLEGE for transportation boomed, the banking system was established and grew rapidly and towns and communities developed and grew in size while consumer habits changed drastically. On the other hand, however, many difficulties also came to the forefront. Economic development would come to a standstill every now and then die to smaller crisis-cycles with which rural farmers, who hoped to make their living from agriculture, were unable to cope and get by, hence came the massive exodus to America and the escalating ethnic tensions. Making an appearance also was a rapidly spreading anti-Semitism which elicited widespread hysterical behaviour such as the frequent throwing in of the blood- accusation (common accusation against Jewish people claiming they sacrificed Christian youth for Easter) or the eruption of street fights (kravallo). The demonstrations by the urban working class in the early years of the 20th century clearly indicate that a wide range of emotions was boiling and stirring the air. The ultimate explosion came after a radical restructuring of the international balance of power as a consequence of the First World War and of the Austro- Hungarian Monarchy emerging on the losing-side of this war. This dualistic state model, which was based on the compromise between feudal and middle class interests, proved to be unsustainable. Furthermore, the ethnic tensions between Hungarians and other ethnic groups living within the historic borders of Hungary become unmanageable. The massive losses sustained in the war gave rise to an intense pressure to cede even more things. This Hungary, which was in the throes of rapid modernization and urbanization, slipped into a deep and complex crisis by the end of the era. The independence gained was coupled with deep despair and frustration. This duality becomes visible in education as well, albeit on a smaller scale, of course, when historical events are analyzed. Schooling became a main priority in Hungary by the second half of the 19th century. The imposition of Organisationsentwurf (in short: Entwurf) in 1849 was the first step in the sequence of events that led to a change in educational policy. In Vienna, the government hoped that by means of this policy common solutions could be applied throughout the empire and it would succeed in assisting the level of education of the different regions rise to the standards of Vienna. The aim was to emulate the example of Prussia where the reforms of Humboldt and Herbart had relatively rapidly initiated an enviable intellectual development. Building on the example of the Prussian school reform program, measures to standardize the type of education offered and its duration in every school type were introduced. State supervision in educational matters was expanded, compulsory education was introduced and the content characteristics of traditional school curriculums were modified. The innovations of Entwurf can be classified into two groups. First, it created a transparent education system by providing precise definitions for each school type. It standardized the work in each institution and established a consistent structure for education levels in various schools. The length of studies in smaller schools and secondary schools could no longer depend on local conditions and on the interests of parents whose progeny were attending such schools. The standardized final graduation examination was introduced, which became the precondition for any further college education. Secondary schools were divided into two school types: the secondary school and the secondary school for sciences and modern languages. Thanks to the latter, schools with curriculums
