13 - Education is More Popular Than Ever

Footnotes of History

Want more FOH? Visit footnotesofhistory.com/join Shownotes at: footnotesofhistory.com/13 What is the state of education in Great Britain? Such was the question asked in 1859 by the Commission brought together by the Palmerston Government. Tasked with examining the impact of state subsidies for education in place since the 1830s Factory Acts, Newcastle's Commission actually made some astonishng discoveries that we will reveal in this episode. Not only was the relatively laissez-faire and voluntary school system of England and Wales keeping literacy rates on a par with compulsory systems such as Prussia's, it was actually outperforming some of them, assisted by an apparently ferocious and completely spontaneous demand for knowledge among the people of Britain. As always on Footnotes of History, prepare to have your mind blown!