The School and the World

In the wake of the First World War, two teachers set out to test a bold idea: weaving political education into the fabric of a traditional English public school. Their early experiments, described in vivid detail, show how lessons on citizenship and debate began to shape the minds and characters of their pupils. The narrative captures both the promise of this new liberal curriculum and the sudden, turbulent forces that threatened its survival.

The authors also turn a keen eye toward the heated public debate their work sparked, presenting a chorus of contemporary reviews that question the line between education and propaganda, the role of teachers’ own politics, and the risk of authoritarian influence. To ground their arguments, they include a selection of articles written by the students themselves, offering a rare glimpse into youthful engagement with the issues. The book invites listeners to consider how education, politics, and society intersect—and why the conversation remains as relevant today as it was a century ago.