Abstract
ABSTRACTThrough an extensive study of 12 parishes in the Sundsvall region, this article, informed by studies in the economic history of education, examines changes and continuities in local school politics during the period of 1840–1900. Using the Sundsvall region in the northern part of Sweden as its point of departure, this article shows how basic political conflicts shifted when political franchise, tax regulations and the social structure of the region changed during the second half of the nineteenth century. At the end of the investigated period, the basic conflict of school politics was no longer between those who owned land and those who did not but rather between high- and low-income groups. Judging from local school politics, the local elites of the Sundsvall region, in contrast to local elites in the USA, England, Spain and Prussia, focused their attention on school funding. The main conflicts between the social groups not only concerned the distribution of school expenditures but also included issues, such as the location of schools.
Highlights
Because the expansion of schooling in the nineteenth and early 20th centuries has been regarded as vital for economic development, numerous studies have been devoted to analysing why schools developed more rapidly in some nations and regions than in others
This article has shown how local school politics were characterized by several issues and conflicts, some of which occurred repeatedly throughout the investigated period
The basic conflict of school politics was no longer between those who owned land and those who did not; instead, it was between highand low-income groups
Summary
Because the expansion of schooling in the nineteenth and early 20th centuries has been regarded as vital for economic development, numerous studies have been devoted to analysing why schools developed more rapidly in some nations and regions than in others. The local debate focused on what may be described as a free-rider problem; that is, that a group may benefit from a service without paying their share (Nilsson & Pettersson, 2008) In this case, the main question debated in the school districts’ governing bodies was how the expenditure should be distributed between the farmers and the landless. The line of conflict was no longer drawn between landholding farmers and the landless population but between the wealthy – those who owned many fyrkar – and those who were not wealthy Under such conditions, the burdens of schooling, as well as the political voice, were increasingly unevenly distributed across the population of the Sundsvall region. Due to rapid societal developments driven by the expansion of the sawmill industry and due to changing regulations regarding local taxes and political franchise, the main conflict was no longer that between landowners and the landless but rather that between the wealthy and the non-wealthy
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
