teenth century, there was a tendency to adapt primary education to the new social conditions. objective was expressed in the slogan: The school for and by life. By life meant that the education must not be alien to the surrounding reality but must allow itself to be inspired by it. Between the world wars, under the influence of Ovide Decroly, this was finally concretized in the study of the environment by means of active observation. The school for life meant that the primary school must meet the new needs. Economically, a better educated work force was needed for industry; socially, the workers' movements were making their influence felt. During the nineteenth century, the ideological opposition between the Catholics and the liberals dominated education, the former wishing to maintain the religious character of the society, the latter striving for secularization. Both the liberal and the Catholic bourgeoisie were confronted with the social question and, after the 1880s, with the organized socialist movement. leading classes perceived socialism as a danger for the social order, fearing that it would threaten religion, undermine the family, and generate a spirit of rebellion. Clamorous strikes made that danger all too obvious. Greater attention to social problems was thus demanded, and this led to the beginnings of social legislation, among other things. One of the social problems was alcoholism. In the present article, we shall be concerned with the scope of this phenomenon, how it was perceived by the leading classes, and what actions were taken to counter it. We will also consider the question of why the primary school was enlisted in the fight against the alcohol abuse, what initiatives were developed, and what results were achieved. number of drinking establishments in Belgium began to increase