Assumptions and forms of national education in the Second Polish Republic in the years 1918–1926 as a continuation of school ideas of the autonomous Galicia

Abstract

This article explores how educational ideas developed in Polish Galicia during the autonomous period influenced the concept of national upbringing in the Second Polish Republic (1918–1926). After regaining independence, Polish schools – especially folk and secondary – drew on Galician models of patriotic education. The repolonisation of schools in Galicia enabled the implementation of national pedagogy promoted by thinkers such as Zygmunt Balicki, Mieczysław Baranowski, and Edward Gabryelski. Patriotic values were transmitted through school celebrations, historical anniversaries, student organisations, theatres, orchestras, and reading. Between 1918 and 1926, these ideas were adapted by educators like Lucjan Zarzecki, Władysław Marian Borowski, and Ludwik Skoczylas. Drawing on Galician experiences, schools aimed to rebuild national identity and counteract the effects of the Partitions. National education thus became a key legacy of Polish culture, science, and pedagogy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.