MODERNISATION OR DEMOCRATISATION? THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW EDUCATION SYSTEM BETWEEN THE TWILIGHT OF THE FRANCO ERA AND THE DAWN OF DEMOCRACY

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. The aim of this article is to offer a general discussion of two aspects which were pertinent in the construction of the educational reform of 1970 in Spain: the “top-down” modernization to be found in the discourse of the General Law of Education (LGE) and the “bottom-up” democratisation effected by the discourse and demands of teachers’ movements. METHOD. We outline the main characteristics of the world-systems paradigm in order to gain a proper appreciation of the LGE in that context. We analyse the discourse of the reform, and of the diagnostic report which preceded it, the White Paper of 1969, seeking out similarities with the discourses promulgated by the international organisations. In turn, we analyse publications that served to disseminate the educational ideas of the teachers’ movements. RESULTS. With the re-appropriation of social justice- and democracy-related discourse by the human capital train of thought, the concept of democratization came to be understood as the extension of schooling and equal access to the system for all, thereby limiting its more profound meaning. This is the concept embodied by the LGE of 1970 and the White Paper of 1969. In addition, teachers’ movements also fought for modernisation and democratization in the sphere of education, but with a completely different understanding of them, relating more to academic ideas of learning and the encouragement of popular participation both in educational policy-making and in the running of the schools. DISCUSSION. The design of the education system in the 1970s resulted from a complex web of local and international factors. Both the authorities and the social movements imposed concepts imported from abroad on Spain’s reality, adapting them to their own particular interests and values. The modernisation and democratisation of the education system were primarily shaped by the authorities; however, the social movements also undeniably left their mark.