FROM THE HISTORY OF THE STRUGGLE FOR POLISH LANGUAGE IN RELIGION CLASSES IN PRUSSIAN EDUCATION IN THE YEARS 1906-1907. SCHOOL STRIKES BY POLISH STUDENTS IN THE FORMER CHOJNICE COUNTY

Abstract

School strikes that erupted in Poznan and West Prussia in 1906-1907 were a reaction of Polish society to the removal of the Polish language from religion classes at the lowest level of teaching in Prussian education. In Western Prussia they took place in 469 schools, including 31 educational institutions in the Chojnice county. In order to suppress the strikes, state and educational authorities applied a wide range of measures affecting both Polish students and their parents. In the Chojnice county, all striking students were given detention in the afternoons or were brutally beaten by teachers. More than a dozen students had to repeat two years of compulsory education while parents were fined 9 and 10 marks. What’s more, parents of striking children were threatened with loss of employment in state industries such as forestry and road construction. Punishments also included cancelling of pensions, withdrawing permits for craft activities or lease of houses. In some cases, sanctions against employers hiring fathers of striking children were also used.
In the Chojnice county, the strikes lasted from November 1906 to the second half of April 1907. Over 1,600 Polish students took part in them.