Local community-teacher relations in Austrian Galicia in the autonomous era (1867–1914)

Galicia was a crown land of the Austrian monarchy between 1772 and 1918. Between 1867 and 1914, after the transformation of the state into Austria-Hungary, there was a rapid development of public education thanks to the granting of autonomy. In order to support the developing education system and effectively combat illiteracy, a modern teacher training system was implemented. The profession of elementary school teacher became professionalised. However, the development of education was fraught with problems, mainly resulting from the poverty of the rural population and a lack of understanding of the importance of education. For this reason, relations between the population and teachers were conflictual. Yet teachers were often informal guides for the generally illiterate rural community. The aim of this article is to show the relationship between primary school teachers and the inhabitants of Galicia. In order to understand their nature, it is necessary to explain the school policy of the Galician authorities, taking into account the expectations of the Austrian occupier, as well as the social and economic situation in Galicia.