Primary education in Lisbon during the constitutional monarchy: some contributions for its study

Abstract

In the year that marks the 200th anniversary of the Liberal Revolution, we revisit one of the most debated topics in Parliament and in Portuguese society in the 19th century: state education. Two centuries later, education and schooling are still interesting topics in terms of research and analysis. They are at the core of political debate, lead to social discussion and provide a topic for several economic and financial analyses. The adoption of liberal political principles that defend the political and administrative decentralization of the State throughout the 19th century was reflected in the educational reform, or was the option for centralism  the solution for the restructuring of the education system? The ideological oscillation of the political debate around administrative competences was constant and assumed an important role in the realization of the main political-social purpose of the 19th century: to provide the individual with elementary knowledge that would allow him to exercise citizenship. We are faced with a fundamental plan that brought about the collaboration of the whole society, of all institutions. In this context, how did the Lisbon Town Council promote people’s education? Mainly through founding, organizing and supervising state schools which would respond to the country’s development and the enhancement of citizenship.