The Falloux Law And Its Influence On Modern Education And Society In France

After the French Revolution,the regimes in France changed frequently with the domestic political forces factions everywhere.For a long time,in the system of theocracy in French society,the church has been presided over educational affairs,to help the ancient regime and the ruling class control people's mind.In the complex political game,the control of schooling has become an important aspect of the struggle between the anti-clericalists and the clericalists,and also reflects the twists and turns of the French educational secularization.While the Church has been hit hard,the "Falloux Law" passed by the French parliament in 1850 empowered the Church to operate schools again,which became a turning point in the struggle between the two sides.Inspecting the specific content of the bill and the formation process can find out its impact on modern education and society in France.The "Falloux Law" contains four parts,85 articles.According to the bill,a complete supervision system should be established from central to local;Schools were divided into public schools and liberal schools;the restrictions of opening private schools and the standards of teaching qualification got a considerable easing.The bill also had regulations about teachers' payment and government assistance.The church regained its right in schooling under the supervision of the government,and the teaching content must meet the requirements of the state.They began to cooperate from the hostile.Under the new educational system,the church schools had made great contributions to the popularization of education,especially compulsory education and women education.The secularization of France was progressing in the process of competition between the government and the Church.Fighting in the educational field actually reflected their political struggle,because both of them wanted to instill their own ideology and values into society though education,so as to obtain the support of the people.The "Falloux Law" marks the return of the Catholic Church to education,but it can't reverse the historical trend of secularization in France.More importantly,the government,the Church and the society debated fiercely about the bill,reflecting all the political interests were seeking for new balance in power competition,and ultimately contribute to the consolidation of state power.During this time,changes had taken place in French social class,including the previous aristocracy gradually turned into the bourgeoisie,and the class structure of French feudal society gradually transformed into that of capitalist society.In the process of secularization in France,the church,trying to hold back,but its internal structure was inevitably transformed and adjusted to adapt and integrate into modern society.Thus,the "Falloux Law"reflects a series of changes in the secularization and modernization of French society.