Over the years, I have been writing about misconceptions regarding the schooling process. The purpose of these posts is to explain why I disagree with various comments that I have heard people make about schooling. These are meant as personal thoughts rather than conclusive proof, and I will admit that I'm not always the best at explaining my thoughts. Regardless, I have decided that I should be willing to share these posts when I encounter someone online who makes an argument that I have already discussed.
Have you heard that the first thing that dictators do is tear down schools? This is a recent argument that I have seen from teachers. It's also an argument that doesn't seem to be attached to any supporting evidence. To date, I have yet to find a single example of a dictator tearing down schools.
There are some examples of dictators that have eliminated competing schools, but this is not the argument being made. The truth is that a vast majority of dictators have believed strongly in government control over education. This comes in the form of schools controlled by and run by a dictator and his regime.
The purpose for control is manipulation. Dictators who control education can manipulate beliefs as a means to strengthen support for the dictatorship. Schools have historically been used to indoctrinate citizens with propaganda.
Fascist and national socialist dictators have primarily been interested using schools to push propaganda. Most have promoted expansion as well. For example, Benito Mussolini expanded the mandatory age range for attendance. Even more so, communist dictators strongly and consistently believed in expanding schooling.
Teachers insist that dictators tear down schools because the skills developed in schools are threats to their power. The truth is the opposite. Dictators build schools because the skills people would develop elsewhere are threats to their power. Also keep in mind that schools legitimately train citizens to show obedience to authoritarian figures. This is something that dictators love.
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