Page - 57 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

Chapter 2 ♦  57 empire.44 In particular, he criticized the nationalism of the Poles, who in his eyes were striving to regain the independence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Thun-Hohenstein’s insights on education, however, were based on a hierarchical cultural dualism that appeared in a stronger form in the German nationalist discourse in Bohemia; there, “German” was equated with “cul- ture and civilization.” These ideas conflicted sharply with the demands of the Slavic nationalist movements, which challenged the universality of such opinions. Correspondingly, Czech nationalist liberals regarded the pamphlet as a direct assault on their policy.45 The following quotation shows the main traits of both Thun-Hohenstein’s Staatsnationalismus (state nationalism) and his policy as minister of education: The conditions obtaining until now have had the effect—and the Slavs are not at fault for this—that the number of Slavic men who unite solid scholarliness with the ability to disseminate it in their mother tongue is still low, whereas nobody—especially in Bohemia—reaches scien- tific maturity without completely understanding at least German. It is thus of great importance for the intellectual upswing of the Slavs in Bohemia that all men who are able to teach competently in the Czech language in any subjects be given the chance to do so. It is, by the way, no less in their interest to seek scientific education in German lectures. If people are satisfied with this, the number of Czech chairs will still be quite low initially, but it will be higher every year, cultivating and expanding the national forces. If, on the other hand, a completely mis- guided conception of equality is imposed, and a Czech chair is created beside each German one, or if complete gymnasia and university fac- ulties in the Czech language are founded with consideration only of the sizes of the populations, the national cause may be illuminated with what seems to the ignorant eye to be a dazzling glamour, but with each passing year it will fade away. And even more important, true Bildung will be strongly impeded, even repressed. . . . Moreover, such a foolish and jealous conception of the principle of equality, which snatches only at equality of appearance, would have the consequence that, whenever means were lacking, German Bildung-institutions would be destroyed as Czech ones were constructed alongside them. . . . We must oppose such pernicious aberrations and perversions, which are useful to nobody. . . . Wherever real rights are in question, equal laws should be applied, and