An Examination of the Spatial and Social Dimensions of Legal Education in Eger between 1874 and 1890

Abstract

In this study, I examine the period between 1874 and 1890. In 1874, the training structure of the law academy was reformed, introducing a three-year program and the state examination in political science and law. This transformation separated university-level legal education from the training provided by law academies. The primary task of the law academies became the training of officials equipped with the legal knowledge necessary for the functioning of the state apparatus. As the two state examinations qualified individuals for different official positions, an analysis of the social background of those who passed these exams can further expand our current knowledge. I examine the social spaces of education and science at the Eger Law Academy from two perspectives. First, I analyze the places of residence of the law academy's students during the aforementioned period. I investigate which counties constituted the catchment area for the Eger Law Academy and the extent to which urban students were dominant compared to those from rural municipalities. Although I have addressed this topic in a previous study, I now re-examine the issue by extending the period by two years. This incorporates the spatial and educational dimensions into the analysis, which I then carry forward into the next part of the study. Here, I narrow the focus of the investigation, concentrating only on the students who passed the state examination in political science and law. The source material for this consists of the school's registers and the minutes of the state examinations in political science and law. In this phase of the research, it is of particular importance to determine the social background of the students who completed the law academy. This is well indicated by the occupation of the parents or guardians of the state examinees who completed the training. The easiest way to examine this is through the occupations of the parents or guardians. The key questions are: what was the proportion of students whose father or guardian also held a higher education degree? What percentage was represented by the children of merchants and private individuals, as well as other social groups, for the examination of which I will use census categories? This will reveal the extent to which a provincial law academy was a scene of social reproduction and the degree to which it provided opportunities for social mobility in an era when a law degree held such high prestige in society. I intend to further refine the results by also examining the proportion of graduates who lived in cities versus rural municipalities and how many resided in the city where the school was located.